BIll Templeton

In the six, or so, months that have elapsed since John Henson welcomed me onto his team as a contributing sports writer for the Harlan Enterprise, Middlesboro News and harlancountysports.com I have already been afforded multiple opportunities to extend (and hopefully enhance) the coverage of local and area high school athletes.
I was at James A. Cawood field this past fall to witness a district “four-peat” by the Harlan County boys soccer team. I attended live events at both local high schools during the football season, as well as the boys basketball home-opener for the Black Bears against Corbin. I have also had the professional pleasure of writing extended feature stories about Trent Noah, Brayden Casolari and Reggie Cottrell.
But as part of my otherwise high school-heavy coverage duties, I have also been afforded the opportunity to cover University of Kentucky athletics. I was able to return to a Division 1 football press box for the first time in more than 10 years when I attended/covered a UK game this past season at Kroger Field, and finally got the chance to return to Lexington earlier this week for my first visit to a storied and revered college basketball venue known as Rupp Arena.
In my nearly 40 years as a newspaper sports writer, Rupp Arena was silently a place I had always hoped to visit. Opened in 1976 — the year from which I graduated from high school — Rupp Arena hosts the nation’s winningest men’s college basketball program and the passionate UK fan base is known as “Big Blue Nation.”
My silent sentimentality for the Wildcats actually began in March of 1978 when Jack “Goose” Givens and Kentucky narrowly defeated Earvin “Magic” Johnson and my alma mater, Michigan State, en route to their fifth NCAA championship. It’s difficult to remember, or explain, exactly what it was about the UK program that initially attracted my interest, but suffice to say that the Kentucky Wildcats have served as my “second favorite” men’s basketball program for more than 45 years.
When the email arrived last weekend that my press credential request had been approved for the Jan. 14 game against Texas A&M, the date was officially set and a trip to Rupp was in my sights.
Despite slow-moving traffic for the last mile, or so, on my way down High Street in Lexington, and with Rupp Arena within sight, and within a short enough walking distance, I pulled my truck into a parking lot and made the brisk walk the last quarter-mile or so.
After being redirected to the media entrance and receiving my press credential from Evan Crane of the Athletics Communications and Public Relations staff, I was directed to Section 235. Upon arriving in the press area, I found that Seat 34 had been assigned that night to the Harlan Enterprise and knew I had finally arrived.
Despite the fact that it was more than two hours until game time, I sat in my seat and began to soak in the rich, historic atmosphere with which this arena oozes. From the eight NCAA championship banners hanging in the rafters at one end, to the retired numbers of 39 UK legends at the other end, I sipped my drink and enjoyed the experience of just being inside the building.
With just over 26 minutes remaining until the tip-off, the UK players took the court, and I couldn’t help but focus my attention on the pregame warmups routine of Trent Noah.
Noah, the Harlan County High School legend who helped lead the Black Bears to a state runner-up finish last season in this same building, rotated from spot to spot on the floor and not surprisingly converted 12 of his first 16 pre-game shots from behind the 3-point line in effortless fashion. Trent has already electrified the Rupp crowd with multiple long-range baskets during his early-season appearances, and by all accounts has a bright, productive future ahead of him as he lives out a childhood dream of playing for the University of Kentucky.
Following warmups, the Star Spangled Banner and pre-game introductions, it was finally time for the No. 8-ranked Wildcats to tip-off against the No. 11-ranked Aggies.
Texas A&M effectively slowed down the run-and-gun style of Kentucky for a majority of the first half, but a 3-point bomb by Jaxson Robinson staked the Wildcats to a lead they would not relinquish just before halftime and ignited a roar within Rupp that was louder and more deafening than anything I had ever experienced, or imagined.
The roar returned when Lyon County freshman Travis Perry hit two big 3-pointers during the early stages of the second half, and the game also produced a slam dunk by Otega Oweh that was the No. 1 highlight in Tuesday night’s ESPN SportsCenter Top Ten.
Halftime festivities included a routine by the 24-time national champion UK cheerleading squad, in advance of this weekend’s UCA College Nationals competition in Orlando, Fla., and following the conclusion of an 81-69 victory by the host Wildcats, I was hit with a sentimental warmth as I listened to those still assembled sing, “My Old Kentucky Home.”
Having moved to Kentucky from Michigan just less than five years ago, I stood there in my last few minutes at Rupp thinking about how much I was looking forward to driving three hours the next day to get back to the majestic mountains and my loving family.
Being inside Rupp Arena Tuesday night will always hold a special place in my heart, but there’s no place like my (still-new) Kentucky home across from Stone Mountain up in Smith.