Who's in the house tonight? Antoine Walker, Malachi Moreno, Olympic medalists and more
Rupp Arena brought its best stuff for the first Kentucky-Louisville game of a new era for both programs. Attendance was officially listed at 21,093, which, by my count, means approximately 42,000 hands put Ls down in celebration of the Wildcats beating Louisville for the 14th time in the last 16 meetings.
Among them were several celebrities in attendance. Many were the usual VIP sightings–Joe Craft, Vince Marrow, the guy with blue sunglasses behind UK’s bench–but other high-profile guests witnessed Pope going 1-0 in the biggest game on the schedule each year. Some even joined in on the Ls down.
Malachi Moreno
UK signee Malachi Moreno, the four-star center from nearby Georgetown, enjoyed the game with front-row seats in the end zone. Shortly before halftime, he was escorted out to midcourt for a formal introduction to the home crowd during a timeout. Moreno waved with two hands while receiving a warm reception, but eventually, those intrusive thoughts kicked in, and he flashed a double Ls down to an even louder roar from Rupp. Moreno will play in this game next year.
Masai Russell, Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt
Blue got in, but gold got in, too… Olympic gold.
Like Moreno, former UK track star Masai Russell used her opportunity at midcourt to flash the double Ls down. Russell, who won gold in the 100-meter hurdle in Paris, was part of a trio of Olympic medalists introduced at midcourt during the game. She was joined by a couple of Olympic fencers from UK med school, Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt. Kiefer, a product of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, won two gold medals in Paris.
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Antoine Walker
Former Kentucky great Antoine Walker knows what it’s like to beat Louisville. ‘Toine gave the Cards 20 and 12 in a 23-point Kentucky win in 1995. The former UK national champion doesn’t get back to Lexington often, so it was great to see him recognized in front of Rupp Arena as the honorary Y for the Louisville game.
Walker was a teammate of Mark Pope on Kentucky’s 1994-95 team. Walker scored 806 points in two years as a Wildcat, earning All-NCAA Regional Twam, All-SEC First Team, and All-SEC Tournament honors. He was selected sixth overall in the 1996 NBA Draft after helping Kentucky win its sixth national championship.
More shots from the game
See more of Rupp Arena through the lens of Mont Dawson for KSR:
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