It’s that time of the year again.
Big Blue Madness signals the start of the Basketball Season.
Kevin Galloway showing off his skills and the new UK uniforms.
Kentucky debuts new uniforms, struggles offensively in Big Blue Madness drill
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A year ago, Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness was about showing off a new coach. This time, it was about showing off a new look.
Billy Gillispie’s Wildcats donned their new blue and white uniforms with a checkerboard pattern as the nation’s all-time winningest program kicked off its preseason preparations Friday night in front of 23,000 of their closest friends.
While fans arrived before 9 p.m., it wasn’t until 11:18 that the second-year coach finally made his appearance.
Last year, four large banners descended from the rafters, and when they finally dropped, there Gillispie stood, waving to the crowd.
This time, the banners fell while pyrotechnics filled Rupp Arena, but Gillispie was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he entered moments later, jogging through the crowd in his gray jumpsuit, dishing out high-fives along the way.
“I know they’re excited to be here,” Gillispie, already seemingly short of voice, said of his players. “They love being here at Kentucky.”
Gillispie’s entrance was far humbler than that of women’s coach Matthew Mitchell, who appeared riding on a fire truck.
The men’s team first took the court with a dunk contest that Ramon Harris clinched with an off the backboard follow that he jammed home.
Then, there was a defensive-minded scrimmage, in which both sides took more than three minutes to score. It was a troubling reminder of the team’s slow starts at times last season, which ended with a loss to Marquette in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Although the checkerboard pattern on the new uniforms is subtle, those who designed them for Nike said they were intended as a nod to jockey silks representing the state’s signature industry, horse racing. Penny Chenery, who owned 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, received an honorary jersey from Gillispie at midcourt during the festivities.
They also feature a shoulder patch that says “Mr. Wildcat.” The reference is a tribute to longtime equipment manager Bill Keightley, who died earlier this year at 81. A lasting memorial to Keightley was painted on the Rupp Arena floor in front of his familiar spot on the bench.
His daughter, Karen, wept at that honor and as fans stood and politely applauded while a tribute video to Keightley played on the large screens.
Although the official opening practice of the college basketball season isn’t until Oct. 17, Kentucky is one of a handful of schools using a technicality in the NCAA rules to hold their bash a week earlier. The NCAA allows two hours of team workouts per week, starting in mid-September.
The early Madness events could be short-lived, though. National Association of Basketball Coaches spokesman Rick Leddy said the rule was intended to give coaches and players extra time working on their skills, not to hold a pep rally.
Gillispie said before the festivities that he planned to have fun at this year’s Madness after feeling a little too apprehensive ahead of last year’s festivities.
“I didn’t know what to expect last year,” he said. “I’ve been to a lot of Midnight Madness at different places, but Big Blue Madness is something special. I’m very excited about it.”
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
And a rare positive commentary from Jerry Tipton.
Recruits wow fans in public pickup game
Prospects in town for UK’s Big Blue Madness stole the show at public pickup games involving Kentucky basketball players on Saturday morning in Memorial Coliseum.
Center prospect Daniel Orton commanded about 400 fans’ full attention. Other prospects who played in the pickup games included Russell Byrd, Dakotah Euton, Dominique Ferguson, G.J. Vilarino, Jon Hood and Vinny Zollo.
Here’s some observations:
■ Orton is the main focus of the fans. Fans applauded when veteran UK players appeared on the court for the pickup games. But Orton was the only one to rate a standing ovation.
He did not disappoint. Early on, he rebounded a Patrick Patterson miss, dribbled toward the left corner and swished a set shot. “He’s a beast,” one fan could be heard to say.
Later, Orton dunked over Euton and got into an interesting competitive exchange with transfer Matt Pilgrim. First, Orton posted up for a basket over Pilgrim, which drew cheers. Then Pilgrim answered with a rousing dunk. Then, Orton dunked on Pilgrim.
Advantage, Orton, who looked completely comfortable on the court with college players. Kentucky and Kansas head his list. He’s scheduled to attend Kansas’ Midnight Madness next weekend.
■ Byrd stood out, in part, because of his red hair, yellow T-shirt and black shorts. When he hit a three-pointer, a fan yelled, “Where’s your blue at?”
Byrd, who is from Fort Wayne, Ind., has had being close to home a factor in his recruitment. But to hear his father on Wednesday night, Byrd will give UK serious consideration.
■ Ferguson fit in while not trying to impress. During warmups, I counted him making six of seven three-point shots (the Coliseum has the shorter women’s line). In the games, he showed plenty of perimeter skills.
■ Vilarino is an intriguing player. The recruiting analysts are not high on him. Yet, he shows a competitive spirit and a point-guard mentality. He was strictly pass-first while also showing a willingness to be a scoring threat. He made a three-pointer off a nice in-and-out pass from Orton. He also gets up and down the court quickly.
■ Hood has a chance to be a fan favorite. He’s got a nice rotation on his jump shot and gets a lot done on the court without forcing anything.
■ With his shaggy blond hair, Euton is easy to pick out of a crowd. He hit a three-pointer.
■ Of the players on UK’s team, two stood out for me. Junior Ramon Harris seems to be emerging (at least in the pickup games) as a scrappy player who can provide more scoring. He hit a few threes and drove for a dunk that punctuated the morning. I wouldn’t necessarily think of him as an all-conference player, but he’s been noticeably productive in these pickup games.
Freshman Darius Miller looks more comfortable in each public workout. He drove the baseline for a reverse layup and scored on a putback of a Euton miss. He’s been economical in his movement, but increasingly effective.
Jerry Tipton
