Time Will Tell For Young Wildcats
Can You Say Patience? Sure You Can
Have you ever heard of the sayings: Have car, will travel? Or. . .
Have boat, will travel?
What about. . .
Have patience, will travel?
Well, this latter and somewhat new adage might go hand-in-hand with this season's Kentucky Wildcats basketball unit.
Yes, boys and girls the magic word today in Mr. Sutton's neighborhood is patience.
	
	Nick Nicholas Cats' Pause Columnist
	
Can you say patience boys and girls? All together now, P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E. Good, I knew you could.
Despite Kentucky's outstanding performance in Bloomington.this ballclub will climb more peaks and fall into more valleys than thought possible. Currently, with only eight scholarship athletes it's difficult to imagine the Wildcats consistently playing like they did against Indiana.
UK played like a Top Ten. . .make that Top Five ballclub during its 71-66 loss to then-No. 3 Indiana.
Don't count on this type of performance every night.
Why?
This year Eddie Sutton doesn't have one of college basketball's top and experienced players in his lineup. What a Rolls Royce is to the automotive world. Kenny Walker was to Sutton last season. Priceless.
Winston Bennett was suppose to help fill Walker's giant NIKES. Meanwhile, his flat tire (injured knee) will keep him off the hardwood road until next campaign.
In Al McGuire lingo, the Kentucky coach also doesn't have a PT Boat familiar with unfriendly waters. Remember Roger Harden and his crucial baskets against LSU (at Baton Rouge and the SEC Tournament) and at Alabama?
During UK's initial two games Ed Davender has shown he can handle the point guard position. He has a 21.5 ppg mark to prove it. Davender. however, needs more experience at the No. 1 guard slot. Perhaps Davender had his toughest assignment of the season against the Hoosiers. Not only was the game at roudy Assembly Hall but the junior had to guard sharpshooter Steve Alford.
Now awaits journeys to Louisville, Tennessee, Florida and LSU. They can cause even cool customers to cringe under pressure.
Thus, patience is best advised for UK's coaches, players and fans. A good dose of patience should be distributed to the student body section which booed classmate Rob Lock last week against Texas Tech. We'll talk about that later in this column.
"Kentucky is going to be a fine team," said former Wildcat assistant Lake Kelly after his Austin Peay club lost to Kentucky, 71-69. "They're going to beat some good teams.
"When they hit the tournament (UKIT) they'll be ready."
Prior to a meeting with Bobby Knights' Hoosiers, Kentucky sported a 2-0 mark and was rated 13th in the nation.
Not No. 1 In The Land
Kentucky earned the 2-0 mark despite playing in spurts against both Austin Peay and Texas Tech. However, the 'Cats are not the No. 1 team in the country. You're probably saying, "Sure, I knew that." Somebody didn't as Kentucky received a first-place vote in last week's Associated Press poll.
Maybe this ballclub isn't the 13th best team in the country, either. At least that's the way it appears.
Patience boys and girls. Patience.
Patience must come from al! around. From within the club to the outer circles patience is the key to this year's ballclub. Can you say patience? All together now, P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E Amazing. Very good!
Saying patience is one thing but demonstrating it is another matter.
Each adventure will bring new experiences to Sutton's Wildcats. Except for James Blackmon and Ed Davender this club is inexperienced. For starters, Rex Chapman, Irv Thomas and Richard Madison never were until the Austin Peay contest. Off the bench:
Paul Andrews is a veteran but must shoot more often; 6-foot-10 giant Rob Lock needs to gain more confidence; Derrick Miller is a pure shooter but only has a few games under his belt; and last and least in playing time are walk-ons Terry Shigg and Steve Bruce.
Before reinforcements come in January, Shigg and Brace's services may be needed in a game or two. Against Texas Tech, Lock fouled out while Thomas and Blackmon committed four fouls, respectively. Last Saturday three UK players fouled out. Hey, wilder things have happened. With only eight scholarship players available you have to wonder if these two players can hold their own in game situations.
During one particular stretch against Texas Tech, UK's lineup included Chapman (6-5), Blackmon (6-3). Madison (6-7). Davender (6-3) and Andrews (6-3). "I looked out there once and I thought it was a high school basketball team," said Sutton after UK's win over APSU. "We were running a five-man passing game which means we didn't have a post man."
If Kentucky takes its share of lumps and falls out of AP's Top 20, so be it. If they don't lose to Louisville and someone else this month then I'll be one surprised sports writer.
Sutton's club by February should be a tar cry different than the one which recorded narrow victories in its first two games. Maturity will play a definite role as these Kittens try to become Wildcats.
"They are very well-coached and they have good talent," Kelly said. "Before the year is out they'll be a factor. They play good defense. When their inside defense improves a little bit they'll be
T hope the fans understand that we need them. If there has ever been a need at Kentucky for the Sixth person it's this season. We've got help on the way, but we need the fans this year.'
Kentucky Coach Eddie Sutton
tough. Coach Sutton has done a great job.
"I don't think they're great but they are going to be tough. They'll be a factor in the conference once it (SEC schedule) rolls around."
Winter Experiences Will Be Beneficial
Eddie Sutton and his cohorts will get as many wins as possible out of this group. Looking at the schedule, right now it appears 16 or 17 wins might be in Kentucky's future. More than 17 marks in the regular season victory column and this team will have climbed higher than most local experts thought possible.
Have patience Wildcat fans 
One more for the record. Can you say patience boys and girls? All together, P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E Oh, I'm so proud of you. B-O-O.
What was that? Did that come from (pause) I thought so. The student body.
Can you say shame on the student body.
Prior to the Texas Tech showdown Kentucky owned a perfect 1-0 slate.The boo-birds. however, decided they had reasons to jeer.
If this team was considered to be in the Final Four come late March. I. too. would be upset with close encounters against Austin Peay and Texas Tech. People, it's going to take time.
Throughout the season no matter if this team struggles or consistently produces Ws, 'Cat fans always expect the best. Said Kelly, "I think they'll react like most Kentucky fans have for a 1,000 or is it 1,001 years. They're not satisfied. They'll go away mumbling and grumbling, but they (Wildcats) will be alright."
The innocent victim was Rob Lock.
As for booing Lock. . .1 don't care for it one iota. It's one thing to boo the home team's pro athlete whose recent production shows minimum wage value. But if it concerns a collegiate athlete, scholarship or non-scholarship. I think you're going a bit overboard. Criticism is one thing. Mutiny is another.
Sutton says Lock is coming along fine, and like the rest of the team, needs more time to get comfortable. My book is still open on Rob Lock. At Arkansas, Sutton worked wonders with Notre Dame transfer Joe Kleine. Maybe he can work a little magic with Lock as well.
"I hope the fans understand that we need them," noted Sutton. "If there has ever been a need at Kentucky for the Sixth person it's this season. We've got help on the way, but we need the fans this year."
Jack Givens SEC TV Announcers
Will Have Kentucky
Flavor This Winter
With doubleheaders returning to the Southeastern Conference basketball television schedule this season, there will be more of a Kentucky flavor.
Once again the lead TV crew will be the popular team of play-by-play announcer Tom Hammond (former sports director of Lexington's WLEX-TV) and color analyst Joe Dean.
The backup team will be an all-Kentucky pair of Ralph Hacker handling the play-byplay and former UK All-American Jack Givens doing the color.
Jefferson-Pilot, the television syndicator for the SEC games, will be airing regular Wednesday and Saturday telecasts during the conference race.
There will be three regular season doubleheaders involving SEC television in which Hacker and Givens will be working plus additional games during the SEC Tournament in Atlanta.
They are expected to handle the Mississippi State at Ole Miss game on Feb. 14 since Kentucky at Florida will be the other television game. Hacker probably won't be involved in any UK games because he is Kentucky's regular color analyst on radio.
Shaw Will Fill In
When Hacker is away from the Kentucky Radio Network working television games, his replacement on color with Cawood Led-ford is expected to be Rick Shaw.
Shaw, who is one of Hacker's top people are WVLK Radio, has considerable experience in sports broadcasting and has been filling in for Hacker in recent weeks when Hacker was away handling play-by-play chores for CBS-TV in the National Football League.
CBS Gets New Deal
When CBS-TV was awarded an exclusive, three-year contract for the NCAA Basketball Tournament for a reported $150 to $180 million. Hacker was not one of those shocked at the decision.
The day before the decision was announced, Hacker predicted CBS-TV would retain exclusive control of the event.
Both NBC-TV and ABC-TV were trying to snatch a piece of the pie away from CBS-TV and some thought CBS would be forced to share the lucrative package because of its tie-up with the Big East Conference a couple years ago. That deal gave the Big East a lion's share of dollars and television exposure, much to the displeasure of other leagues around the country.