Kathy Beckham, 83, worries if the pressure of coaching at UK is getting to Mark Pope. (Larry Vaught Photo)
Kathy Beckham is an 83-year-old Kentucky fan living in Louisville who is still working five days a week. She plans to be a home computer “when” she retires but for now she often posts her feelings about UK basketball on days she works.
She has been upset with this Kentucky team — just like a lot of other fans — believes there is “some turmoil amongst the team” based on UK’s recent play.
“Trying to withhold judgment for now. I know we are not supposed to ‘judge’ but I just can’t help it when I feel so deeply,” Beckham said before UK played Gonzaga.
She posted earlier she had been “sad, mad, disappointed and any other negative things” she could think of with UK’s play against ranked teams even with starters out due to injuries. She continues to “love” coach Mark Pope and his players but wants them to play “Kentucky basketball” instead of what she has seen in losses this season.
Beckham has been frustrated by Louisville fans laughing at the team she has been cheering for almost 65 years..
“I became such a humongous — and some say unhealthy — fan way back in the ’60s. My best friend, Dale, whom I dated at the time, was a fan and, well, after the first game, I was hooked. I remember before they were on TV making a big ole bowl of popcorn, Diet Coke, and lying on the living room floor listening to Cawood (Ledford), who made be feel almost like being there. And each December we would drive to Lexington for the UKIT. Awwwww, those truly were the days. That’s what the ‘old’ people say, but hey, so true,” Beckham said.
“My love for the Cats has steadily grown over these many years. I recall in the mid-60’s when the Cats finished the season 13-13, which of course was heartbreaking, I wrote a letter to coach (Adolph) Rupp telling him to tell the guys I still loved them and to keep their heads up. Well, to my surprise, he replied and basically said: ‘I appreciate your letter and have posted your letter on the bulletin board for all the boys to see.’ I treasured that letter, but as luck(?) would have it, someone set the apartment building in which I lived at the time on fire and it burned up. Sent me to the hospital for a week with smoke inhalation.”
She’s still friends with Dale and they went to several UK games together last season. She attended the 2015 Final Four in Indianapolis when UK was upset by Wisconsin, which she called a “horrible” game.
“Our seats were not that good, but when I saw our team come out of the tunnel, they had ‘stars” in their eyes like they were intimidated. So sad,” Beckham said.
She was hoping for a UK-Duke national title match and admits she still hates Christian Laettner for the shot he hit in 1992 to beat UK in the NCAA East Region final.
“He should have been thrown out of the game from stomping on one of our players!. It was (coach Rick) Pitino’s fault for not guarding the guy inbounding the ball and the last thing he said to the players when they broke from the huddle was, ‘Don’t foul.’ But as luck would have it, Duke won it all.,” Beckham said.
“My love, well obsession, for my Cats has grown even more fervent. I just love them. I talk to the TV praising them or chastising them during each game. I call ’em like I see ’em!”
The Gonzaga “debacle” produced a 35-point loss to another ranked team — making UK 0-4 against top 25 teams this season.
“Lordy, we were awful, but I guess I should — albeit I don’t want to — give ‘some’ credit to our opponent! I still say there is something going on within our team,” she said.
Beckham has heard a “ton of rumors” about what is disrupting the team and wonders if the pressure is too much for Pope even though he loves UK and was a fantastic player at Kentucky.
“I love him and want him to win every game. Maybe he is too easy on the guys. It’s great to be friends with the team, but discipline, Coach!” Beckham said. “It is just that during and after the loss to Gonzaga I was really, sad, perplexed, upset, disappointed, anything else negative, and darn right MAD.
“Each loss makes me literally cry and I have difficulty going to sleep and wake up with a frown on my face. People who know me well know better than to speak to me about the game the next day and don’t dare call me.”
She’s not a fan of the transfer portal/NIL era with players going to the “highest bidder” often.
“To me when you get paid substantially you are no longer an amateur. But all schools are doing it. The entire system has changed so much and, I, for one, do not like it. The players used — here comes my age into it again — to need to play hard, put out at each practice, make appearances to represent UK, and go into each game with a winning attitude.
“Perhaps not realistic, but should one not go into a game with that attitude? Win each game! If not, then don’t play. Go into another profession! End of that scenario.”
10 Responses
I guess if you are an 83 year old woman it's ok to be mad at Pope, but if you are a 70 year old man you're supposed to patient. I have been Pope's biggest champion…anyone who pays attention to my posts last year and most of this year knows that. Pope's team isn't going to win every game, but they should at least play the game the right way and then say we just got beat by a better team. We have lost 5 straight Quad 1 games and did not look good in any of them. Losing matters. We are no longer a ranked team, we are in danger of losing our crown of being the winningest men's basketball team, forget about seeding…we aren't even going to make the Big Dance. Pope has not signed a single kid for 2026. When the season mercifully comes to an end, who will want to come here from the transfer portal and play under Pope? I don't care how rosy the glasses you are wearing are, this embarrassing season is damaging the Kentucky basketball brand. Now if none of that pisses you off to the point of wanting something changed..YOU are not a true blue Kentucky basketball fan! Pope has the rest of the season, but he doesn't have a clue about what is wrong or how to correct it…if he did, he would have done so after the Louisville game. Don't cry about injuries…Lowe and Dioubate were more of the problem than the solution. The ONLY way we can salvage this season is to win the SEC tourney and get the automatic bid (also known as the undeserving bid) to the Big Dance, and then make it to a regional final. That would show enough of a course correction to be a little optimistic about 2026. That is what Pope has to do to be our coach next year and that IS NOT asking too much. After beating Purdue, people were talking about winning No. 9! Losing in a regional final with a LOSING season record, and no longer having the title of the winningest men's basketball team is a pretty sorry outcome for this season, (that is what happened with Billy Clyde) but it at least would show that things had gotten better. That is all of the patience that I have. If Pope can't do that, it's time for him to move on at the end of the season and bring someone else in who not only knows what the assignment is, but knows how to make it happen. If it comes to that, Chris Beard of Ole Miss would be the first man I would talk to.
So much is so correct. It’s a sad state of affairs… and I reqd a post which referred to an affair causing conflict between 2 players. Real winners – both of them & the female.
Lot of speculation out there. Just make sure what is fact, what is scuttlebutt and what is just plain fiction.
Larry, in my opinion in what Pope said what happen before the Louisville game is hogwash. why he waited two weeks to explain is one red flag that he threw out there and yes, he has the right to cover up whatever happen. As of now he is in lot of stress what's going on. Bruce Pearl said it best the other day there needs to be one on one discussion of each player to settle things or have a team meeting.
Does Pope not realize he is working on becoming the worse coach of all time at the winningness college basketball school in history! Billy Gillespie and Tubby Smith are laughing their asses off at how sorry this team’s effort is and Pope is as lost as last years Easter Eggs! Is there going to be a packed Rupp tonight to see them play schools like the school for the blind? People should use that money for over priced tickets give it to a charity and not waste hours watching what isn’t as enjoyable as watching paint dry.
I'd give anything if Pope would have KENTUCKY taken of the front of their jerseys. Just leave their name and number on the back. If they want to embarrass themselves with the name on the back, then that'll be just fine.
Stop with the pregame introduction. Stop with the fireworks and the stupid handshakes.
WildWest, you have so many splendid ideas!
I personally feel sorry for Pope. This has to be made up of more discombobulated average thugs than any progrrqm has ever been dealt.
Each player needs thoroughly vetted, even though they have already been hired, to uncover any background events which could put them on probation or in jail. MAYBE there are 2 or 3 transfers who are the entire root of the problem.
Removal of the losers is essential for the sanity of the rest of the players and for the sake of the program!
Start with the Indiana game and if we win, do it the rest of the year.
Does anyone remember when Stoops got hire as the new coach for the football team and he wasn't giving the results the first 3-4 seasons and everybody wanted him to be let go. He turned the corner and gave us 8 straight seasons of bowl games that no other coach has done. The pointing I'm getting at give Pope time and I he will make some of our fans eat their words.
Dan Issel continues his streak of Kentucky criticism. Issel first ripped Kentucky after the Michigan State loss, calling this group “selfish” with “no effort” while being “terribly outrebounded on the boards” and not “helping each other defensively.” "It looked like to me, that Mark went down to the New York Athletic Club a half-hour before tip-off, got 10 guys who had never played together before, and put Kentucky uniforms on them,” “There was not one aspect of that — not one — game that would lead me to believe they’re going to be a decent team this year.” Following the Gonzaga loss, “This is going to be awful. I looked at the schedule, we play three ranked teams: Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. We play them six times. Man, on top of that, we play at Arkansas — you think Cal will be ready for this team? — at Auburn and at Alabama. This could be the worst season of Kentucky basketball since the Unforgettables if we don’t get this straightened out. “There is an Andy Griffith episode where the father is letting the son get away with murder and Andy tells him, ‘We’ve got an old-fashioned woodshed out back if you’d like to use it.’ It’s time to take this team to the woodshed.”
This is what the best player to ever wear the Kentucky uniform had to say about this team. I would say that Dan Issel knows a couple of things about basketball and Kentucky basketball in particular. For those who say we are over reacting and that we need to be patient might ought to think about what it means to be a true blue Kentucky fan. Playing for Kentucky is a privilege that carries a heavy burden to not disrespect the Kentucky program. There is no room for patience…when you take the floor in a Kentucky uniform you had better be ready to play and win. Pope finally started being a coach tonight. He still has a ways to go to get this bunch straightened out, but tonight was a much needed first step in that direction, albeit was against a team that was picked to finish 5th in the MEAC conference.
Beating Indiana on Saturday is an absolute MUST! What Kentucky team wants to admit to losing to Louisville, North Carolina, and Indiana all in the same season? A comment was made that many in BBN think of Kentucky basketball as a "religion", well he is "F'ing" right! Kentucky basketball is a religion! You don't embarrass it! You don't disrespect it! And you NEVER make excuses for LOSING! We are not going to win every game, but we had better be competitive in every game or that team and coach is going to get ripped, and deservedly so! Look at Florida this year. They have lost 4 games to top 10 teams by a total of 15 points! Our 4 losses to top 15 teams are by a total of 68 points…see the difference? The Gators can still take pride in their season…they played good and just got beat by better teams. Kentucky can't do that. The Gators will go on to be in the thick of the SEC race and a national title run AGAIN. The verdict for Kentucky is in serious doubt. We need to be Indiana, St.John's, and Bama at Bama if we want to be taken seriously for the rest of the season. Aside from Bellermine, there are no easy games left on our schedule…we could lose every single one of them if we play like we did against Gonzaga. It doesn't have to go that way. Tonight, we proved that we can shoot, even beyond the arc and free throws. We had 27 assists on 39 made field goals. We only had 9 turnovers to go with 9 steals and 5 blocked shots. What we didn't do except for a couple of possessions was play hero ball. We let go of the rope too many times on defense as the Eagles should have never scored over 55 points and we gave up 67 to them, but the effort was there the majority of the time. We need to take this one game at a time, but there is no room for any more embarrassing performances.