One more reason Kentucky is college basketball's Mecca
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Chris Reynolds of CoachCal.com[/caption]
Kentucky basketball is great for a lot of reasons. The game against LSU was another example of this. It was an example beyond wins, titles, historic coaches, and legendary players. It was a testament to what really makes this program so great.
Anthony Hickey, a Kentucky kid, nearly killed his home state school yesterday. Hickey had torched the Cats for the entire game, racking up 20 points, dishing out 8 assists, and pulling down 5 boards in 44 minutes. Last night, with the game still very much in question–if not leaning the way of the Tigers–Hickey fouled out of the game. Kentucky fans, teetering on the brink of insanity as they stared down the barrel of another home loss, took a break from their hand-wringing and did something that I thought was pretty cool. They gave a long ovation to the Kentucky kid who was doing everything he could to make sure their beloved Wildcats lost.
This isn’t the only time Kentucky fans have done this. Hickey may have gotten a special round of applause because he is from Kentucky, but this sort of ovation was given to Johnny O’Bryant as he left the gym yesterday and several other great performances have gotten this treatment. Also, you’ll recall the Marcus Smart incident with the Texas Tech fan. Marcus Smart is a Texas kid. The media pundits and fans of rival teams that want to portray the Kentucky fan base as clueless rednecks, who care only about winning, certainly miss moments like this; moments that show a true appreciation for basketball and pride in our home state–not just the basketball program.
Chris Reynolds of CoachCal.com[/caption]
Kentucky basketball is great for a lot of reasons. The game against LSU was another example of this. It was an example beyond wins, titles, historic coaches, and legendary players. It was a testament to what really makes this program so great.
Anthony Hickey, a Kentucky kid, nearly killed his home state school yesterday. Hickey had torched the Cats for the entire game, racking up 20 points, dishing out 8 assists, and pulling down 5 boards in 44 minutes. Last night, with the game still very much in question–if not leaning the way of the Tigers–Hickey fouled out of the game. Kentucky fans, teetering on the brink of insanity as they stared down the barrel of another home loss, took a break from their hand-wringing and did something that I thought was pretty cool. They gave a long ovation to the Kentucky kid who was doing everything he could to make sure their beloved Wildcats lost.
This isn’t the only time Kentucky fans have done this. Hickey may have gotten a special round of applause because he is from Kentucky, but this sort of ovation was given to Johnny O’Bryant as he left the gym yesterday and several other great performances have gotten this treatment. Also, you’ll recall the Marcus Smart incident with the Texas Tech fan. Marcus Smart is a Texas kid. The media pundits and fans of rival teams that want to portray the Kentucky fan base as clueless rednecks, who care only about winning, certainly miss moments like this; moments that show a true appreciation for basketball and pride in our home state–not just the basketball program.
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