Tonda Lawson and her mother were all smiles when they met Mark Pope Saturday.
Long-time Kentucky fan Tonda Lawson of Fort Myers, Fla., was not about to miss the chance to meet coach Mark Pope and his first Kentucky basketball team at the Club Blue event Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park.
“Mom and I were up at 4 a.m. (Saturday) and flew to Charlotte and then Lexington. We took a ride share straight to the event at 11 and walked straight into the arena pulling our luggage as hundreds of fans were already waiting to get in,” Lawson said Sunday.
Lawson,60, might live in Florida but she never misses a chance to see or root for her Wildcats. She got to cheer for for Reed Sheppard when North Laurel came to the City of Palms Classic in 2022 in his senior year. She did the same in 2023 when Travis Perry and Lyon County came to the same event.
She was not sure what to expect once they got to the arena but liked everything about the event.
“We received clear UK swag bags filled with goodies, including a Club Blue phone charger. The arena was set up like a fair, which kept the crowds and lines moving smoothly,” she said. “The kids had lots to do. The games and fun they had mapped out were second to none. Definitely a day they’ll always remember.
“We watched Coach (Pope) take selfies with kids, first with smiles, then with their game faces. Lots of PJ Washington growl faces emerging. There was just joy in the arena and fans talking in line about their excitement for what’s ahead with this team.”
How much fun did Lawson and her mother, who is 84 and has received bi-weekly treatments since October for stage 4 cancer, have? She said they were the last people to leave the arena.
“Coach Pope stayed to take pics with every last person,” she said.
The UK fan said they had fun meeting and talking with every player as well as the Pope family as the UK coach’s wife and daughters also attended to mingle with fans.
“There are no words for the joy the day filled us with as we went hour after hour to the next player and the next player, each one being kinder, respectful, personable, and genuinely excited to be Wildcats,” Lawson said. “The program has never been in a better place and we’ve already won without playing a game!”
Lawson and her mother were back at the Lexington airport at 6 a.m. Sunday to catch a flight home. They were in Charlotte at 9 a.m. and back home early Sunday afternoon ready to cook Father’s Day dinner and watch the Cincinnati Reds play.
2 Responses
I love that Coach Pope’s wife and daughters are embracing the experience as well.
Eric Musselman just threw Arkansas under the bus. He talked about how being at USC meant that he had to factor in academics in his recruiting and said it was not like that at the other places he had been. I bet that has the Hogs squealing! Sooeee pigs!