Do you ever do things that seem pretty cool, but when considered from another’s viewpoint are stratospherically special? Shootin’ hoops with University of Kentucky Basketball coach Tubby Smith this morning was one of those things.
We were photographing Coach and his wife, Donna, in our store's UK apparel at Memorial Coliseum, one of the most storied and special venues in all of basketball. This is “the house that Rupp built” in the 50’s and was the site of the penultimate passion of Kentucky Basketball until Rupp Arena’s debut in 1977.
I looked over to where the Man in the Brown Suit sat and my seats just a few rows behind him. Even though I at least had the presence of mind as a 10 year old to appreciate how lucky I was to have such cheeky seats, looking back now I realize just how special those days truly were.
There was Cotton Nash in the early sixties. Then the most incredible, unbelievably precise and finely tuned team I have EVER seen—Rupp’s Runts. No player taller than Lexington’s own, 6’5” Thad Jaracz. The stars were Pat Riley, Larry Conley, Louie Dampier and Tommy Kron.
You’ve never seen such passing and teamwork as the Runts displayed game after game. They romped, and romped, and romped until….Texas Western, now UTEP. Kentucky and Rupp were later painted as the last holdout to integrationist athletics, although the other Final Four teams—Duke and Utah—were also lily white.
TW played brilliantly in victory. I still recall seeing the “NCAA Champions!” sweatshirt in our store window, wondering whatever happened to it and how many others we had to throw away.
Then I saw the mystical, magical Pete Maravich, floppy socks, flappy hair and dead eye 60% downtown shooting. Rupp would tell his players to “let Pete shoot, you ain’t gonna stop him.” So he’d get his 50 and the Cats would win.
One of my most memorable games was when Lou Bellos refereed the UK/LSU game. He was a showman as much as a referee. My older cousin, Louis Kawaja, who took me to the game, still talks about that game.
Then there was more LSU excitement with their new coach, Dale Brown, who got so heated he took his plaid sportcoat off and flung it to mid court. Afterwards in a typically Dale Brown-esque interview about that he responded to sportswriter, Billy Reed, “well, what would you say if I asked you ‘do you masturbate?’” HELLO!
There was Ernie Grunfeld sneaking free throws for another Vol who was actually fouled in a Ray Mears-led Tennessee upset (seemed the Vols always beat the Cats!). Then there was the amazing Kentucky comeback against Kansas—9 points in under a minute... BEFORE the three existed!
But today, it was just me and Tubby shootin’ hoops. Coach Smith draining three after three, beautiful arcing shots that saw nothing but net. Let me tell you, Tubby is among the most gracious, classy persons I know—high profiled coach or not. I love him and respect him immensely. He is so humble, approachable and genuine that it is easy to take for granted that I was shooting hoops with a premiere coach of THE premiere basketball program in the world. How many Kentucky Kids (young AND old) would give their eye tooth to be doing this!?
I never got to know Coach Rupp as well, but I did get to meet him once back in '66. I was at a luncheon honoring my cousin Louis’ graduation from law school at the old Imperial House Hotel. It was the middle of the week and so when I shook Coach Rupp’s big warm paw, he asked me in his long drawn out drawl “son, why aren’t you in scho-o-u-h-l-l?”
Good lord, there are so many Rupp stories and his interviews were so entertaining…”wel-l-l, I told the boys you’ve got to guard that number ee-lev-in, he’s running WI-L-L-L-D!” referring to some obscure Mississippi player who scored 8 of their 10 first half points in a Kentucky blow out.
Thanks dad, thanks uncles, thanks Coach Smith (Tubby)…and thank you Coach Rupp—I’ve seen history, and on the shoulders of giants, can witness it still.
RFD 9/28/05
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