Enough talking, let’s ball — or maybe let’s go would be more appropriate. Still getting used to our catchphrases in this transition period.
But you get the point. Another 4-Point Play coming right up, plenty of Kentucky basketball talk to hit.
Arkansas definitely doesn’t take credit for Kentucky’s stars
Remember all of those tweets about Coach Cal’s NBA success following his move to Fayetteville, leading up to and following the draft — all posted by the official Arkansas men’s basketball account. Like this one highlighting John Calipari having a selection in 17 consecutive NBA Drafts. Or this one promoting his four No. 1 overall picks and what has since become 61 draft picks, 29 top-15 selections and 43 first-rounders. It was Cal’s prized talking point with the Wildcats, and now, the Razorbacks have made it abundantly clear they’re not afraid to take it and run with it.
So imagine the humor and irony of Arkansas’ social media team getting sensitive about a fake tweet going viral promoting Calipari’s trio of former Kentucky stars representing the United States in the 2024 Paris Olympics in Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker and Anthony Davis.
“Hi. I run this account. This was never posted. Thanks for your time,” Rachael Harris wrote in a string of tweets. “… The fact anyone thinks I would format a tweet this way hurts me deeply.”
“The Kentucky fans constantly in our mentions don’t bother me,” she added. “Because engagement numbers are booming. But when you make up fake posts…cmon man. We don’t get any data boost from that.”
Again, we have multiple real-life examples of Arkansas tweeting about Calipari’s draft success at Kentucky, but celebrating Coach Cal’s players in the Olympics is beneath you? Sure.
Former players invited back for La Familia scrimmage
Mark Pope called it a “huge deal” that La Familia is coming to Rupp Arena, an even bigger deal that the current Kentucky roster will be able to practice against the former Wildcats in attendance. It’s not often you get to battle against former pros who won at the highest of levels in Lexington, certainly not in your own practice gym during summer workouts.
“These guys are preparing for a tournament where they have a chance to represent Kentucky and themselves in a brilliant way this summer and we’re trying to prepare for a huge season,” Pope said in June. “We’re gonna try and do that together a little bit.”
A fun note ahead of next week’s festivities? Not only will the current team scrimmage the La Familia roster that includes Eric Bledsoe, Willie Cauley-Stein, Andrew and Aaron Harrison, James Young and Kellan Grady, among others, but every former Kentucky player has been invited back to Lexington to watch.
That matchup and alumni event is scheduled for Wednesday, July 17, Cameron Mills announced this morning on The Leach Report.
“This game, where they play the TBT team locally, they’re being allowed to practice, I think in the (Joe) Craft Center. Mark is allowing them to do that,” Mills said. “And then on July 17, every former player — every former player — they’ve already gotten an invite to come to practice on July 17. (They said) ‘Come to Rupp Arena.’ We’re gonna have a big La Familia reception in the Lexus (Lounge) at Rupp, we’re going to watch a little practice, then we’re going to watch the current team play the TBT team. …
“It’s gonna be really cool. They’re definitely playing, they’re definitely gonna scrimmage. It’s gonna be for the former UK players to watch and enjoy.”
The event will not be open to the public, unfortunately, Mills stressing that while Pope toyed with the idea of selling tickets and giving the money away to charity, he “really (wants) to do something just for former players first.”
Maybe we can convince them to livestream it?
“We’ve got a bunch of Tre Mitchells”
Speaking of the current team, Mills gave another update on how things are going in practice after previously raving about the Wildcats’ shooting in early workouts — “A lot of three-point shots being shot — and a lot of them being made, I promise you,” he said in June. “You’re going to be excited about what this team gives you, folks.”
How are things going today?
“He is doing everything he can to get them to gel right now,” Mills said. “And it seems like they are.”
Looking at Pope’s approach, he says he has “yet to hear Mark raise his voice above maybe 10 decibels” because “he almost whispers, like there’s this expectation of, ‘I shouldn’t have to (yell)’” akin to Tony Dungy with the Indianapolis Colts.
“He coaches them. He coaches them like crazy.”
How about the team, who is now rolling with full-court work after starting with individual half-court instruction in their first two weeks together? Mills says their age and experience is obvious, all coming in with similar goals.
“We’ve got so many old men on this team, and I say that in the best way possible. We’ve got a bunch of Tre Mitchells — in mind, it seems like, in maturity, in ability, certainly, but I think more importantly, in the idea that we as a team go further than I do as an individual,” he said. “When you’ve got 12 guys with that attitude — and we don’t know that for a fact, but from what I’ve seen in practice, it seems like we’ve got a bunch of good dudes who just want to win.”
The focus isn’t on the NBA Draft and working toward lottery status. Instead, the players know their path to the league comes by winning games early and often.
Coach Pope knows a thing or two about that.
“They understand the premise that if we win as a team, your draft stock goes up,” Mills said. “That’s a lesson that I promise you Mark Pope learned back in 1996 when he was drafted. We win a national championship in 1996, Mark gets drafted in the second round. There weren’t a whole lot of people talking about him getting drafted at all until we won that national championship. So he taught these guys quickly, ‘Hey, you want to get drafted, you want to be higher on the draft lists? You’ve got to win.’
“In this case here, as he’s said multiple times, we know what the assignment is: winning a national championship.”
Collin Chandler grateful to experience ‘basketball paradise’
Imagine being in Collin Chandler’s shoes, coming off a two-year mission trip expecting to begin your career at BYU, the school you’ve been committed to since November of 2021. And then the phone rings, Mark Pope asking if you’d like to follow him to Kentucky — the winningest school in college basketball history.
The 20-year-old freshman will admit he was a bit overwhelmed experiencing things unfold in London, but learned to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in stride.
“It was a whirlwind of emotions to try to understand the life I had been envisioning for three years kind of got swept under me, but in the best way possible,” Chandler told BBN Tonight. “This is something that is dreamworthy, something you dream about and wake up and you’re like, ‘Oh, well, that would have been cool.’ But it was completely real. … When I found out that Coach Pope wanted me to follow him here, it was a, ‘Yes!’”
Has he woken up from that dream? Not quite — and he doesn’t know if he ever will. Nor does he want to, this experience being one that blows his mind every day he walks into the Joe Craft Center wearing blue and white.
For any hooper growing up, this is heaven.
“Not yet it hasn’t (become a reality). I still every day wake up and get to walk out of my dorm and come into this gym to get shots up and work with my new teammates. It’s unreal,” Chandler said. “I keep calling it basketball paradise, that’s what it is. You have access to everything to make you better. There is no excuse for not getting better, no excuse for not being excellent.
“That’s why expectations are so high because everything is at your disposal. I’m just trying to take advantage of that.”
