Top 10 Kentucky Wildcat Highlights of 2012
June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari (middle) greets former players Anthony Davis (left) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (right) before the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
6. Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist go #1 and #2 in the NBA Draft- Kentucky fans aren’t strangers to top NBA draft picks. But never before in the history of the draft has one school produced the top two picks. Anthony Davis was a lock as the #1 choice for the New Orleans Hornets. The Charlotte Bobcats owned the second pick, and there was some disagreement about who they should draft. Bradley Beal? Thomas Robinson? Michael Kidd-Gilchrist? Should they trade the pick? In the end, the Bobcats picked up MKG and made history for John Calipari and the Wildcats.
7. The Harrison Twins Choose Kentucky over Maryland- The Harrison Twins provided a combo pick for whichever school got them. They are a five star point guard and a five star shooting guard with chemistry already built into their DNA. John Calipari wanted them in a bad way, as bad as he has ever wanted any recruit, but Maryland provided an intriguing story line and a challenge for Cal. The Twins played on an Under Armour AAU team. Their father had ties to Maryland and it seemed as if he was pushing his sons to go there. Terrapin fans were convinced the Harrisons were theirs. And then they chose Kentucky. Immediately their twitter accounts were bombarded with obscene material from Maryland fans and Kentucky haters. But no matter; they are a part of what could be another national championship team for Kentucky in 2014.
8. Kentucky defeats Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen- The Shot Part Deux was taken by Christian Watford in a game in December at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. That was the first true road test for Cal’s young Cats. They played their worst game of the season and Terrence Jones decided to take the night off. But they were leading by one point with just seconds left when Watford drained a three to win. ESPN showed it on a loop. Hoosier fans were as smug as when Bobby Knight was on the sideline choking Hoosier players. But UK got their revenge when it counted the most. The Wildcats walloped Tom Crean and the Hoosiers by 11 points, ousting them from the NCAA tournament. Kentucky got a national title ring. Crean settled for a Sweet Sixteen ring, something nobody else in their right minds would do.
9. Kentucky Fans raise $1 million for Sandy victims- One thing is for sure, John Calipari likes causes. He raised money for Haiti, tornado victims and a number of other causes during his tenure as Kentucky’s coach. He again stepped to the plate after Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast. Cal and his players put on a telethon and urged Big Blue Nation to donate their money to help people they never met. The fan base responded, and Cal presented a check for relief for $1 millions dollars at the Barclay Center before his team played Maryland. It’s one thing to be a good basketball coach, but it’s an entirely different thing to be a good ambassador for the program and a good person.
10. Darius Miller and MKG compete for Dunk of the Year- The 2012 Cats were high fliers around the rim and made Lexington into Lob City Southeast. There were plenty of memorable dunks, but none more thunderous that these three courtesy of Darius Miller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist:
Honorable Mentions:
Kentucky’s baseball team had nine players drafted in the MLB draft after a historic season.
UK Hoops make it to Elite Eight, only to fall to UConn.