Former Cats offer advice to current Cats on handling life at Kentucky

A familiar voice once said Kentucky is not for everybody — it just isn’t. It’s a brand new beast unlike anything players have experienced up to this point, whether they’re coming in as transfers or high school signees. You’re taking on life in the ultimate fishbowl, a sink-or-swim environment where the cream rises to the top and the weak unfortunately drown. It happens every year with every team.

How do you prepare yourself for something like that, especially in a new era under Mark Pope? Some guys who have been there and done that are happy to share their knowledge with the new guys when the generations come together in Lexington this week, the current team practicing with La Familia — Kentucky’s alumni squad in The Basketball Tournament — at the Joe Craft Center this week.

“I’ve got a lot of wisdom I can share if they’re willing to take it, you know what I mean? I’m an open book,” Willie Cauley-Stein said Monday. “If they’re willing to learn and ask questions, I’ll tell ’em anything.”

What would that wisdom look like, if and when the current Wildcats ask for it? It was a consensus, the answers all sharing a similar theme: Appreciate this, starting now and through the final buzzer in March (or April, hopefully). And then the years after that, if you’ve got them. Don’t take any of it for granted.

Because nothing is the same once you walk out that door.

“Enjoy it, really,” Cauley-Stein said. “Every basketball thing aside, enjoy the community because once you leave here, it’s not the same. You don’t get the same love. You get treated special here, and then once you leave the state line of Kentucky, you’re no longer special. Enjoy it while you’ve got it.”

“Embrace the moment,” James Young added. “It’s a great place here, it’s great to be a part of this franchise, this college. Embrace every moment, that’s all I can say.”

As for making it while they’re there, a guy who navigated his own highs and lows at Kentucky shared his best advice on overcoming adversity wearing that uniform. The key? Soak in information like a sponge.

“Listen to coaches, ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Daniel Orton said. “There is no such thing as a dumb question. Stay in constant contact and always be inquiring about absolutely everything you might have questions about. Constantly be asking questions because there’s never too much you can learn.”

Another tip? Use the chaos to your advantage. Understand that if you want to make a career out of basketball, there is no better teacher than the pressure chamber you must live in as a Wildcat. You’re dealing with the most passionate fans in the entire world, a group that demands excellence year after year.

If you can survive Big Blue Nation, you can survive big crowds in the pros, whether you’re playing in the NBA or overseas.

“It’s pretty cool. Overseas, the crowds and fans are pretty crazy,” Andrew Harrison said of the difference between what players experience in Lexington compared to the next level. “It’s pretty similar to being here. … It’s the best fans in the world (at Kentucky).”

Strong advice across the board. Now let’s hope the current players pick up a few things from the pros when they practice together this week at the Joe Craft Center.