Brooks Downing, right, and Cameron Mills with UK’s national championship trophies. (Twitter Photo)
He was not a player or coach during the incredible run Kentucky basketball had from 1996-98 but Brooks Downing still was an important part of those three teams that all made the national championship game.
Downing was the sports information director at UK from 1995 to 2003. He first worked under coach Rick Pitino — a non-stop job 24 hours a day, seven days a week — and then Tubby Smith after Pitino left for the NBA.
Downing was back in Lexington for the 1996-98 championship reunion recently and thought it was a “terrific” event for everyone.
“I was very humbled to be included. A lot of times support staff like myself and Tim Asher are not. We go back to our KHSAA state tournament days when I was KHSAA SID and he was doing video. We were roommates on the road and then we both ended up at UK doing the same thing. It was really nice to be part of the celebration,” Downing said.
Downing actually helped coach Frank Watson when he started the Paul Dunbar High School basketball program. One of the freshmen on that team was Cameron Mills, who later walked on at Kentucky and was a key contributor to the 1998 national championship team.
“It was great seeing everyone and reliving those memories. We won the national title (in 1996), almost won again (in 1997) and then did win again in ’98. It’s like I hit the jackpot but I am not sure I truly realized how special it was when I was living it,” Downing said.
He remembers Pitino starting a JV team for overweight Nazr Mohammed and then him being such a key player on the 1997 and 1998 teams. He liked listening to Derek Anderson and Heshimu Evans tell stories.
“You know the big things but you do not always remember the conversations and behind the scenes stories,” Downing said. “Those are the special moments you shared with folks at the celebration.
“But when Brooks Downing got to walk out to midcourt with a packed house in an important game and had his name announced, that was like a fantasy world to me. I can’t thank Kentucky enough for including me.”
