Vicky Graff Photo
Both the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams did not end their season on promising notes this past spring. Both teams had their season end much earlier than expected and while both enjoyed bright spots throughout the year, the standard for Kentucky basketball is winning. There’s no sugar coating it that this past offseason was a tough one to swallow for both teams. The Lady Wildcats saw WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard depart for the pros and three starters – Dre’una Edwards, Jazmine Massengill and Treasure Hunt – leave through the transfer portal. The men’s team saw Shaedon Sharpe leave for the NBA without playing a single game for the Wildcats, Keion Brooks enter the transfer portal and assistant coach Jai Lucas head to Duke. Though there were clouds throughout the summer, there were also bright spots and those were on display Friday night. The time to seek a national championship has come and Friday night officially started that journey for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams as they kicked off their annual Big Blue Madness event.
For the Lady Wildcats, fans were excited to see the return of Blair Green from an Achilles injury. In her return, she won Friday night’s three point contest while eclipsing new transfer Maddie Scherr. Head coach Kyra Elzy talked about the significance of having Green and Scherr for the upcoming season, but also said all 15 of her players will compete for playing time. Elzy’s team shocked the world last season with a triumphant win over South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference tournament, but lost in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round to Princeton. The Lady Wildcats have many veterans on this season’s roster and will look to put together another successful season.
For head coach John Calipari and his team, their night began a bit early with the announcement that Aaron Bradshaw had committed to the Wildcats. Bradshaw, the No. 4 recruit in the 2023 class, joins No. 2 recruit Justin Edwards, No. 9 recruit Robert Dillingham and No. 29 recruit Reed Sheppard. DJ Wagner, the country’s No. 1 overall recruit, was in attendance for Friday’s Big Blue Madness but has not yet made a decision on his commitment.
Once the action started, Antonio Reeves picked up where he left off from the Bahamas with a 19-point opening round of the three-point contest. He took the lead out of the gate and was never challenged, taking the three-point crown. Jacob Toppin flashed his unique athleticism with the best finish of the night in the dunk contest and came away victorious despite scoring less points than both Chris Livingston and Daimion Collins. Toppin, a veteran and fan favorite, received the loudest cheer from the Rupp Arena crowd and earned the decision.
Calipari kept his speech pretty short, focusing on how much “he likes his team” and how he’s ready to have some fun. The legendary coach ended the night by telling fans that they’re going to have some fun watching the players and they’ll be proud of them.
Friday night’s Big Blue Madness was a bright spot that Kentucky fans desperately needed. Kentucky’s football team has lost two straight and are underdogs in Saturday’s game vs. Mississippi State. Though the Wildcats have potential No. 1 overall pick Will Levis back healthy, there have been real frustrations surrounding the team over the last two weeks and there’s a good chance that continues past this weekend. While there’s plenty of time for Kentucky football to bounce back and meet the expectations fans had before the season kicked off, getting a glimpse of this year’s basketball time made for a fun moment regardless if you were in Rupp Arena or in your living room watching on your television.
Big Blue Madness
Photos by Vicky Graff
