Kentucky Basketball Is Different
Many schools have their version of basketball madness to celebrate the beginning of their season but no school can do it quite like Kentucky. I could go through various websites and check to see what the other schools are doing, but why bother? I am fairly certain those other schools don't have fans camping out for days just to have a chance at securing tickets to an event where they may get to see 20 minutes of actual basketball. I could stop right there..in fact I will. Many of those fans are good with the small amount of basketball knowing that they will also be entertained by players as the event gives the players a chance to let their personality shine. There is also the chance that they may get a surprise celebrity appearance, as was the case with Drake during this year's Madness. To be honest, it wan't too much of a surprise as Drake was also at the 2014 version of Big Blue Madness.
Message To The Fans (And Recruits)
Having Drake at the event is great for the fans but let's not fool ourselves, this is for the recruits. Before Drake gets introduced, Coach Cal steps up to the podium and addresses the crowd. The speech is given to the crowd of 23,000 or so, but it is directed at the handful of recruits sitting courtside. The message in this year's speech, loosely translated by me, was if you join our family and work hard, success will come. It would be hard to debate Coach Cal's track record given the current list of NBA stars. After Drake is introduced Cal has all former players in attendance come down for a "family" photo. I do like the way Cal embraces former players that were here long before his tenure.
Man, Has This Thing Changed
As I sit on my couch watching Madness, I can't help but think how this thing has evolved over the years. Big Blue Madness, at it's core, is still a celebration of the beginning of the season for men's(and women's) basketball. Where it has changed is the emphasis on showcasing the program to recruits. But the thing that always strikes me is the buildup to the event. There never used to be a campout where vouchers for tickets were distibuted. There was a time there no tickets at all.
Story Time
Back in 1987, myself and five of my buddies all in our early twenties,decided to head to Lexington that night for Midnight Madness. We piled in my parents' Oldsmobile Delta 88 and I drove us down I -75 from northern Kentucky. I had my own car at the time, but I'm guessing I had to convince my parents to let me use their car since 6 guys in a Firebird was an even worse idea than the idea of taking theirs. We entered Memorial Coliseum at roughly 10pm and as we walked up the ramp to our left, we noticed this huge pile of sacks of dog food stacked against the wall. I would be willing to bet there have been no dog food promotions during the Cal era of Madness. My good friend Shayne was with us who had a dog named Rambo who , needless to say, ate well for the following months. The six of us guys each grabbed one of these large bags and proceeded to the trunk of the Delta 88. I remember being at the end of this dog food procession and heading back into Memorial, only to pass the first round of guys making a second trip back to the parking lot with more dog food. I must add that there were no signs stating one per customer, and I don't recall other UK fans hauling off any of these giant bags of dog food. I barely remember the scrimmage that took place on the court shortly after midnight. Six guys in a weighted down Delta 88 headed back to Florence and we must have unloaded 12-15 bags of dog food at Shayne's home in the middle of the night.
Impressions Made
The fact is that after nearly 30 years of Madness impressions and memories are still being made. Some memories are filled with flashy lights, dancing and Drake, while some are of dog food. For better or for worse , as long as the recruits keep coming I'm good either way. Thanks for reading and…Go Cats!
