Who's the 1st Wildcat player that you met, spoke to in person?
- Thread starter TopCatCal
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Cameron Mills after the 98 championship at a signing. The coolest experience was running in to the team the day after the 2009 BBM coming out of the Joe Craft Center. Getting pics with Wall, Cousins, Patterson, Bledsoe, Miller and the rest of the team couldn't have been more perfect and all of them couldn't have been any nicer. Cousins made me nervous when another guy came up and asked him to sign a basketball and he replied, "You going to sell that on EBay?" (Looking back with the NCAA this may have been something Cal had warned them about) but he was as nice as any of them to us.
For me it was James Young and Julius Randle. Super nice guys. I tend to leave them alone bc I’m sure they are bothered by people all the time.
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Shelby Linville was my first one too. It was around 1966. I went to school with his son, Phillip. I lived a short walking distance from their house in Erlanger, KY. Shelby also preached a a small gathering at his house every Sunday.
Small world. I met him when I lived in Middletown, OH, where he was from. But, as a toddler, I lived in Erlanger, KY.
Sorry - also met Travis Ford couple of times. I’ve told stories about how he was as ass to me and a young kid.
Tayshaun Prince as a kid after a game.
Later in life, MKG at the Louisville airport when I was working there for a brief time. Super cool guy.
Later in life, MKG at the Louisville airport when I was working there for a brief time. Super cool guy.
The first would probably be Aggie Sale. My Dad knew him, and he would come by our seats sometimes in the Coliseum and say hello, c. 1971-76. Tommy Kron had seats right in front of our old season tickets at Rupp Arena for many, many years. He was really cool.
A few other random encounters that come to mind; probably been others that I've forgotten.
*Jim Master: Went to see a friend at Kirwan-Blanding about 1982-83 or so. He was at the front desk waiting on someone, talked to him for a bit.
*Bret Bearup: The year he redshirted (81-82) I was down at the Kentucky Arcade (corner of Rose & Euclid) playing a video game. He must've liked it, because he watched me, and we struck up a conversation, talked for maybe 45 minutes. He was totally cool, really just a regular kid. We were the same age. RIP Bret
*I had classes with Troy McKinley and Charles Hurt, but don't remember ever talking to them.
*James Blackmon: Played some 3 on 3 pickup games with him one day at the Seaton Center, about 1988 or so. He took it easy on us. lol
*Roger Harden: Used to go to Ford's Fitness on Zandale to work out in the morning, c. late 80s/early 90s. One morning he was in there shooting around. I shot with him for a while, not much conversation. He never missed.
I've seen Kenny Walker and talked to him many times around town over the years, as I'm sure many of you have. He loves to get out around Lexington and mingle. I talked to him for 30 minutes or so just a few years ago down at the Southland Drive Street Festival. It's cool because he actually seems to like talking about his playing days and walking down memory lane. I saw Sam Bowie not too long ago as well coming out of Jet Pizza on Saron Drive. lol I just said "hey Sam," and he was like "how are you doing?"![[laughing]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/classic/laugh.r191677.gif "Laughing [laughing]")
A few other random encounters that come to mind; probably been others that I've forgotten.
*Jim Master: Went to see a friend at Kirwan-Blanding about 1982-83 or so. He was at the front desk waiting on someone, talked to him for a bit.
*Bret Bearup: The year he redshirted (81-82) I was down at the Kentucky Arcade (corner of Rose & Euclid) playing a video game. He must've liked it, because he watched me, and we struck up a conversation, talked for maybe 45 minutes. He was totally cool, really just a regular kid. We were the same age. RIP Bret
*I had classes with Troy McKinley and Charles Hurt, but don't remember ever talking to them.
*James Blackmon: Played some 3 on 3 pickup games with him one day at the Seaton Center, about 1988 or so. He took it easy on us. lol
*Roger Harden: Used to go to Ford's Fitness on Zandale to work out in the morning, c. late 80s/early 90s. One morning he was in there shooting around. I shot with him for a while, not much conversation. He never missed.
I've seen Kenny Walker and talked to him many times around town over the years, as I'm sure many of you have. He loves to get out around Lexington and mingle. I talked to him for 30 minutes or so just a few years ago down at the Southland Drive Street Festival. It's cool because he actually seems to like talking about his playing days and walking down memory lane. I saw Sam Bowie not too long ago as well coming out of Jet Pizza on Saron Drive. lol I just said "hey Sam," and he was like "how are you doing?"
I've not had a chance to meet any players but this is how I try to deal with artists I admire. If I'm at a signing or a convention, then I'll just shake their hand, tell them I appreciate their work and leave it at that.
My first roommate at UK when on the Freshman Basketball team Mike Casey super person taken too young Rest In Peace Mike #34
My first meeting with a Wildcat in the summer of 1993. I was in the Air Force and a assigned to Seoul, Korea at a Army base. Kyle Macy was doing some traveling with other NBA retirees that were going around military bases in the West Pacific. I got to talk with Kyle for about 20 minutes. ..what a guy!!!!
GBB!!!!
GBB!!!!
Walked around the Louisville zoo with Winston Bennett back in 2002. His wife and young child (daughter I think?) and my wife and young daughter walked and talked while I walked and talked with WB. We were talking about whether or not Prince and Bogans would/should leave early for the draft. He was much taller in person than he looked on tv.
I met Jamal Mashburn at a Subway restaurant on Nicholasville Road shortly before he turned pro. He autographed a napkin for me and I still have it.
I met Winston Bennett in the Copley Mall shortly after he joined the Boston Celtics coaching staff. Very tall, and dressed in a pinstripe suit, he couldn’t be missed. I shook his hand and welcomed him to Boston.
I met Winston Bennett in the Copley Mall shortly after he joined the Boston Celtics coaching staff. Very tall, and dressed in a pinstripe suit, he couldn’t be missed. I shook his hand and welcomed him to Boston.
Me too. Met him & Freddy Cowan at basketball camps in 1980. Both were very nice & gracious with their time. They were a cpl weeks apart but I technically met Cowan first.
Dan Issel when he was still at UK. He came by my elementary school (Cassidy in Lexington) for some reason. I think his girlfriend or wife(?) was a substitute teacher at the time.
Later in the '80's, I spoke with numerous players playing pickup games on the indoor and outdoor courts at UK.
Later in the '80's, I spoke with numerous players playing pickup games on the indoor and outdoor courts at UK.
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Travis Ford. Truly embarrassing moment for me.
Travis is coaching Eastern KY, it's over the Christmas holiday. Lex is half way between Wisconsin and North Carolina, so we would stop for games with the kids if the travel schedule worked out. We're checking into the Hyatt, I don't even know who UK is playing, and I had no idea Travis coached the Colonels. I see him in the Hyatt bar (of course Travis Ford would be here, because he is a UK alum, he comes to games, right?) so I take my son over, a (short) 13 year old point guard, and I say, "This is Mr. Ford, one of Kentucky's greatest point guards of all time" and he is so nice to Donald, offering encouragement, he autographs something. Travis turns to me and says, "I just hope we give them a good game tonight" (Colonels) and I said, "Oh, I think we're going to kick their asses." A little later we went into the arena and I see Travis on the Colonels bench.
Travis is coaching Eastern KY, it's over the Christmas holiday. Lex is half way between Wisconsin and North Carolina, so we would stop for games with the kids if the travel schedule worked out. We're checking into the Hyatt, I don't even know who UK is playing, and I had no idea Travis coached the Colonels. I see him in the Hyatt bar (of course Travis Ford would be here, because he is a UK alum, he comes to games, right?) so I take my son over, a (short) 13 year old point guard, and I say, "This is Mr. Ford, one of Kentucky's greatest point guards of all time" and he is so nice to Donald, offering encouragement, he autographs something. Travis turns to me and says, "I just hope we give them a good game tonight" (Colonels) and I said, "Oh, I think we're going to kick their asses." A little later we went into the arena and I see Travis on the Colonels bench.
He was. I’m good friends with his first cousins & met him in ‘85, after his JR season at Apollo. It’s amazing to me just how well known & legendary he was in a time before the internet. It was borderline mythical, lol.
Probably Kyle Macy at Kyle Macy camp.
But the realest interaction is when Tayshaun Prince asked my brother how he did on a test in class. My brother gives no shits about basketball, so it was just some dude in his class to him.
But the realest interaction is when Tayshaun Prince asked my brother how he did on a test in class. My brother gives no shits about basketball, so it was just some dude in his class to him.
When Apollo came to our high school we had to have a ticket lottery - the Apollo High School bus had a police escort into town.
I don't think he had signed with Kentucky by this time or not, but everyone in the auditorium was openly cheering for him. There was almost a court-storming the first time he dunked because he threw it off the backboard and jammed it - one of many circus plays he had that night...I must admit he was probably the most exciting basketball player I've ever seen in person...That kid was probably the most powerful person in the state as a high-school senior
.He was going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated until Brian Bosworth got caught taking steroids.
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i met ramel bradley outside memorial gym. he was in a slump and i helped him out.
Played golf with Deron in a tourney at Russell Co. (pretty good player)
