KENTUCKIANS PUT ON PRESSURE.Byline: Gil Lebreton Fort Worth Star-Telegram The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News To most of the college basketball College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. History
Programs rise and wane. Indiana had a mediocre season. Duke, gosh, lost 12 games. But the true-blue Wildcats win and win. Their regular-season Southeastern Conference championship was their 38th. Their NCAA Tournament appearance, which began Thursday with a 110-72 romp over San Jose State at Reunion Arena, is their record 37th. The Wildcats led the nation this season in average margin of victory (22.2 points), consecutive games won (27), high school All-Americans (10) and Head Coaches Who Have Had Audiences With Both Dick Vitale and The Pope (one). They are the No. 1 seed and then some in this NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Midwest Region. They are the darlings of everyone's tournament office pool. They are deep. They are relentless. They are the pride of Kentucky. And they had better win. "I think there's a little bit of a misconception, nationally," Kentucky coach Rick Pitino said. Clearly, he has heard the line of questioning Noun 1. line of questioning - an ordering of questions so as to develop a particular argument line of inquiry line of reasoning, logical argument, argumentation, argument, line - a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the before. "Kentucky fans get the label of, like, a Count Dracula with their fangs out, like they're bloodthirsty blood·thirst·y adj. 1. Eager to shed blood. 2. Characterized by great carnage. blood for a championship and want to win at all costs. "But to tell you the truth," Pitino continued, "I've never experienced that since I've been at Kentucky. It's no different to me than being at Providence or with the (New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ) Knicks or in any other region of the country." Right. No different. Kentucky is just like Canisius with a drawl drawl v. drawled, drawl·ing, drawls v.intr. To speak with lengthened or drawn-out vowels. v.tr. . And when Duke's Christian Laettner turned and hit the jump shot that snuffed the Wildcats on the doorstep of the 1992 Final Four, the good citizens of the Commonwealth shrugged and turned back to the farm plow. Sure they did. But those of us who grew up in the Deep South know better. My first trip to the altar of Kentucky basketball came during the Joe B. Hall era. There were the customary 24,000 in the seats at Rupp Arena that night, all dressed for church, which in a way, I suppose, they were. Hall, less than 10 months after winning the school's fifth NCAA title, was booed conspicuously during pregame introductions. His 1979 Wildcats, groping grope v. groped, grop·ing, gropes v.intr. 1. To reach about uncertainly; feel one's way: groped for the telephone. 2. to rebuild, dropped a four-point decision to SEC rival Louisiana State. By the end of the season, Big Blue fans were bringing "Joe B. Gone" signs to Rupp Arena. Just like the Knicks? How would Pitino know? He arrived in 1989 and promptly salvaged the program from the NCAA mess that Eddie Sutton had left behind. He ditched Sutton's old Converse-high-tops offense and introduced Lexington to the 3-point shot. He reopened Kentucky's legendary Ho Chi Minh Ho Chi Minh (hô chē mĭn), 1890–1969, Vietnamese nationalist leader, president of North Vietnam (1954–69), and one of the most influential political leaders of the 20th cent. His given name was Nguyen That Thanh. recruiting trail. The rest of the SEC half winced, half snickered. Not so coincidentally, the Kentucky football program began a familiar slide. Last school year, not one of UK's other 18 varsity sports finished higher than fourth in the SEC. Only the women's volleyball team had a winning conference record. "Without question, there's less on the minds of Kentucky fans other than basketball," Pitino acknowledged. "Their interest solely is basketball. "But it's no more ferocious than at any other place. It's just that there are no other sports. They're not concerned with professional baseball, professional football or professional hockey. It's a college town." The late Paul "Bear" Bryant might have been the first to publicly measure the perspective at Kentucky. The legendary football coach told the tale of the testimonial dinner given for him and for basketball icon Adolph Rupp. The Baron was presented with a Cadillac. The Bear got a new cigarette lighter. He soon left for Texas A&M. "I think the fans are just extremely devout and very loyal," Pitino said. "They want to win a championship. "But I don't think they put any bad pressure on us. We want to win, but it's no more than Kansas or Massachusetts or San Jose State." Right. No pressure. The Wildcats are just Valparaiso with a side of grits grits coarsely ground hominy served in traditional Southern breakfast. [Am. Culture: Misc.] See : Southern States . But they had better win. For all of the banners draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. from the Rupp Arena rafters, Kentucky has won only one NCAA basketball championship in the past 38 years. This time, Pitino has the tournament's top cat. He has Tony Delk and Walter McCarty, and he's thrashing people by 22 points a game. Yet, a kid from New York should know by now that basketball is different in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. There's a church suit in every seat. And a Dracula behind every barn. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion