John Calipari opens up on what it meant to see Mike Pratt's jersey retirement

John Calipari was emotional watching Mike Pratt’s jersey be raised to the rafters of Rupp Arena.

On Saturday, the Wildcats immortalized one of their most important figures during halftime of their game against the Florida Gators. Pratt’s No. 22 was retired, as Kentucky honored the late Wildcats legend, who made an impact both on the court and perhaps an even greater one as a broadcaster for multiple decades.

Pratt passed away earlier this year on June 16 after a bout with cancer, but his family was in attendance, including his wife Marcia.

Afterwards, Calipari spoke about what it meant to see Pratt’s jersey high above him, following honoring his legacy with a victory.

“Mike Pratt, number raised. How many points did they have at halftime? 22. Mike’s number. Who made the last points of the game? No. 22. You don’t think Mike was up there tipping balls away? Think about that,” started Calipari. “One of the nicest people. Kind heart. We had his kids and his grandkids and his brother and his wife in the locker room after. I’m just — I’m happy for him. He’s been an unbelievable supporter of mine. It’s easy when things are going good. For people to step up and be there. When you struggle a bit, they kind of run. Mike wasn’t that guy. Mike was the one who would talk through all the stuff. Now I’ll say this about him, he did call me because he wanted info, so he could be in the know. We laughed about it. But I loved the guy. I miss him. I’m happy that this was done.

“Well deserved. Top 30 — only played three years — scoring, rebound, assist. Only played three years, because freshman didn’t play when he played. So it was good.”

Alas, it’s been a tough season for Kentucky, but John Calipari and the Wildcats made the Pratt family, as well as Big Blue Nation as a whole proud on Saturday. Perhaps they’ll use the victory as motivation to continue their uptick moving forward.