That's not true. I played here. Football. I didn't know of basketball players aspirations in 1996-2000 but I remember growing up hearing how it was a privledge to play for a team such as UK by out of state guys. In the days of Kyle Macy, the goose, the 78 team is year I was born, I remember there interviews later in highschool in the library we had all the paper clippings. Back then it wasn't about the NBA. It was about the School. I'm sorry it was Gonzo. I know it's a different culture and time now, I just hate we are the poster boy for it.
It doesn't matter how the times change. The reality is still that those guys were coming to Kentucky because it was the best place for a great player to play basketball.
That's still the case. Their individual motivations may be different, but we've always sold them on this being the best choice for an elite player. They always came here because it was their best option.
Very, very few guys, especially from out of state, came here because of some intrinsic love for the school. They came here for the same reason brilliant kids go to Harvard.