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Century 'Cats Kentucky stakes claim as 'Team of the Century'
Posted: Saturday October 16, 1999 01:55 AM
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- The Kentucky players who will take the self-proclaimed "Team of the Century" into the next one took the court early Saturday as the Wildcats opened the college basketball season with Midnight Madness. With the Memorial Coliseum lights dimmed, players entered one by one down the arena's aisles, high-fiving some of the more than 7,000 fans as they descended to the floor. Entering last was coach Tubby Smith. He walked arm in arm with Miss America Heather Renee French, who last month was the first Miss Kentucky to win the national pageant. "Isn't it a great night when we can have Miss America here?" Smith asked the crowd. French, a Cincinnati graduate from Maysville, wore a black gown and her crown and agreed to act as a judge of the Wildcats' dunking contest. "I've always wanted to be a coach, so this is my time," she said, urging players to jump higher as they warmed up with dunks, layups, alley-oops and 3-pointers. Prior to the men taking the floor at midnight, the earliest time the NCAA allows teams to practice, fans welcomed the Kentucky women's team, which last year reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. Though Kansas, North Carolina and UCLA might put up a fight over Kentucky's "Team of the Century" claim, the Wildcats can point to this: Entering their 98th season of basketball, they have won 1,748 games and compiled a winning percentage of .764, both tops among college programs. Their 41 NCAA tournament appearances are a record and their seven national championships are second only to UCLA's 11. Late Friday evening, Smith said he saw nothing wrong with Kentucky anointing itself that way. "Not so much this particular team, but all the teams, because we are the winningest team in college basketball and [because of] the great tradition," he said. "I think we're second to none, and I think most people would say that." Smith led the Wildcats to the seventh championship in 1998, his first season on the job. After reaching the final eight last season, Smith may have his biggest challenge yet. Gone are the seniors who were the backbone of last year's team, Wayne Turner, Scott Padgett and Heshimu Evans. This season, the only seniors are former walk-on Steve Masiello and center Jamaal Magloire, who has a history of disciplinary problems. Magloire considered entering the NBA draft last spring, deciding only at the last minute to return to Lexington. The Wildcats expected to have three returning juniors, but were caught by surprise in April when guard Ryan Hogan and center Michael Bradley abruptly transferred, apparently unhappy with Smith's coaching. That leaves Smith's son Saul, the heir apparent to Turner at the point, and transfer big man Nate Knight, younger brother of Travis Knight of the Los Angeles Lakers, as the team's only juniors. Five sophomores will be the team's core: swingmen Desmond Allison and Tayshaun Prince, power forward Jules Camara, and guards J.P. Blevins and Todd Tackett. Three freshmen made their debuts before the Wildcat faithful early Saturday: big man Marquis Estill and Kentucky's two McDonald's All-America recruits, guard Keith Bogans and forward-center Marvin Stone. Smith also noted Friday would have been the 19th birthday of John Stewart, the 7-foot Kentucky signee from Indianapolis who collapsed and died last March during an Indiana high school playoff game. "We're saying a prayer for John Stewart," Smith said. "I know he's missed." At Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota was looking for a new start at midnight practice. Since March, most talk about the team has concerned academic fraud, a costly investigation, a new coach and pending NCAA sanctions. "For the kids and the program, it's been a long six months," new coach Dan Monson said. "The beginning of the end is to start practice, put it behind you." Monson, whose Gonzaga team beat the Gophers in the first round of the NCAA tournament, was hired during the summer after Clem Haskins resigned when the university bought out his contract. "Everyone's going to be watching every move we make," guard Kevin Nathaniel said. "When we're walking to class, in class, how we conduct ourselves. As players, we kind of know we have to be extra careful with the things we do and say." Kentucky and Minnesota were among a number of schools that held Midnight Madness, including defending national champion Connecticut.
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