UK players sang “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” at a party for 10 Lexington families. (Chet White/UK Athletics)
Kentucky was coming off its best win of the season over North Carolina and has a game with rival Louisville coming up Thursday night.
However, coach John Calipari still thought — or knew — it was important for his team to think about more than just basketball, especially just before Christmas.
That’s why they hosted a Christmas party in Wildcat Coal Lodge for 10 Lexington families in need this week. Kentucky players interacted with the families, passed out gifts (shoes, toys, TV sets) and served dinner to the guests.
Calipari even revealed that the gifts included rent checks.
You can second-guess who Calipari recruits or how he manages games. You can believe he should have won more games/national titles. But it is hard to argue with the life lessons he annually teaches his team and does make it about more than just basketball.
And what about 7-foot freshman Aaron Bradshaw? He played the role of Santa Claus and photos/videos made it obvious how much fun he was having. His smile is contagious for all ages.
“We love BBN, we love Kentucky,” Bradshaw said during the party. “Just wanted to say, shout out to all the Kentucky fans and all the people out there. We’re trying to make a big Christmas for the kids.”
Bradshaw not only has shown on the court how he wanted to be part of BBN but has embraced everything Kentucky off the court.
The team even sang, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”
Not only is Calipari’s team talented, but it also seems to have great chemistry on and off the court. It also just has special personalities like Bradshaw and remember a story came out last week about Jordan Burks just randomly paying for items a woman in line behind him at a retail store was purchasing. Calipari even noted that Burks and Rob Dillingham had already done the same thing once before.
That just makes this team that has already endeared itself to so many UK fans with its fast-paced, fun style of play even more lovable when it does things like host a needy family or pay for purchases by random strangers.
18 Responses
Cal puts in there’s more in life than basketball. That’s why i will always cheer them on win or lose. Life is too short to complain about anything.
Cats79 building the character of a young man is more important than any ballgame. All of Cal’s guys, former and current, give back to their communities. I also will argue Joe B. had some dang good teams. He should’a, would’a, could’a, won atleast 2 more championships. However I’m not gonna whine about it. Go Cal’s Cats!!!
John Calipari is a good human being and does a good job in molding the character of his players, but he is just an average basketball coach. Joe Hall and Tubby Smith achieved as much with less.
If Cal is an average coach Tubby was a below average coach. Tubby is a good human being and a good family man, but was not a good coach and not the right man for
the University of Kentucky.
Tubby was a much better coach than Cal, he just wasn’t a good recruiter.
Cal is a great recruiter and terrible coach.
If Tubby coached the same talent Cal has at UK he would’ve won a minimum of 3 NC’s.
Heck he did as well in the SEC and went as far in the NCAAT with Sheray Thomas and Bobby Perry type players as Cal did with Wall, Cousins, Monk, Fox, Herro, SGA type players.
Tubby never had a losing and season and never missed the NCAAT.
I wasn’t a huge Tubby fan but as far as coaching ability he would coach circles around Cal. But 90% of the coaches can out coach Cal.
Smiling large….the story these comments are attached to was a feel good piece about the quality of character Cal recruits and yet some feel it necessary to add their insults and disparaging remarks. I was born and raised in Lexington…I am a true geezer and have seen (and listen to) the Cats throughout all the years. I love my Cats. I have liked all of our coaches (with the exception of Billy G … the stories I heard…he just wasn’t a decent human being). I vividly remember the disparaging remarks concerning Tubby (10 Loss Tubby). Joe B, Tubby and Cal were and are wonderful ambassadors for the game, Kentucky and what it means to be decent. I refuse to understand why, but I guess haters have to find something or someone to hate-on. I feel sorry for those folks.
You people act like that Cal is the only coach in America that ever does anything nice. It cracks me up.
I remember Steve Alford wouldn’t accept his salary at UCLA one season for underachieving. You don’t see Cal doing that. Pay me 9 mil a year and I’ll pass out all the turkeys and sing all the Christmas carols you want. lol!
Cal actually used the Alford getting fired from UCLA to land his ridiculous contract at UK.
Cal is all show, smoke, and mirrors. If he was decent he would be giving some if not all of his salary back.
1996 I guess you rather have Billy G back !! Geeze
No I’d rather have someone that can get us back to national prominence. Making FF’s and competing for championships instead of being a farm team for the NBA.
That was the ADs fault. We didn’t hire BG and the next hire will be by committee.
So do I Larry Bell
The only people more hypocritical than lawyers and politicians are journalists. Lol! One article you guys are calling out what a terrible job the coach is doing and the next you are singing their praises.
I would rather be consistent and honest with my criticism than having to climb from one side off the fence to the other from time after time. Eventually your butt is gonna be splintered lol
Guess we call can’t always be right and perfect like you 1996champs
I know Larry. Just giving you a hard time. You’ve got to report what the news is at that present time. It is always changing and is up and down. You have a difficult job as do lawyers and politicians and no one is perfect.
I’m just suffering from Cal burnout and am worried yet another season will end in disappointment.
I enjoy reading your articles and fair assessments. You do a great job!
Some very striking points from the fans. Went to see Edgecomb play. City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers Florida. Was I wearing a UK hat? You bet. The players are winning and having fun. They thing that kills me is if we get beat in the tourney, most of these guys won’t be back to redeem themselves. Coach has turned his job into one very large pressure cooker. By his own doing. It would be nice to see another championship before he retires. "Happy Holidays"
It is what it is. There are more Calipari lovers on this site than haters, but you don’t have to talk to too many people at the games to know that most of BBN is ready for Calipari to move on.
You must be sitting with the opposing team. I was at the UNCW debacle. Sec 27 Row T. I sat next to a guy with season tickets to BB and FB(for 30 yrs) and was surounded by old and new (guy in front of me brought his 9 year old daughter to her 1st game) UK fans. I talked to everyone. Made several new friends. And no one was calling for Cal’s head. Were we all disappointed with the results, hell yes. But most were talking about the fact that DJ was really missed. They talked about a missing chemistry and how most online were wrong bout what DJ means to this team. But none were talking about getting rid of Cal.
Maybe you are talking to people in your house watching the game with you. I don’t know. And yes I know there are Cal Haters like you out there. But my simple question to you is this. Why do we have to be Cal Haters or Cal Lovers? Aren’t we all UK fans? Can’t we agree that we all want the best for the program even though it means something different to each of us? Can’t we agree that this team is fun to watch and that Cal is coaching his tail off? And lastly if you are actually a UK fan why is Hate driving all you post? Hate is such a waste of time and energy. Heck I just wasted time and energy responding to you. I am not sure of your motivation but hate in any form is a just a waste of time! IMHO
Merry Christmas to the ENTIRE BBN ! !
I do love the University of Kentucky and have always bled blue. I do want what is best for KY football and basketball. We have reached a ceiling with Stoops and have seen our proud basketball program become non relevant in terms of SEC and national titles. The rest of the college basketball world wants Calipari at KY. His players first agenda has cost UK at least 3 national titles. Winning is what Calipari is paid to do, not get kids in the NBA. He is a fine man, a tremendous recruiter, and an average X and O coach. I think he will retire after next season. The sooner, the better.
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