Kentucky Wildcat Celebrity Fan Tourney continues: #4 JB Holmes vs #5 LeBron James
By Paul Jordan
by Paul Jordan
It was close, but Kenny Perry held on to his number three seed and defeated that young whipper snapper from Canada, Drake, in the latest edition of the Kentucky Wildcat Celebrity Fan Tournament. It was by far, the closest voting we have had, with Perry taking 56% of the vote, but in the end, it appears that voter apathy may have doomed Drake. No surprise here, but it looks like the “young uns” did not support hip hops star, and Drake is banished to the Great White North until say, Big Blue Madness perhaps.
Today’s poll is by far the most interesting thus far, and a chance for the Final Four is at stake. Let’s take a look at the combatants:
#4 JB HOLMES
JB Holmes is the only former Wildcat athlete in the field as he played golf for UK and helped to win a SEC Title in 2005. Holmes is a Kentucky native, born in Campbellsville, so it is always good to see a home state boy make it big. Holmes was a member of the Ryder Cup Winners in 2008 and owns four professional wins.
Holmes is also a member of the “grip it and rip it” golf set that is known for monstrous tee shots and during the past year has found himself becoming fast buddies with UK coach Calipari. Holmes is a Wildcat from birth and will represent the BBN until the day he dies. Is it fair to include him in a fan poll? As long as he is pushing the UK brand, yes, yes it is.
King James is without a doubt, the biggest name in the NBA and you can argue one of the most recognizable in the world. So when he shows up in pictures like the above with UK Coach John Calipari, it is the equivalent of Kentucky buying 10 Super Bowl Ads to promote it’s brand. It’s that big. King James has been one of the biggest supporters of John Calipari over the past year and is seemingly involved in everything UK related, from the design of shoes to endless speculation on stealing our coach. But in the end, the Calipari/King James friendship is a tremendous asset.
So Paul … why did you make the King a #5 seed? Simple. LeBron James has only been a UK fan for a year and and he has not won a SEC Title for UK like JB Holmes has. Sure, he is the bigger name … but does his lack of native Blue Blood still make him an outsider as far as the BBN is concerned? Or is his marketability enough to boost him past JB Holmes?
It should be an interesting weekend as we tally these votes. And Monday could set the stage for a Ashley Judd/King James showdown. As always, voe in the box on the right and have a fantastic weekend.
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