By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Kentucky’s version of Hollywood was on display Friday night as the Wildcats stepped out on the blue carpet and onto the court to usher in a new basketball season.
It wasn’t the grand entrance that garnered all of the attention, but a new scoreboard outshined and court overshadowed the performers on the main stage Friday night.
In addition to showing off a freshmen class considered one of the best in John Calipari’s eight seasons to a capacity crowd, the school unveiled a new scoreboard above center court and newly-designed playing court, part of a series of renovations at Rupp Arena, which is celebrating its 40th-anniversary this season.
Actors Steve Zahn and Josh Hopkins, along with former Kentucky standout and NBA first-round draft pick John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins also were in attendance. Matthew Mitchell opened the annual event by dancing into the arena, a yearly tradition for the Kentucky women’s basketball coach.
Renowned boxing announcer Michael Buffer introduced the players with some of the newcomers, displaying dance moves to the delight of those in attendance.
“Wow,” Calipari said. “You people are crazy. Look at this place. Only you, only here.”
Wall joined Calipari on the podium, along with current and former players in attendance as well as former Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall.
“This is family — not just words. Our former stars and our current players, the Big Blue Nation, make up one big family that will continue to be the gold standard of our sport,” Calipari said. “They understand, this is the biggest stage in the game … This, my friends, is what family is all about.”
Kentucky’s incoming class featuring De’Aaron Fox, Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones, is being counted on to return the Wildcats to the Final Four following a 27-9 campaign and a second-round loss to Indiana in the NCAA Tournament.
Buffer used his trademark line with a slight twist, “Let’s Get Ready for Roundball,” setting the stage for the team’s 10-minute intra-squad scrimmage, which matched the newcomers against the veterans.
Adebayo threw down several dunks, inclining a dazzling all-out from Monk, while returnee Isaiah Briscoe wowed the crowd with a pair of drives to the basket in transition and muscled his way to a layup during the final five-minute session. To the delight of the crowd, Briscoe also buried a 3-pointer, a sign the sophomore guard is past his shooting struggles from last season.
Senior Dominique Hawkins provided the final message for the evening.
“We want to thank you for coming,” he said. “Thank you all for supporting us, and ‘Go Cats.’”
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter