First golf, now pickleball? Kentucky MBB attends 'Pickle for a Purpose'

We already know the Kentucky men’s basketball team loves to golf, some better players than others, with Travis Perry, Collin Chandler, Andrew Carr and Kerr Kriisa among the top performers — just don’t ask Kriisa about the head of his driver.

Next up? Pickleball, the Wildcats repurposing the hardwood for a greater cause.

In partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass and the University of Kentucky’s Red Shoe Crew, the basketball team spent Sunday afternoon at the Lexington Ice Rink for Pickle for a Purpose. There, the Wildcats served as honorary referees while also picking up the paddles to take a shot at pickleball themselves.

From the looks of things, Carr, Chandler, Perry and Trent Noah are the star players while Ansley Almonor has a future in officiating if things don’t work out on the basketball court.

“I’m going to use my whistle just because I can,” he joked. “I don’t usually have this power, you know? So I’m using it.”

When the players weren’t playing or officiating, they were meeting and greeting with fans, signing autographs and getting turned down by babies for high-fives — looking at you, Kerr.

Take a look at the highlights from the team’s day at Pickle for a Purpose:

Proud to support the "Pickle for a Purpose" event benefitting Ronald McDonald House in Lexington #CatsInTheCommunity x @TheKentuckyRoad pic.twitter.com/4i4nZPQqGx

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) August 5, 2024

First golf, now pickleball? The Cats got after it this weekend 😹

(🎥 IG: kentuckymbb) pic.twitter.com/3qvjwUEBuz

— KSR (@KSRonX) August 5, 2024

What sport should the Cats try next?