One Shining Moment 2024 Rewind: Lamont Butler, Koby Brea and Jack Gohlke

“The ball is tipped, and there you are…” You’ve heard it a thousand times, maybe with a tear in your eye as you reminisce about the most magical time of the year. It’s been a minute since we’ve had Kentucky-specific One Shining Moment memories that weren’t devastating for the program, but man, when the Cats are rolling in March? There is nothing like seeing your team’s highlights alongside those sweet Luther Vandross vocals after a run.

In the spirit of the season, I ran it back and watched the 2024 edition of One Shining Moment before March Madness officially tips off tonight with the First Four in Dayton. It’ll be No. 16 seeds Saint Francis vs. Alabama State getting things rolling at 6:40 PM ET, followed by No. 11 seeds North Carolina vs. San Diego State at 9:10 PM ET — both on truTV.

Now, I knew Jack Gohlke would be included in the three-minute clip as he continues to capitalize on his 15 seconds of fame — he picked Troy to upset Kentucky in the first round, in case you were curious. His 32-point performance against the Cats this time last year put him on the all-time villain list, so that was a layup.

Over time, though, you forget about all of the specifics of One Shining Moment beyond the obvious — Final Four teams and massive upsets, etc. But what if I told you there was some foreshadowing for Big Blue Nation as they hate watched the iconic video in 2024?

Two of the early shots just 30 seconds in? None other than Lamont Butler, who would be a Wildcat under Mark Pope just a month later.

Butler went for 15 points on 5-9 shooting with four assists, four steals and three rebounds in a first-round win vs. No. 12 seed UAB, followed by nine points on 3-6 shooting with three assists, one rebound and one steal in a second-round win over No. 13 seed Yale to advance to the Sweet 16.

One Shining Moment made sure to include the March Madness legend, just a year removed from his iconic buzzer-beater in the Final Four to advance to the national championship in 2023.

Then comes the moment you all knew was coming, Gohlke hitting one of his 10 3-pointers in Oakland’s upset vs. Kentucky — the shot in the first frame, then the bow-and-arrow celebration in the second.

Disgusting.

It wasn’t all downhill from there, though. In fact, another future Cat would make an appearance at the 45-second mark, none other than Koby Brea drilling a three with his Dayton Flyers as they pulled off the 63-60 win over No. 10 seed Nevada in the first round.

Brea was terrific in that one, going for 15 points on 5-8 shooting from three with three assists, two rebounds and a steal in the victory.

We’ve seen that look plenty of times this season.

The rest of One Shining Moment includes NC State’s magical run to the Final Four, Nate Oats guiding Alabama to the program’s first-ever national semifinal, then the heavyweight clash of No. 1 seeds UConn and Purdue as Dan Hurley goes on to win back-to-back championships.

Little did we know just how much would change days — if not hours — later.

Hopefully this go-round will feature more Kentucky Wildcats celebrating big-time wins in Mark Pope’s first postseason run in Lexington.