InsideUK 2013 by Underground Design

INSIDE INFORMATION: TABLE OF CONTENTS

On the cover UK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH MATTHEW MITCHELL DANCES AT BIG BLUE MADNESS, THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE COMING BASKETBALL SEASON.

Contents PHOTOS: LATARA APPLEBY, TESSA LIGHTY, MATT BURNS, EMILY WUETCHER, BECCA CLEMONS

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InsideUK is a public relations publication brought to you by the Kentucky Kernel. Editor in Chief: Rachel Aretakis | Art Director & Designer: Jody Beamer Advertising Associates: Tim Martin, Christen Garland & Elyssa Smith

INSIDE LOOK

Best Images

INSIDE LIFE

Message from SGA

Path to the Bluegrass

Latest Looks: Fashion Editor’s Pick: Music

INSIDE OUT

A Chinese Imprint

New York Kitty

INSIDE SPORTS

More than a Coach

Stoops: A New Era Fresh Talent

Editor’s Pick: Sports

FSC LOGO

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INSIDE LOOK

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EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATES ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DEWAYNE PEEVY SHOWS OFF THE NEW LOCKER ROOM AT RUPP ARENA. TESSA LIGHTY

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INSIDE LOOK

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TAYLOR SWIFT PERFORMS FOR A SOLD-OUT CROWD AT RUPP ARENA IN APRIL, 2013. EMILY WUETCHER

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INSIDE LOOK

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JUAN SLAUGHTER, 8, DANCES WITH TEAM JUAN AT DANCEBLUE, A 24-HOUR DANCE MARATHON, AT MEMORIAL COLISEUM. TESSA LIGHTY

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INSIDE LIFE

{ A MESSAGE FROM SGA }

Fellow Wildcats, As we begin a new year at the University of Kentucky, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our thriving community. Whether you find yourself at UK for your first year of college or your last, the opportunities available to you are boundless. As the new student body President, I am here to help you have the best possible college experience.

My favorite thing about this University is the open and welcoming community atmosphere. I encourage you to seek out people and organizations that challenge you to be the best that you can be. The Center for Student Involvement, Center for Community Outreach, Student Activities Board and, of course, Student Government are just some of the groups that can help you immerse yourself at UK. Beyond that, I hope that you will reach out to others around you, starting with your roommates and classmates, and truly integrate yourself into this close knit community.

We find ourselves in the midst of a dynamic period of growth and development. The new freshman class is the largest and most accomplished ever, and President Capilouto’s Housing Revitalization Plan is in full effect. These point to the ever brightening future of our University. While the administration does its part, it is our responsibility to personally dedicate ourselves to pursuing greatness. We will continue to move together, as one Big Blue family.

I also encourage you to look into Student Government and the services it provides. SGA exists to provide helpful and necessary services to students, and to advocate for students to the University administration and government at all levels. Among the new and proven programs we run are TallyCats, Cats Cab, Legal Services, Safe Cats, and Wildcat Interest Group. To learn about all of our programs and services, as well as how to get involved, please visit our website at uksga.org. You can also stay up to date on happenings around campus by following us on Twitter at @uksga. If problems arise throughout the year, or if you just want to chat, feel free to drop by the SGA office in room 120 of the Student Center. We would be happy to hear your concerns and address any issues you may have. My sincere hope is that you have a great year, filled with new and successful achievements and relationships. When we come together as a com··· munity, we can achieve greatness.

ROSHAN PALLI

SGA President, University of Kentucky

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INSIDE LIFE

Bluegrass FINDING HER PATH TO THE

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WORDS | CARL NATHE & SARAH GEEGAN

PHOTOS | MARK CORNELISON

adison Scott's track to the University of Kentucky began when she was 10 years old. From Austin, Texas, she grew up far away from Lexington horse farms and equestrian events; but in 2004, she watched Thoroughbred race horse Smarty Jones become the first undefeated Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1977, and she was hooked. Scott developed an unharnessed fascination with Smarty Jones, so strong that she began sending letters to Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., where the horse lived. Three Chimneys employees Ann Hayes and Jen Rotyz responded to her writing, recognizing that Scott was no ordinary fan. This correspondence continued for years. In 2009, Roytz invited Madison and her mother to fly from Austin to Midway to meet the horse in person. However, Scott didn't know until she arrived in Kentucky that Chapman intended to have her name one of Smarty Jones' colts. The name "Mad for Smarty" honored the colt's legendary bloodline as well as its most dedicated fan. "Mad for Smarty was two years old at that point," Scott said. "He was already in training at the track, but I followed him closely through his racing career, which concluded in September of 2011." After a two-year career, Mad for Smarty sustained an injury, and Three Chimneys Farm offered the horse to Madison. "He had just been taken off the track and was ready to start a new career, not racing," Scott said. "I definitely said yes, we wanted him! And we got him.

MADISON SCOTT WORKS AT HER COMPUTER AT THREE CHIMNEYS FARM, WHERE SHE FUFILLS HER PASSION FOR HORSES AND EARNS VALUABLE INDUSTRY INSIGHT.

It’s been amazing ever since then — having my own horse, finally, after so many years of riding lessons and wanting one, but never being able to have one. It’s just been incredible." When it was time to start looking at colleges, Scott new exactly what field she wanted to pursue;

and though she considered several institutions with strong equine programs, she said the minute she arrived in Lexington, she knew the University of Kentucky was where she and her horse belonged. "For me, there is no other place in the country that can offer what Lexington and the University of Kentucky offer," Scott said. "UK not only has the equine classes, which are awesome – not many schools offer an equine program at all – but they’re offered in Lexington, the horse capital of the world. It’s been incredible, and that is really why I came to UK." An Equine Science and Management major in the UK College of Agriculture, Scott now interns at Three Chimneys Farm and is continuing to pursue a career in the equine industry. "I help to keep track of two-year-olds, our new

“FOR ME, THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE IN THE COUNTRY THAT CAN OFFER WHAT LEXINGTON AND THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY OFFER.” MADISON SCOTT stallions," Scott said. "I keep a book record of the mares that we have booked to our stallions with details like pedigrees, race records, who owns them, etc. I also just do various other things that Three Chimneys needs. I’m working on a market report right now, and that has been a great learning experience. I go three times a week in the morning." Scott said that her internship has provided invaluable experience so far. "I knew a lot about the racing and breeding industry before I got here, of course, because I’ve been very invested in the industry," Scott said. "But being able to actually go into an office every day and see the real inter-workings of how a breeding farm operates has been so enlightening. I’m learning so much about every aspect of what Three Chimneys does in their sales department, which has just been incredible. It’s what I want to go into in my career, so it’s definitely beneficial. I’m learning along the way." Mad for Smarty, still a central part of her life, is boarded at Bryan Station Farm. Scott said that having her horse nearby has made an already great college experience even better. "I can’t have imagined a better year than I’ve had so far," Scott said. "The college decision was a really tough choice for me. I looked at a lot of schools, but within two weeks of being at UK, I couldn’t even believe I considered other schools. This is just the right place for me, and I love it." ···

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INSIDE FASHION

LATEST

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Looks

WORDS | OLIVIA QUINN

PHOTOS | EMILY WUETCHER

ransitioning your wardrobe from summer to fall can be challenging, especially with the ever-changing Lexington weather. Finding weather appropriate outfits that won’t leave you feeling too cool or too hot during the season change can sometimes feel impossible. Luckily, recent clothing trends that combine pieces from both your summer and fall wardrobe provide the perfect solution, allowing you to continue to wear your favorite summer items. The key to transitioning your wardrobe from summer to fall is layers: fall items can be added to summer pieces to provide more coverage and warmth. This year’s trends offer a

variety of ways to layer and warm up your favorite summer items. Instead of putting your summer dresses away until next year, put them to use by pairing them with jackets and blazers. Leather jackets can be added to summer dresses to add an edgy look. Add a blazer to dress it up. And don’t forget about your maxi-dresses. Throw on a

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cardigan or lightweight sweater to instantly give this trendy summer dress a touch of fall. Blazers, cardigans and jackets aren’t just for your summer dresses either. Summer shorts paired with a long cardigan or blazer is another stylish solution for cooler days. Mix and match accessories with various summer and fall outfits to warm up or cool down. Add a lightweight scarf to any outfit for instant coverage, or add dark tights with a bright summer dress. Another option is to combine your short summer dresses with fall boots or add a pair of sandals to skinny jeans and a fall top. It’s as easy as that. Some simple seasonal fusions give you a trendy and stylish look that is perfect for Lexington’s unpredictable weather. ···

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INSIDE LIFE

EDitor’s Pick: TOP TEN MUSIC EVENTS FALL 2013

August 14

TIN ROOF, LEXINGTON KY | 7 P.M.

RADIO ROMANCE

September 13 BUSTER’S B&B, LEXINGTON KY | 9 P.M.

CITIZEN COPE

September 20

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, LEXINGTON KY | TBA

BOOMSLANG FESTIVAL

September 21

RUPP ARENA, LEXINGTON KY | 7 P.M.

BLAKE SHELTON

October 4

BUSTERS B&B, LEXINGTON KY | 8 P.M.

COREY SMITH

October 13

RUPP ARENA, LEXINGTON KY | 7 P.M.

CHRIS TOMLIN

October 17

BUSTER’S B&B LEXINGTON KY | 9 P.M.

SICK PUPPIES

October 19

WHITAKER BANK BALLPARK, LEXINGTON KY | 7:30 P.M.

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE

December 12 KFC YUM! CENTER, LOUISVILLE KY | 8 P.M.

BEYONCE´

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December 15 KFC YUM! CENTER, LOUISVILLE KY | 8 P.M.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

EDITOR | OLIVIA QUINN

Manage your student in nformation on the go with the information

MOBILE APP FFeatures eatures Inc Include: lude: Enhanced Cam Campus pu p us Map p Br rowse Course C Catalog talog Browse V iew Your Your Class s In Information nformation View Register for Classes ss ses s Make Account Pa Payments aym ments s V iew Enhanced S Student, uden ent,, View Faculty y, & Staf fff Dir Diirrectory ectory e ctory Faculty, Staff Directory Check Out Events nts s Available to download oad d Available tou uc ch, for iPhone, iPod touch, Android and Android http://www.uky.edu/ukit/ukmobile http://www.uky.edu/uk kitt/ukmobile

myUK myU UK

INSIDE OUT

Chinese in print: A CHINESE IMPRINT WORDS | SARAH GEEGAN

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PHOTOS | HANNAH SIMMS

any UK students consider internship experience to be critical in their preparation for the professional world. A Lexington-based company, Lexmark Inc., consistently facilitates students from various majors into its internship positions. One student, however, took this longstanding relationship with Lexmark one step farther, or approximately 7,400 miles farther, geographically speaking. Hannah Simms is a junior at UK, majoring in international studies and political science with a minor in Chinese studies, as well as a member of the UK Honors Program. This past summer Simms spent three months in China, the bulk of which she devoted to working an internship with Lexmark's Shenzhen branch. Completing what she dubs a "professional rotation," Simms collaborated with various Lexmark-Shenzhen departments, including supply-based management (SBM), the service parts team and the human resources department over a 2-month period. "I got to really see and participate in the long process of contract negotiations, and to see how the process originates, how contracts are written, how they are negotiated and what goes in to play," Simms said. "That’s the kind of experience you typically don't get until you are already in the workforce, so I'm absolutely thrilled to have been able to experience, as a rising junior, all of those different areas of the supply chain. I think it is going to make me a strong professional, when I get to that point." Outside of the business skills that she gained, Simms said that one of the most valuable skills she acquired was the ability to adapt to an international working environment. As she aspires to work in an international setting, whether in the law or business field, she's confident that her successful acclimation to the culture of a Chinese business laid the groundwork

for her to adapt to any international setting. Having established this internship by working with local Lexmark officials directly, Simms said she hopes her experience can serve as a pilot program, allowing other students to work with international Lexmark branches. As UK continues to strengthen its relationships with partner institutions across China, and send more UK students through education abroad programs in the region, Simms' wish poses a true possibility. While Simms was in China, she participated in a week-long cultural exchange summit at the American Studies Center, which united 12 SU students and 12 UK students. The session, led by Assistant Professor Michelle Sizemore of the UK English department, allowed the students to engage in cross cultural dialogue and communication. "The best part about the summit was simply the opportunity to connect with these other students and learn from them," Simms said. The conversation that had the biggest im-

“IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO LEARN FROM THAT SORT OF HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE, INCLUDING BOTH THE LANGUAGE AND THE CULTURE.” HANNAH SIMMS pact on her was a discussion about eye contact. "There was a particular passage in the book that we read dealing with eye contact, and we were talking about how, as American students, we are trained that eye contact is a sign of respect and often intelligence or power," Simms said. "It is seen as positive, especially in business relationships. However, the Chinese students talked about how sometimes if you make eye contact with someone that you don't know very well, in their culture, it's perceived as disrespectful because they consider it very intimate." Simms also completed coursework throughout her time in China, spending her first month participating the UK Education Abroad Conversational Chinese Language program, an intensive language immersion experience at Shanghai University. Simms engaged in four hours of intense language classes each day, along with cultural classes that focused on topics such as calligraphy and tai chi. "We got to really connect with the cul-

ture," Simms said. "We went to the Shanghai Circus, and we took trips to different small towns in China. It was really interesting to learn from that sort of holistic perspective, including both the language and the culture." Simms said that the best part of her experience, however, was the relationships she built with people she met in China, both the students at Shanghai University and her coworkers at the Lexmark-Shenzhen office. Her favorite anecdote from the three months took place on a team-building trip with her coworkers in the SBM department at the Lexmark-Shenzhen office. "For that trip, we went to a small city called Lianzhou, which was on the countryside; one of my coworkers was actually from there," Simms said. "And all of my coworkers wanted to bring home chickens from this area. So we drove five hours to this rural village, and we caught chickens and put them in boxes and brought them back with us on this long drive, which was absolutely hilarious. I have a picture of me, with my blonde hair, wearing my Alpha Delta Pi Shirt, holding a chicken outside in this rural Chinese village, and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I had been to Beijing and Shanghai, but this small city was like Georgetown, Kentucky (which is where I'm from) in relation to Lexington, and getting to experience rural China with a group of native Chinese coworkers was an unbelievable, unique opportunity." Simms said she returned to the United States with a new and refreshed interest both in Chinese language and culture. Though she partially expected to be burned out after her extensive time there, she said she developed a new interest and intrigue. More so now than ever, she hopes to find a career that allows her to interact with the Chinese on a ··· regular basis.

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INSIDE OUT

WORDS & PHOTOS | BECCA CLEMONS

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ew York City is full of sights: buildings that reach into the clouds, museums brimming with culture and statues with important ties to American history among them. So when I moved to New York a little over two months ago for an internship, I started making a list of places to see in the city. It included your standard tourist attractions (the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park) as well as those generally visited only by locals (the Rockaways, Roosevelt Island, anywhere in Queens). While I knew the move would be a change of scenery from Kentucky, I didn't realize that just a typical day in the Big Apple can involve numerous changes in landscape.

Hop on the subway to Brooklyn, and you are no longer surrounded by the monoliths of Manhattan, but viewing them from across the East River. Ride the N train to the end of the line, and you're on a beach in Coney Island, basking in the smell of ocean and Nathan's hot dogs. The list of historic sights, iconic restaurants and neighborhood dive bars seems endless, and that makes the city a blast to live in, especially during the summer (except for 80-90degree temperatures while waiting for the train). But I sometimes get overwhelmed knowing that I won't be able to accomplish everything on my list. Seeing how much there is to do in this city of 8.3 million people has made me realize I'm missing out on a lot of what my hometown, Louisville, has to offer, having taken it for

granted. A city of 1.4 million, Louisville is often rumored to have the most restaurants per capita of U.S. cities, and a new vibrant area of downtown and a pedestrian bridge have popped up since I've been away at college. Elsewhere in Kentucky, I still haven't been on the Bourbon Trail, and I'm ashamed to say I've only driven by Red River Gorge. Of course Kentucky is no New York. If you get the chance to live in a big city — even if it pushes the boundaries of your comfort — do it. But New York is also no Kentucky. What I've missed most is being able to drive for miles and miles, surrounded by nothing but bluegrass. Becca Clemons is a journalism senior and a summer intern at The New York Times. ···

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INSIDE SPORTS

WORDS | ALEX FORKNER

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PHOTOS | TESSA LIGHTY

H LEFT: MATTHEW MITCHELL LEANS TO KISS HIS DAUGHTER, SAYLOR, WHILE SHE REACHES UP TO GRAB HIS COWBOY HAT AT THE TAPING OF “COACH'S KITCHEN,” A SEGMENT OF HIS TELEVISION SHOW.

RIGHT: MITCHELL EMBRACES GUARD A’DIA MATHIES DURING THE 2012-13 BASKETBALL SEASON.

oops head coach Matthew Mitchell sat on the couch in his basement, sandwiched between two of his players during the Women’s NCAA Tournament selection show. Moments later, his arms were skyward, as his team had just been announced as a No. 2 seed for the second time in as many years. ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck, commenting on the Cats’ seeding, said Mitchell had done a great job with the UK program. The coach, smirk on his face, playfully shrugged. But what Mitchell has accomplished is nothing to shrug about. In just six years, he has eclipsed the alltime wins mark. He led UK to its first SEC regularseason championship last season. He recruited the players who have claimed four straight SEC Player of the Year honors as awarded by the AP (Victoria Dunlap in 2010-11, A’dia Mathies in 2012-13). His personality attracts talented players. Once on campus, the young women on his roster seem to respond to his brand of coaching. A two-way connection is recognizable — mutual respect between coach and player. A veritable family man, Mitchell, his wife, Jenna, and 18-month-old daughter Saylor Rose are darlings of the UK community. The toddler can be seen ambling around the court before games decked in blue, her blue-clad mother close behind. As a man of faith, Mitchell instills those values into the program. He gathers his team for prayer before every practice and after every game. And Mitchell himself is charming. Armed with a southern drawl and sense of humor, Mitchell routinely holds court in press conferences and in front of the home crowd in Memorial Coliseum. His annual dance routines at Big Blue Madness become YouTube sensations and send fans into tizzies about what he’ll do next. Mitchell has managed to carve a niche for his pro-

gram at a school where men’s basketball attracts all the limelight, partly because of the way he markets himself and his team. Mitchell has piloted UK to three SEC Tournament championship games and two Elite Eights. The Cats reached No. 4 in the AP poll this season, the highest ranking in program history. McDonald’s All-Americans now consider UK an attractive destination. Attendance is a good barometer of the new heights of fan interest. Each of the past three seasons, UK has ranked in the top 15 in the nation in average attendance per game. In 2010-11, UK set a season record for average attendance with 6,364 per game, and in 2011-12, set a season record for total attendance with 113,068 total people packing Memorial Coliseum throughout the year. Mitchell obviously makes it a focus to cultivate a relationship with fans of UK Hoops. His weekly coach’s show is goofy and fun, featuring a cooking segment with his wife and guitar tips with a different player each week. But don’t mistake Mitchell’s geniality for a lack of focus. He is a man who is hardwired for success, evinced by turning UK into a premier program. This man wants to do great things; he wants to win SEC titles and chase Final Fours. Some might imagine Mitchell taking off for a better job should one ever become available, one of those traditional women’s basketball powers that have dominated for decades, but that seems unlikely. In Lexington, Mitchell has top-notch facilities at his disposal. He has growing fan support. He is situated in one of the most basketball-crazy areas on the globe. But mostly he has made UK his program, the one he built, the one that will define his legacy as basketball coach. And in a few years, Mitchell might just have a national title banner to his name. ··· We’ll see who’s shrugging then

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INSIDE SPORTS

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WORDS | ALEX FORKNER

hrough years past, the first Wednesday in February would bypass the Bluegrass without much fanfare surrounding the phenomenon that is National Signing Day. While college football fans (especially around the SEC) watched talented teenagers around the country seal their futures with the stroke of a pen to a National Letter of Intent, the folks in Lexington were most likely looking ahead to the next basketball conference foe.

ILLUSTRATION | JODY BEAMER

So what’s Stoops’ secret to getting such a quality class in such a short time? Back alley dealings? Hypnosis? Actually, it was as simple as compiling a top-notch staff that knows how to recruit. “It was a group effort. The staff — that’s a big part of it is the staff coming into this,” Stoops said. “The first year it’s important when you hire guys that they have some connections, so that’s a big part of it, guys with relationships that they have had either with players or with coaches.” As for those unprecedented rankings and all that attention, Stoops hopes it

better one, a yearly occurrence, which Stoops is confident of. “We feel like we have great momentum, but, yeah, we’ve been on the phone this morning talking to the top prospects in the ’14 class, and we have been evaluating the ’14 class for a week or so, which actually puts us behind, but we had to put so much time and energy and concentration into this class,” Stoops said. Already behind, but expect Stoops and his staff to make up ground quickly. After all, if a Top-30 class is possible in two months, think of what they can do in 12.

“I ALWAYS FELT LIKE UK — A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKED ME ABOUT WHY HERE, AND WHY DID YOU JUMP ON THIS OPPORTUNITY, AND WHY DID YOU SEEK THIS OPPORTUNITY? I JUST FELT THERE WAS GREAT POTENTIAL HERE.” MARK STOOPS But that was B.S. (Before Stoops). Now, you see ESPN’s bottom line announced the commitment of players to UK. Now, UK’s recruiting haul is a topic on ESPN College Gameday. Now, Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel leads a story about powerhouse recruiting in the SEC with, of all schools, UK. In just a little over two months on the job, Stoops transformed a middling, 60ish ranked recruiting class into one bordering on Top 25 in the nation, as Rivals has the batch of newest Cats ranked 28th with a few more potential signees on the horizon.

piques the interest of future recruits. “I think if anything it says to the 2014 class that these guys are serious, they know what they’re doing and they’re going to make a great commitment to recruiting and gives you some credibility,” he said. “Let’s not kid ourselves, you want to be higher than not be higher, right?” That is the conventional wisdom: The higher ranked the class, the more likely the on-field success. But four-star players aren’t guarantees, and even this class will take time to make its impact felt. That’s why it’s important to make this class, or a

Stoops took the reins at a rough spot in the road for the UK football program and has already impressed the masses. But in a conference where being Top-30 lands you 13th out of 14 schools, bigger challenges await, and Stoops is ready to face them. “I always felt like UK — a lot of people asked me about why here, and why did you jump on this opportunity, and why did you seek this opportunity? I just felt there was great potential here,” Stoops said. “I felt there was a sleeping giant here, that we can do great things and we will do great things.” ···

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INSIDE SPORTS

WORDS | TOM HURLEY

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ILLUSTRATION | JODY BEAMER

KERNEL FILE

head coach John Calipari held a summer press conferencein May and individually discussed the incoming freshman class. “They’re a talented crew. We’ll have a talented team,” Calipari said. “Each individual player needs (to be) coached. They need direction. They need to be taught the level of commitment. The intensity – the will to win – has to come out.” Last season Calipari acknowledged that the team lacked leadership. He doesn’t see that being a problem this time around. “The alpha males that we didn’t have a year ago, I think we have, those guys have to do that,” Calipari said. “They can lead, but they have to lead us in the way they need to be led.” The eight incoming freshman will immediately upgrade the talent level of the team. This is what the fifth-year coach had to say on each of the incoming freshmen on his 2013-14 roster. Guard Andrew Harrison

“Big guard, can score the ball, should be and will be and is expected to be and will be demanded to be a lock-down defender. With his size, with his athleticism; one, we can play a big zone, two, we should be able to press because we’re going to be so big with our guard play and whoever we put up there. But it will start with Aaron. We know what he can do scoring the ball, but we want him to other to do other things and … help define his game.”

Guard Aaron Harrison

“My hope is by the end of the year, he’s just like some of the other point guards we’ve had. You look at him and say, ‘hey he can do things that other point guards can’t do at his size’, his scoring ability. And both of them (Aaron and twin brother Andrew) are terrific drivers, which kind of tells you that we’re going to go back to a lot more

dribble-drive. I’ve talked to a couple of my friends. We’re talking about dribble-drive into pick-and-roll, pick-and-roll, into dribble-drive, because of the team.” Guard Dominique Hawkins

‘A young man from in-state that just kind of blew me away with his will to win, his temperament on the court, his demeanor in helping his team win a championship. You always want to coach guys who understand. By winning a state championship and being down 16 (in) two games, it shows what a tough mentality. And with what I just went through, I wanted a tough point guard. I wanted one more tough, physical – how about this – not just fighting, physical tough, how bout mentally tough? How about not break down? How about, ‘I’m bringing it and I’m not afraid to be 16 down and it has no effect on me?’ That’s what I saw in Dominique and why we recruited him.” Center Dakari Johnson

“I watched him two summers ago, folks, and I’m going to tell you, he had a knee issue and I looked at him and said, ‘I’m not so sure.’ Then I watched him a little bit later, and I said ‘wait a minute.’ Then I watched him later in the season – could not believe it. The line of improvement for Dakari is like that. He’s a kid that will get up at six in the morning and work out. He’s a great student. He does all the things and he wants to be better. He was on a team that there were times he wasn’t getting the ball. Never said one thing, ran that court, posted up. When he did get it, he did good things. He’s got great skills and his seven-foot tall.” Forward Marcus Lee

“Averaged a triple-double for the season. Like, 11 blocks, like 15 rebounds and 18 points. Pogo stick, active, high energy, 6-10,

6-11, long armed. Another player who, again, wanted to be here. These kids all wanted to be here. This is where, they wanted the challenge of this, and they wanted to do it together. So when you look at Marcus Lee, you say he could have gone somewhere, he didn’t want to go. He wanted to come here and take on this challenge.” Forward Julius Randle

“Truly a hard worker who can play multiple positions, who can play inside and out. He’s a beast. He’s an alpha beast who will drive the team. (He) has a little bit of Micheal (Kidd-Gilchrist) in him, in a different way. In my mind, there are good players out there, he’s as good as any of them.” Forward Derek Willis

“Long, skilled big man from the state. Again, where his game goes, he wanted the challenge of this. ‘I want to go every day against players this good to see how I can be.’ Isn’t that the greatest part of this? I mean it’s not, ‘well, I want to go here so I can be the guy and the only man. I want to go here and be challenged. How good can I be? And the only way I’m going to find it out is to go against the best. I’m going to go against the best every day.’ Well, he’s got a chance of really being good and being special.” Forward James Young

“Gives you that 6-7 wing who flat can shoot the ball. Some of the issues – again, we shot a high percentage. When you looked at our numbers from last year, our defensive numbers, our shot-blocking numbers, our offensive percentages, you would say we should have won more games. But, we weren’t as skilled as we needed to be, especially at crunch time. We weren’t as skilled. We weren’t as physically dominating as my teams in the past. This team should be.”···

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EDitor’s Pick: TOP TEN SPORTING EVENTS FALL 2013 EDITOR | JODY BEAMER

August 31

LP FIELD, NASHVILLE TN | 7 P.M.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:

UK VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY

September 14

MEMORIAL COLISEUM, LEXINGTON KY | 7:30 P.M.

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: UK VS. MINNESOTA

October 4

KEENELAND, LEXINGTON KY | ALL DAY

HORSE RACING:

OCTOBER RACE MEETING | ENDS 10/26

October 12

COMMONWEALTH STADIUM, LEXINGTON KY | TBA

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: UK VS. ALABAMA

October 19

RUPP ARENA, LEXINGTON KY | 7 P.M.

NBA BASKETBALL:

NEW ORLEANS VS. WASHINGTON

November 12 UNITED CENTER, CHICAGO IL | TBA

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UK VS. MICHIGAN STATE

November 30

COMMONWEALTH STADIUM, LEXINGTON KY | TBA

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: UK VS. TENNESSEE

December 6

AT&T STADIUM, ARLINGTON TX | TBA

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UK VS. BAYLOR

December 6

AT&T STADIUM, ARLINGTON TX | TBA

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL UK VS. BAYLOR

iUK 34

December 14 DEAN E. SMITH CENTER, CHAPEL HILL NC | TBA

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UK VS. NORTH CAROLINA

INSIDE SPORTS