Waxing Kentucky Wildcat Basketball with the “Unforgettable”…Andre Riddick

Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Thomas Robinson (0) and Kentucky Wildcats forward Anthony Davis (23) go for a rebound during the second half in the finals of the 2012 NCAA men

Recruiting, Records, and Rupp

Q: So did you see the announcement on the Harrison twins and did you see the reaction from Maryland fans on Twitter?

A: Yeah man, that was cool and it looks like that class could be one of his best ever depending on who else comes with them.  No I didn’t see any of the hate but that’s uncalled for. These are 18 year old kids making big decisions. They’re doing what’s best for them.

Q: Have you met Calipari?

A: Yeah I’ve met him a few times. You know after he came here, then at some of the Alumni games and basketball camps.  He actually recruited me to UMass and I took a visit there. He is a great fit.

Q: Really? How did you manage to escape his clutches? I thought everyone he recruited just signed up right then!

A: Haha Kentucky was the first school to actually send me a letter and from then on I didn’t really consider anyone else but wanted to go through the process anyway. Most people were certain I would go to the Big East since I’m from NY. I also played with Mashburn a lot in HS since we’re both from NY and wanted to play with him again. But I did have offers from Syracuse, Temple and Umass. Recruiting is all about the comfort of the players and doing what’s best for them.

Q: Who was the best player you played with here?

A: Jamal Mashburn.

Q: Hands down? Jamal Mashburn. That was a quick response.

A: Oh yeah. Mashburn was on a whole other level. He made us better and we could kind of defer to him because he could do so much. Made life easier for the rest of us.

Q: Anthony Davis broke your Frosh record for blocks in a season. Do you have an attachment to those records or do you even care if they’re broken?

A: Haha no I didn’t even know I had that record until a friend told me 7 years ago but I don’t care. But I was hope the single game record for blocks in a game stays mine for a while longer (laughing).

Q: Now I know there are some strict requirements to qualify for having your jersey hung in the rafters, including graduating, but do you think they should relax them for a player like Anthony Davis who had arguably the single greatest individual season at UK, winning every major individual award?

A: Yeah they’re strict and for a player like Davis or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist they could probably consider adding them. I think they do it in part so players will go back to school and get their degree. But those should get some consideration. Plus all the players can go back and get their degree so their jersey could be raised then.

Q: Speaking of hanging jerseys, there was discussion recently about whether to renovate Rupp Arena or build a new one. Which would you prefer?

A: think they should build a new one.

Q: Really? Wow that’s not what I expected. Why build a new one?

A: I’ve never been a fan of renovating because you have limited space to work with and can’t be as creative as if you just build a new one. I just would rather start from scratch. You know, the YUM! Center is a really nice facility. I think we should start over if we’re going to do anything.

Me: Well they’ve allotted roughly $250 million to renovate and not build a new one.

AR: Oh. Well I’m sure it’ll be good, whatever they do.

Q: Do former players get season tickets?

A: We get 1 free then we have to buy any additional ones.

Q: Do you get to pick your seat or is there a section set aside for former players?

A: I don’t think so. I think when I did mine, it was whatever was available. But every year that goes by, I get a closer seat.

Q: I think they’ve raised ticket prices roughly $7 to around $40 per, but we don’t play a home schedule worthy of raising them this season. Do they basically just print money?

A: Haha yeah I think so. With the draw they have and product they put on the floor, they can ask any price they want because there’s always someone wanting to go but doesn’t have a ticket. That place sells out every game.

Q: We’ve talked a little about UK football and you watch a little, but talking about attendance at Rupp, Rick Minter popped off about Rupp not holding 70K fans, kind of inferring that Football is king at UK. Clearly that’s not true, but that was evidenced by the less than 40K fans who were at Commonwealth Stadium for their last game against Mississippi State. If Rupp had that seating capacity, they’d sell it out every game, right?

A: Wow, attendance hasn’t been that bad since when I was there haha. But oh yeah, there’s no doubt every game would sell out.