A random, but great, story about Matthew Mitchell

[caption id="attachment_146560" align="alignnone" width="500"] Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics[/caption] Who doesn't love Matthew Mitchell? UK Hoops' main man isn't just an excellent head coach, he's a hilarious radio host, amazing dad and husband, and surprisingly good singer. USA Today has an article out today that focuses on Louisiana Lafayette's head football coach Mark Hudspeth and how he, Matthew Mitchell, and Andy Kennedy all grew up together in tiny Louisville, Mississippi. All three played quarterback--Kennedy the starter, Hudspeth the backup, and Mitchell third string--at Winston Academy, and all three have gone on to be coaches of Divisions I teams. In fact, Hudspeth was the one who helped Mitchell out when he wound up back in Mississippi and needed to make some money. Mitchell was coaching high school basketball, but was suddenly told he needed to become the defensive coordinator of the football team despite the fact that he didn't know a thing about being a defensive coordinator. Thankfully, Hudspeth, then the head coach at Winston Academy, gave his friend a six-week crash course in coaching defense, which Mitchell says "saved my butt":

"I ended up with a pretty salty little defense," Mitchell said, laughing. "We won five straight, and I learned a lot that year about coaching. He saved my butt in that situation. At the time, I just didn't even realize how absurd it was."

To learn more about their friendship, read the whole article, in which Mitchell calls Hudspeth "one of the best coaches in any sport in America." Also, cheer for him and the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns when they take on Ole Miss this weekend. [Louisville, Miss.: A 7,000-person cradle of coaches]