There I was standing in a line roughly as long as the state of Rhode Island with a basketball in hand.
The basketball was a separate matter; you see I walk around with a basketball at all times just in case a pickup game starts up. All right, that’s not entirely the truth, my brother-in-law’s birthday is coming up and he is a huge fan of Kentucky basketball- this compiled with the fact that Kentucky’s big six- Davis, Jones, Miller, Teague, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Lamb- of last year’s championship team came one at a time to Matt St. Matthews’ Cardboard Heroes over the last few weeks.
These sessions brought people from all over the state who were so devoted to not just the team but each individual athlete as well. Lines certainly weren’t short however that didn’t really dissuade from the positive energy surrounding the mall which I believe is a testament to the continued excitement surrounding this year’s edition of Cal’s Cats.
Still, there was plenty of talk regarding next year’s squad and I can safely say I heard the name Nerlens more than once.
Ironically, the Saturday before this quest began I was actually at Lexington’s Kenneland the same time Nerlen’s Kid & Plan inspired hair entered the track. I didn’t actually see or talk to him though, but instead heard about it via twitter.
Come to think of it, about this time last year I met former Kentucky star Josh Harrelson at Kenneland. This was right before Jorts (Harrelson) made his way to New York to play with the Knicks.
I’ll pick those names right up and get back to my brother-in-law’s gift which he better like because I believe I stood in line for a total of about ten hours- and I’m pretty sure I’m not exaggerating here. All that said, it’s been an experience which I’m glad I had because in many regards it refueled my love of all sports.
Image by B. Rose
