Jan. 11, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
No. 8/9 Kentucky Wildcats (9-4, 0-2)
vs.
South Carolina Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1)
GAME 14
Jan. 12, 2002
1:07 p.m. ET
Frank McGuire Arena (12,401)
Columbia, S.C.
UK RADIO NETWORK
90+ stations: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt and Dave Baker.
TELEVISION
JP Sports (Live): Tom Hammond and Larry Conley.
UKathletics.com
Official site carries live audio from the UK Radio Network for each game. Enhanced coverage includes live statistics for all home games. Also adds the latest on the 2001-02 Wildcats including season statistics, photos and records.
Coaching ComparisonsOrlando “Tubby” Smith (High Point ’73) Overall (11th year) 243-99 (71.1%) at UK (5th year) 119-37 (76.3%) SEC Tournament (6 yrs.) 13-3 (81.3%) NCAA Tournament (8 yrs.) 18-7 (72.0%) vs. South Carolina 13-2
Dave Odom (Guilford ’65) Overall (16th year) 288-178 (59.7%) at USC (1st year) 10-4 (71.4%)vs. Kentucky0-2
Team Comparisons cats cocksRecord 9-4 10-4Scoring Offense 85.2 72.3Scoring Defense 69.0 60.7Scoring Margin +16.2 +11.6FG % 47.3 44.3FG % Defense 40.2 44.73FG % 31.9 36.93FG % Defense 32.0 28.4Free Throw % 66.1 63.4Rebound Average 44.3 34.0Opponent Rebound Average 34.2 34.1Rebound Margin +10.1 -0.1TO Average 15.6 14.2Opponent TO 18.3 19.9TO Margin +2.7 +5.7Blocks Average 4.9 2.9Steals Average 8.3 10.0
WILDCATSNo. NamePos.Ht.Wt.Cl.PpgRpgHometownLast Game21Tayshaun PrinceF6-9215Sr.18.37.1Compton, Calif.15 pts, 6 rebs40Jules CamaraF6-11225Jr.5.53.8Dakar, Senegal16 pts, 4 rebs, 3 blks4Gerald FitchG6-3185So.8.35.4Macon, Ga.13 pts, 1 reb10Keith BogansG6-5205Jr.12.85.5Alexandria, Va.6 pts, 5 rebs1Cliff HawkinsG6-1185So.8.0*4.6Dumfries, Va.2 pts, 5 assts
GAMECOCKSNo. NamePos.Ht.Wt.Cl.PpgRpgHometownLast Game31Chuck EidsonF6-72-5Jr.8.03.1Summerville, S.C.3 pts, 4 rebs55Rolando HowellF-C6-9220So.8.15.6Columbia, S.C.9 pts, 7 rebs12Marius PetraviciusC6-10250Jr.10.77.1Kltenenu, Lithuania8 pts, 8 rebs10Jamel BradleyG6-2170Sr.13.91.9Beckley, W.Va.13 pts, 0 rebs5Aaron LucasG5-11185Sr.11.0*5.0Columbia, S.C.14 pts, 3 assts*Assists
Wildcats, Gamecocks Battle for First League Victory
Kentucky has opened Southeastern Conference play with two narrow losses, falling at Mississippi State last Saturday, 74-69 in overtime, before losing at home on Wednesday to Georgia, 88-84. Its the Wildcats first 0-2 start in league play since 1979. To pull the upset victory three days ago, UGA shot 54.1% from the field and 43.5% from 3FG range. The Dogs were the first team this season to shoot better than 50% from the field against UK’s staunch defense. Even more remarkable, it marked the first time since Tubby Smith took over at Kentucky that the Wildcats shot 50% or better in a game and did not secure the victory (54-1).
Meanwhile, South Carolina also will be looking for its first SEC win of the season. The Gamecocks fell to Florida, 69-60, last weekend in Gainesville before having an “open” date mid-week.
For Kentucky, the game begins a stretch where the Cats will play three of their next four games on the road. UK returns home Tuesday to face Ole Miss before traveling to Notre Dame and Auburn.
Series History
Kentucky leads the series with the Gamecocks 27-4 and has won the last 10 meetings between the two teams. USC’s last victory came on March 2, 1997, a 72-66 Senior Day win in Lexington. UK has won the past four games in Columbia, dating back to the 1998 season. The Gamecocks’ last win in Columbia came on Feb. 4, 1997, an 84-79 overtime victory.
This marks the 23rd meeting between the teams since South Carolina joined the league in 1992. UK owns a 19-3 mark against the Gamecocks since that time.
Dave Odom is in his first year coaching USC but has faced the Wildcats twice as the head coach at Wake Forest, going winless in two meetings. His Demon Deacons lost to the Wildcats in the 1993 NCAA Southeast Region Semifinals, 103-69. The teams met again in the 1996 NCAA Tournament with UK defeating the Tim Duncan-led Deamons, 83-63, in the Midwest Region title game en route to the national championship.
Tubby Smith, a former Gamecock assistant coach (1986-89), is 13-2 against South Carolina and hasn’t lost to the ‘Cocks while at UK (10-0).
No current member of the Wildcats’ squad has lost a game to USC.
UK Mourns
Junior Marquis Estill’s father, Larry Estill Sr., passed away last Saturday with an unexpected illness. Mr. Estill, who lived in Lexington, was buried on Thursday in Richmond. He was 44.
Power Polls
To start the new year, Kentucky is ranked among the top teams in the nation in two popular power polls. Strength of schedule ratings are listed in parenthesis:
Sagarin CollegeRPI.comKentucky 25th (23rd) 23rd (5th)S. Carolina 44th (111th) 46th (52nd)
The Southeastern Conference is rated as the nation’s toughest conference by CollegeRPI.com and Sagarin. All but one team has a winning record.
1. SEC
2. Pac-10
3. ACC
Milestones
Tayshaun Prince needs eight points to tie Johnny Cox (1957-59) for 16th place and 11 to catch Pat Riley for 15th on the UK all-time scoring list. He currently has 1,453 points.
Keith Bogans ranks 37th on the all-time UK list with 1,154 points. He needs just two points to catch Derrick Miller (1987-90) and 13 to tie Reggie Hanson for 35th place.
Prince and Bogans are high on UK’s list of all-time 3FG attempts. Prince ranks third with 504, while Bogans ranks fourth with 437 attempts.
Bogans Due
Keith Bogans is second on the team in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). But he’s having a very freshman-like season. The junior is shooting 40.1% from the field and 29.4% from 3FG range. As a freshman, he shot 40.7% and 28.3%, respectively. Last year ,when he earned second-team All-SEC honors, he shot 47.3% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range in leading the Cats in scoring at 17.0 ppg.
SouleyQuis
Jules Camara and Marquis Estill have begun to settle into their roles as the Cats’ tandem at center.
In the two SEC games, the pair has shot 19-of-28 from the field (67.5%), 5-for-6 from the foul line and blocked 11 shots.
Camara scored a career-high 16 points against Georgia with three swats. He had 12 points vs. Miss. State last Saturday.
Estill has been near automatic inside as of late, hitting 11-of-15 from the field over the last four games. He had 11 points, six boards and six blocks against Miss. State last week. For the season, he continues to lead the team in FG percentage, hitting 67.5%, which would lead the SEC if he met the minimum of five FG attempts per game.
Bench Production
The Wildcats have utilized their deep bench this season and for good reason. The bench has contributed 28.8 ppg and 15.9 rpg.
Against Georgia Wednesday, the reserves totaled 32 points and 13 rebounds.
Big Draw
This season, the Cats have played in front of four of the top five crowds in the nation, including three at home. Statistics courtesty of the NCAA:
Game (Site) Attendance1. UK-Indiana (N) 29,3792. UK-Louisville (H) 24,3303. UK-North Carolina (H) 23,1535. UK-Western Ky. (H) 21,104
The list was released before Wednesday’s game with Georgia, which saw UK draw 21,707 fans. Kentucky’s matchup with Duke in the Meadowlands ranked eighth this season after drawing 20,029 fans.
Cats in the NCAA Rankings
In the NCAA statistics released Jan. 7, the Wildcats ranked fifth in scoring (85.2 ppg) and eighth in scoring margin (+17.9 ppg). UK is seventh in the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by an average of 10.5 rpg.
Cats in the SEC Stats
In the Southeastern Conference rankings, UK’s Tayshaun Prince is second in the league in scoring (18.3 ppg) while Cliff Hawkins ranks seventh in assists (4.6 apg). Jules Camara ranks second in blocked shots (1.7 pg), while Marquis Estill ranks third (1.5 pg).
The Wildcats are first in scoring (85.2 ppg), rebounding (44.3 rpg), rebounding margin (10.1 rpg) and offensive rebounds (18.0 orpg).
In SEC games only, Hawkins is tied for first in the league in assists (7.5 pg) and steals (4.0 pg). Estill’s 3.0 blocks per game ranks first while Camara is second with 2.5 pg. Camara’s .650 shooting percentage through the first two SEC games also ranks No. 2.
Cats In The Stats
Kentucky has increased production on the offensive end after a disappointing 52-point performance to open the season against Western Kentucky. The Cats are now averaging a league-leading 85.2 ppg this season, the most since the Cats averaged 91.4 ppg during the 1996 championship season.
Coach Tubby Smith has always made solid defense his top priority and this year is no different. In the first 13 games, teams have combined to shoot 40.2% from the field highlighted by Indiana’s 32.1% shooting, the best UK defensive effort of the season. Georgia (54.1%) was the first team to shoot better than 50% against the Cats since Southern Cal (52.8%, 3-22-01) upset the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament last year.
SEC Domination
Kentucky is in its 69th season of SEC play. A charter member, the Cats have been the most dominant team in the league through the years, recording a 770-208 mark (78.7%). No other team has won more than 636 games (Alabama) and no other team has a better winning percentage. UK has averaged 11.3 wins and 3.0 losses per season during its SEC tenure.The Wildcats have won 41 SEC titles and 23 SEC Tournament Championships, more titles than the other teams combined.
Kentucky has won eight of the last 10 SEC Tournament titles.
OTS in the SEC
In the past four seasons, since Orlando “Tubby” Smith took the coaching reins at Kentucky, the Wildcats have won three SEC Championships and three SEC Tournament titles. While the SEC Tournament success continues a string of titles the past decade, UK’s success in winning the regular-season crown hasn’t been achieved since the Wildcats won three of the four titles between 1983-86.
Smith is 49-17 (74.2%) in SEC regular season play since taking over at Kentucky.
Smith has an amazing 13-3 (81.3%), record in the SEC Tournament which includes his two seasons at Georgia.
Last season, Smith’s Cats captured a share of the SEC Eastern Division crown, his third in the last four years and the second straight.
Starting Switches
Tubby Smith has a deep roster this season which allows him multiple lineups. Thirteen games into the season, the Wildcats have started four different combinations.
Only Tayshaun Prince, Gerald Fitch and Keith Bogans have started all 13 games. Cliff Hawkins has started 10 games at the point while injured running mate J.P. Blevins has three starts. Jules Camara (6), Marquis Estill (5) and Marvin Stone (2) have all split time inside.
The lineup has remained the same since the Duke game when Camara got the starting nod at center.
Three Mania
Kentucky has hit a three-pointer in 454 consecutive games. UK trails UNLV, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, which all have similar streaks. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton have hit a three-pointer in every game since the rule was adopted in 1987, but Princeton has yet to play 450 games.
The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came 13 years ago against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.
Vs. Ranked Opponents
No. 1 Duke was the first ranked opponent the Cats faced this season.
UK in January
The Wildcats hold a 505-175 all-time record in the month of January for a .743 winning percentage. Last season, UK went 7-2 in the year’s first month for a .777 mark.
Next Game
Kentucky returns to Rupp Arena to face Western Division-foe Ole Miss in a Super Tuesday ESPN showdown. It’s UK’s fifth nationally televised game of the season. Ole Miss takes on in-state rival Mississippi State on Saturday before coming to Lexington.
Last Time Out
Jarvis Hayes scored a career-high 30 points as upstart Georgia played an outstanding game to earn an 88-84 win at Rupp Arena. The Dogs rallied to take the lead in the final two minutes to earn only their third win in Lexington in 53 tries. It marked Georgia’s second win in Rupp Arena.
National Polls
UK began the season ranked fourth in both major polls.
After losing its season opener, UK dropped to 13th in the AP poll and 14th in the Coaches poll. But the Cats have steadily climbed back into the top 10. They sit at eighth in the AP and ninth in the Coaches poll despite their loss to Mississippi State last Saturday.
Double-Doubles
Gerald Fitch had his first double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Tulane. It was the second double-double of his career.
Tayshaun Prince posted his third double-double of the season against the Hoosiers with 17 points and 11 rebounds. He had back-to-back double-doubles last month against VMI and North Carolina.
Jules Camara had his best effort of the season against Duke, scoring 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the fourth of his career.
Current Wildcats who have recorded double-doubles in their career include:
CatCareer DoublesKeith Bogans2Jules Camara4Marquis Estill1Gerald Fitch2Jason Parker2Tayshaun Prince10
National Exposure
The Louisville game marked Kentucky’s fourth appearance on national television this season. Kentucky will appear six times on ESPN and seven times on CBS.
Overtime Trials
The Wildcats have played two overtime games already this season, losing to Duke 95-92 and Miss. State 74-69.
Kentucky has now played 80 overtime games in 99 seasons, and owns a 44-36 record in those contests.
In the Tubby Smith era, the Cats won their first seven overtime games but have lost their last three.
The most OT games UK has ever played in one season was five — 1978-79.
SEASON NOTES
Three-Point Show
Kentucky set a school record when nine different Wildcats made a three-point field goal in UK’s win over Tulane on Jan. 2. Since the three-point shot was implemented in 1987, no UK squad had ever had nine different Cats can a three in the same game. The nine different “lives” splashed in 16 total treys against the Green Wave, the most in a game in the Tubby Smith Era at Kentucky. It also marked the most since UK canned 16 against UNC Asheville in December 1996.
Prince Named SEC Player of the Week
The Southeastern Conference named Kentucky senior Tayshaun Prince its Player of the Week for Dec. 24-Jan. 1.
The 6-9 senior was very consistent in late December, tallying 17 points and nine rebounds against Duke, 17 and 11 against the Hoosiers and 18 and nine against the Cardinals. The double-double against Indiana was his third this season and the 10th of his career.
It was his first SEC Player of the Week honor this season and the first by a Wildcat. Prince won the award once as a sophomore and twice last season.
Blevins Out
Point guard J.P. Blevins broke his right wrist against Indiana and will be out of action for 4-6 weeks. UK physicians successfully inserted a screw in his right wrist Dec. 27.
Blevins suffered the injury during a lay-up attempt in the first half against the Hoosiers.
He has played in seven games this season with three starts, averaging 2.7 points and 1.4 assists per game. He missed the first two games of the season – the NABC Classic – with a severely sprained right ankle that he injured in the Athletes in Action game (exh.) on Nov. 11.
Stone Dismissed
Marvin Stone was dismissed from the Kentucky men’s basketball team on Dec. 27. The 6-10 junior failed to return from the holiday break and became the first player to be dismissed from the Wildcats’ basketball team in Smith’s five seasons.
Stone averaged 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He saw action in all nine contests, starting the first two, and averaged 13.9 minutes per game.
The Huntsville, Ala., native totaled 397 points and 314 rebounds in his career after playing in 75 games with 11 starts.
Prince On Wooden List
Tayshaun Prince was among the Top 30 candidates for the Wooden Award in its midseason poll released Dec. 28. Prince was a Wooden All-American last year. This year’s honors will be announced March 26 and include the 10-member All-America team and college basketball’s Most Outstanding Player.
Cawood’s Court
The new floor at Rupp Arena was named “Cawood’s Court” in ceremonies before the Louisville game. The tribute honors Cawood Ledford, who was the beloved “Voice of the Wildcats” for 39 years (1953-92). Ledford passed away in early September following a long battle with cancer.
The ceremony included the unveiling of a logo courtside not far from where he called all the action and a donation by two area businesses to the Cawood Ledford Scholarship Fund at UK. The fund was established in 1992 to assist former student-athletes in completing their degrees.
Hawk’s Shooting Eye
Cliff Hawkins recorded back-to-back career highs in December.
The sophomore tallied 15 points against Duke including nine of the Cats’ first 11 in overtime. He then returned to score 17 points against Indiana four days later. For the week, he averaged 16 ppg and 4.0 apg.
Within the Borders
Kentucky’s 20-point win over Louisville closed out a four-game schedule this season with Kentucky schools. UK finished with a 3-1 record in those games. It was the most games with instate schools since the 1920-21 season.
The Cats fell to Western Kentucky and defeated Morehead State, Kentucky State and Louisville. They faced Kentucky Wesleyan, Cumberland, Georgetown and Centre during the ’21 season, posting a 5-1 record in the meetings.
Carruth Burned Devils
Rashaad Carruth broke out against Duke, taking control of the offensive end during the first half to total 14 points in the period after scoring 12 all season.
He finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and set or tied career highs in every category.
Carruth missed the first month of the season with a high ankle sprain and played in only three games prior to the Duke contest.
Cats vs. No. 1 Teams
After falling to top-ranked Duke, 95-92, in overtime on Dec. 18, Kentucky fell to 4-9 against No.1-ranked teams in the AP poll since 1949.
The Wildcats played Duke two other times when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the country. Duke won both games, 80-55 on Nov. 19, 1988 and 104-103 in overtime on March 28, 1992.
Kentucky’s last win over a top-ranked team was an 81-74 victory against UMass at the Meadowlands in the NCAA Semifinals on March 30, 1996.
December to Remember
Kentucky kicked off a highly anticipated December schedule of great rivalries on Dec. 8 with a 79-59 rout of North Carolina. After 118-63 win over Kentucky State, the Wildcats lost a thrilling overtime game to No. 1 Duke, 95-92, in the Jimmy V Classic. After holding Indiana to 32.1% shooting in a 66-52 win in the RCA Dome, the Cats finished off the Rick Pitino-coached Loiusville Cards, 82-62.
TREY-Shaun’s Game
Tayshaun Prince’s effort vs. UNC won’t soon be forgotten. Along with his three-point shooting display, Prince totaled 31 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. He matched his career scoring and steals totals. It was his second consecutive double-double, the ninth of his career.
Prince’s streak of five three-pointers on five straight possessions to start the North Carolina game were the first of seven for the game, all coming in the opening half. His fifth, just a few inches inside the “U” at center court, measured nearly 30′.
His seven 3FGs in a half tied Derrick Miller for the most threes scored in a half at Kentucky. Miller also drained seven to start the Kansas game on Dec. 9, 1989 before finishing with eight threes in the game.
Prince’s seven, however, were the most treys recorded by a Wildcat in Rupp Arena as Miller’s came in the Jayhawks’ storied Allen Field House.
Queen City Mark
In November, Kentucky played its fifth consecutive season at the Firstar Center in Cincinnati, defeating Kent State, 82-68. The Wildcats are now 6-1 all-time in the arena.
Season Openers
Kentucky is 81-18 in season openers after its loss to Western Kentucky in the NABC Classic. Last season, the Cats were upset in New York by St. John’s, 62-61. Tubby Smith is 8-3 in season openers during his head coaching career.
Home Openers
Kentucky is 84-15 all-time in home openers after the loss to WKU. Nine of those losses occurred before Adolph Rupp began coaching in 1930. The Cats are 65-6 since 1930, losing the home opener in 1955 to Temple, 1962 to Va. Tech, 1972 to Iowa, 1988 to Northwestern State, 2000 to Penn State and this season to Western Kentucky.
UK now stands at 23-3 in home openers at Rupp Arena.
PRESEASON NOTES
AP Names Prince All-American
Forward Tayshaun Prince added yet another honor to his resume in November as he was named to the The Associated Press Preseason All-America team, the only senior on the list.
Prince joined Duke’s Jason Williams, Stanford’s Casey Jacobsen, Missouri’s Kareem Rush and Illinois’ Frank Williams.
Prince is just the second Wildcat to earn the preseason honor from the AP since the national news organization began naming a preseason team in 1985. Jamal Mashburn was a preseason All-American prior to the 1992-93 season.
Prince also was named first-team Preseason All-America by collegeinsider.com, Athlon Sports, Blue Ribbon Basketball, The Sporting News and Basketball News.
He was a second-team selection by AP at the end of last season.
Conference Supremacy
Kentucky was picked to finish first in the SEC by a media vote at the conference’s annual media day on Nov. 1.
Tayshaun Prince also was predicted to repeat as SEC Player of the Year, while he and Bogans both were named first-team Preseason All-SEC.
Men’s Basketball Predictions
Champion – Kentucky (20), Florida (3).
Eastern Division1. Kentucky (20) 262. Florida (3) 433. Tennessee 764. South Carolina 985. Georgia 1056. Vanderbilt 123
Western Division1. Alabama (15) 332. Arkansas (5) 603. Ole Miss (2) 664. Auburn (1) 785. LSU 1216. Mississippi State 125
All-SEC First TeamG – Brett Nelson, Florida 17G – Keith Bogans, Kentucky 15C – Udonis Haslem, Florida 22F – Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky 22G/F – Rod Grizzard, Alabama 11
Prince, Bogans on Wooden List
Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans were both named to the preseason Wooden Award Candidate list for 2001-02.
Only 50 college basketball players make the prestigious list, which culminates in the presentation of the Wooden Award for the nation’s best collegiate basketball player each April.
The award was started in 1976 and has seen past winners that include Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Tim Duncan. No Kentucky Wildcat has ever claimed the honor.
Parker Injury
Jason Parker underwent his second ACL surgery on his right knee in four months when he had a patella tendon autograft performed by team physicians Darren Johnson and Scott Mair on Nov. 1. Parker injured the knee June 24 in a pickup basketball game and had his initial surgery July 2. He retore the ligament prior to introductions for Big Blue Madness on Oct. 12.
Parker will miss the 2001-02 season as a redshirt. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Production Return
Kentucky lost one senior from last year, returning 12 lettermen and four starters from a team that finished as co-champions of the Southeastern Conference and won the league tournament. With the loss of Jason Parker for the season, the numbers change to three returning starters. The statistics below reflect the returning production, excluding Parker:
Points 80.6%Rebounds 82.4%Assists 71.4%Blocks 83.4%Steals 72.1%
Their Old Kentucky Home
This season’s roster boasts six products from the Bluegrass State, the most since the 1991 season.
J.P. Blevins (Edmonton), Marquis Estill (Richmond), Cory Sears (Corbin), Matt Heissenbuttel (Lexington), Josh Carrier (Bowling Green) and Adam Chiles (Louisville) all hail from within the state’s borders.
In ’91, Reggie Hanson, Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Michael Parks and Todd Bearup all came from Kentucky. Much like Sears and Heissenbuttel, Parks and Bearup were both walk-ons 11 seasons ago.
Face Lift
Fans attending UK home games will recognize changes at floor level. In addition to the new floor that was purchased last summer, courtside fan seating has been added as well. Currently, 20 new “scholarship seats” have displaced some traditional media seating and been installed on press row. The 20 seats were sold for $313,000 a pair and the revenue generated will go to endow all 13 men’s basketball scholarships. There are still four pairs remaining to be sold.
Kentucky celebrated its 25th season in the first built-for-basketball arena last year, playing for a quarter of a century on the original floor. Pieces of the original floor were auctioned off prior to the charity game, “A Night of True Champions,” on Aug. 11, raising more than $38,000. The money was split between the UK Basketball Museum, the KHSAA and the Lexington Civic Center for the purchase of the new floor.
The new floor was designed by UK in conjunction with Lexington Civic Center officials. It was constructed by Robbins, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio at a cost of $125,000.
BIG BLUE MANIA
Keightley In 41st Season
Kentucky equipment manager Bill Keightley is in his 41st season in the UK program. The beloved Mr. Wildcat has served UK since 1961-62, watching the Cats roll to a 953-293 record during that era.
Keightley, who has a jersey retired in the rafters of Rupp Arena, has worked under five different head coaches at UK — Rupp, Hall, Sutton, Pitino and Smith.
Wiggins Passes 1,200
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins continues his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. In all, he’s in his 49th season watching Kentucky play in person and through his own record keeping, has attended 1,204 UK games.
Wiggins, who is retired and lives in Falmouth, Ky., saw 615 consecutive games — home and away — from 1977 until he suffered a heart attack just before the 1996 Great Alaska Shootout. It’s the second-longest streak on record at UK.
The illness forced him to miss four games, but he has since returned to see every contest in person, a streak of 190 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 41 years, a streak spanning 583 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 518-65.
UK’s NBA Players
To start the 2001-02 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek AndersonPortlandTony DelkPhoenixWalter McCartyBostonJamaal MagloireCharlotteJamal MashburnCharlotteRon MercerChicagoNazr MohammedAtlantaScott PadgettUtahMark PopeMilwaukeeAntoine WalkerBoston
In addition, former UK assistant coach Jim O’Brien is the head coach of the Boston Celtics while former UK All-American Pat Riley coaches the Miami Heat.
— Go Cats —
