2010-2011 Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Now THAT's What I Call Entertainment!

Anybody tired yet? I know I am. What started out as being a fan, then turning into a hobby, and finally becoming an obsession, has now become a lifestyle. John Calipari has me hooked. I am in it up to my eyeballs, and I love every minute of it. I now have Internet service at home, at the office, and on the road, just so my family and I can follow the Cats at all times, because I never know what is going to happen next. And I love it. I love it like chocolate ice cream with peanut butter sauce over the top. Since his hiring in early April of 2009, Coach Cal has never taken his foot off of the gas, not even once. We all thought last year was amazing, and it truly was. And I have referred to Cal as the P.T. Barnum of our age, and I don’t think I missed with that comparison. So what did he do for an encore this season? Just the best coaching job of his career. Yeah, the guy who can only recruit, not coach, just turned in a performance worthy of accolades, but he doesn’t get any. And that is fine by him. But he knows. We all know.

I said I wanted to do a different kind of a season wrap-up, because this has been a different kind of a season. We started out with expectations through the roof as we always do here at Kentucky, then disaster struck. We lose the lynch-pin to our season, and we have to spend two months finding ourselves. Then, expectations come back down to earth, and we start pulling it together. We can’t find a way to win on the road, but we never lose at home. And to top it all off, the Cats go and win the SEC Tournament, after dusting off the rest of the SEC East over the last two weeks of the season. Who would have thought that the West would be our Achilles heel all year long? We steamroll through Atlanta, only to be rewarded by the NCAA selection committee with the seed from hades. We get handed a murderers row of opponents, and we slowly, steadily, but completely, topple them one by one. The 2010-2011 “Redemption” Tour was only one stop short of being the greatest comeback in a season for the Cats in my memory. We get sent home by West Virginia last year out of nowhere, and this year we put Ohio State on the bus for Columbus, when they should have won it all. And all of this comes to a critical juncture in Houston, where of all things to leave this team, their shooting dries up like a tumbleweed on the Arizona plains. But it was so much fun to watch and be a part of, and it is only going to get better from here.

This season saw the birth of two of the most unlikely heroes in Kentucky lore. Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins went from being the pariahs of the squad less than three years ago, to being it’s leaders. They became the backbone of this squad of highly unlikely players. Oh, we have our superstars. The three vaunted freshman’s performances this year would be the talk of the season, if they were not just the next crop of amazing kids who have accepted the challenge of becoming Calipari disciples. Brandon Knight, the next heir to the Calipari Guard legacy. Doron Lamb, the sharpshooting specialist who learned how to defend somewhere along the way as well.

And Terrence Jones, the man-child with a heart AND a brain who learned that he did not have to do it all to be successful. The only item missing in his arsenal when the season started. This squad was the ultimate definition of addition by subtraction. And when Darius Miller started out the pre-season in Canada playing the 5, you just had to realize that there was going to be something outlandish going down. Miller’s transformation alone would have been a great storyline, but adding it to the others is the stuff that movies are written about.

My summer wardrobe is now complete as I have added two pairs of “Jorts”. That’s right, I am a 45 year old man and I am going to wear jorts this summer. And if my mind does not change I am going to have a UK logo and a #55 stitched into the leg. No longer will I equate that number with the speed limit, oh no. That is reserved for the memory of the single greatest season turnaround for an individual player in my history of watching the Cats. And there should be a new award given out to whatever Cat displays the skills that DeAndre Liggins showed off at every turn this year. the UK Defensive Player of the Year Award should be named after Liggins. What that kid did on defense this year was absolutely amazing. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Jim Calhoun. In a year where favorites couldn’t win and underdogs couldn’t lose, it seems only fitting that this squad of Cats would be the one to hang another banner in Rupp. They were undeniably the most cohesive group in recent memory. Picking up for each other at every turn, never leaving a man behind, and constantly looking to press every advantage they could get.

‘Knight Time” will now be a phrase forever emblazoned in our memories when the game is on the line and one shot is needed to win it. And in the season that Charles Barkley became the Cats newest favorite celebrity, nothing else could possibly have been more bizarre. And considering that our last loss and our first one were both to the team that became the eventual National Champion, I am completely at a loss as to find something that I can pin an excuse on for not winning it all. And that is OK by me. If every season has the emotion and fervor that this one did, I will be ready to retire before Cal is.

But make no mistake, this is one of the most satisfying seasons I have ever experienced.

A season like this one is no fun when you have no one to share it with, and I wanted for this piece to not only be about my thoughts and feelings, but also the rest of the Wildcat fan base as well, so I sent a message out to a few friends and acquaintances as well. And here is what I got back:

“sweazyf”-

The one thing you gotta put in the year ender is the silly speaker-cam at Rupp.ESPN decided to make us all sea-sick that one game. I am a 21 year veteran of the US Navy, mostly on frigates and destroyers and never once did I get seasick to where I was sick at my stomach. ESPN almost got me that way with a first half and part of a second half of dizzy-cam. Oh… and the story of Jorts. Have fun with it, make sure we all get a link to read it.

Well, I had Jorts covered, but I was hoping to forget about that stupid ESPN Cam thing. Biggest mistake in almost 100 years of TV and film. With the exception
of maybe the Hindenberg.

J E Smith-

Greg, I have to say that I was surprised the Cats made the final four. But after beating Ohio State and Carolina I was expecting number 8. I wasn’t ready for the 30% shooting. From 3 I could have lived with and maybe even from 2, but from the line is unexpectable. I haven’t said much on the blog and did not watch last night’s game. Now after reading about it I guess the rims and the building had an effect. All in all we got more than we deserved with a short bench and playing 3 freshmen. Now I begin to worry about next year. It may even be worse. Thanks for asking. JES Unlike JE, I am not so much worried about next year as I am anticipating it. I can’t wait to see what Cal pulls off next!

“Bill from Elizabethtown”- Don’t forget about telling the NCAA exactly where they need to put their rulebook.

I do that at least once a week whenever possible. But no article from this season would be complete without mentioning the name of Enes Kanter. And that Emmert guy too. Let’s see who’s name becomes forever enshrined in the hearts and minds of basketball fans throughout the world first.

“Mike from Monticello”- Another awesome year! Bye Bye Brucie! I had almost forgot about the removal of the Man from Sunkist. It really has been a good year if I forgot to mention that one.

And finally, from my buddy Brad Cooper, who never fails to amaze me with his bizarre photos and quotations, here is his photo, and the quotation is below it.

“The Final 4 run to me was as surprising as eating a giant invisible sandwich. At first you’re like, what the hell, a giant invisible sandwich? Then you are like, holy (retracted by censors,lol), giant invisible sandwiches are not only tasty, but also infinitely satisfying!”

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