Casey: This Years Pressure Similar To 78
No Time For Celebration
Being part of Kentucky's 1978 NCAA Tournament championship team is an experience Dwane Casey will never forget.
However, the current UK assistant coach still can't call
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1    z j	Larry Vaught Cats' Pause Columnist
	
the 1977-78 season a "fun year" because of the high expectations fans and the media had for the Wildcats.
"Most people expected us to win the national championship from day one," said Casey, a junior reserve guard on that championship team. "Coach (Joe) Hall termed it a year of no celebration and he was exactly right. We couldn't celebrate.
"Every game was a challenge because people were always shooting for us. We knew we were supposed to win and people expected us to win."
Casey still recalls the bitter disappointment UK fans felt when the Cats lost 78-62 at Alabama and 95-94 at LSU in overtime. Those were the only two games Kentucky lost in 32 outings.
"We shouldn't have lost those games but those things happen," said Casey, the co-captain of the 1978-79 UK team. "Still, we felt like the world had come to an end after each loss."
The Wildcats could feel the same type pressure this year. They have wins over Indiana and Louisville and climbed to
Dwane Casey
number one in The Associated Press poll.
How well the team handles the pressure depends on the chemistry on the court. The 1977-78 team members had their differences off the court but had a single purpose when they walked into any arena.
"Back then we were almost all high school Ail-Americans just like this team," said Casey. "When you get a group like that you are going to have a lot of different egos involved.
"What we had in 1978, though, was one purpose on the court. We knew what we wanted to do and what it would take to win the national championship.
We may have had some differences off the court. Some guys liked music, some didn't. Some had girlfriends, some didn't. Often we went our own directions after practice and
games but once we stepped foot on the hardwood, we never lost track of our one goal."
The UK assistant feels the experience he gained that year will help him prepare this season's Cats for what awaits them on the road to Kansas City for the Final Four.
"I have a great feeling for what it takes to win it all," said Casey. "It takes a little extra effort and a lot of luck. Every player has to be willing to come together as one and sacrifice personal goals for the team.
"We had a lot of guys give up personal glory for the betterment of the team 10 years ago. This year's team has that same makeup. We have guys who put winning first and individual accomplishments second."
Casey, like any true UK fan, remembers the 1978 NCAA Tournament win over Florida State. The Cats trailed at halftime when Hall benched starters Jack Givens, Rick Robey and Truman Clay tor and started Casey, Lavon Williams and Fred Cowan to open the second half.
The strategy paid off as the reserves cut into the lead and UK went on to win 85-76.
"It was a gamble but Coach Hall knew what he was doing because all week we had really pushed the first team," said Casey. "He knew we could wear Florida State down and then the first team could come back in and win. It was risky but it turned out to be a great coaching move."
Casey hasn't shared that experience with any of this year's players. However, that taste of glory was Casey's moment in the spotlight that year.
"I can sympathize with guys this year who don't get to play a lot and have to be role players because I was one," said Casey. "But I know from experience that role players are just as important to the team as the top scorer or rebounder.
"Some guys may get more publicity than others but it takes 15 players dedicated to the team to win the national championship."
That doesn't mean Casey feels players should gladly ac cept not playing or starting. He always felt he deserved to play more, even during UK's NCAA championship season.
"I wouldn't want a player as a teammate or on my team that didn't want to start and play," said the former Union County All-Stater. "I thought I should have played more and tried to prove it every day in practice.
"I was too immature at the time to realize that Coach Hall was making the right moves. Still, I did know at the time that one day wanted to be a coach and I learned a lot from Coach Hall."
Casey served one year as a graduate assistant under Hall and spent five seasons working for Clem Haskins at Western. When Leonard Hamilton left the UK staff in 1986. Coach Eddie Sutton brought Casey back to Lexington.
His hiring paid immediate dividends as UK has signed nine talented players the last two seasons. But what Casey wants the most is to help the Cats win another NCAA title this year.
"I like this team a lot and it does remind me of the 1978 team in a lot of ways," said Casey. "We have a shot to go all the way. We have a lot of work ahead of us but if the guys will really dedicate themselves, it could happen."
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SUTTON IS not worried about the nation's top ranking bothering his team like it might some others.
"This group can handle the number one ranking better than most could," said Sutton. "It would be more difficult for Arizona', Pittsburgh, Temple or Wyoming because their fans have never had that opportunity before. The fans would get so excited that it would rub off on the players.
"Our players are happy but it's more important to be number one at the end because that would mean you had a great season. Right now there are a lot of number one teams. Not many teams are left undefeated and no one will go undefeated because the intensity really picks up when conference play starts."
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CBS-TV college basketball analyst Billy Packer has written a book, "50 Years of the Final Four", to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NCAA Tournament.
He delivered two autographed copies of the book to
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50 Wildcats Awarded Letters For Football
Kentucky head football coach Jerry Claiborne announced last Monday (Dec. 14) that 50 Wildcat players will be awarded letters for the 1987 season.
Of the 50 letter winners, 31 are underclassmen. Below is the class breakdown of the 1987 Wildcat lettermen.
SENIORS (19)
Todd Allgeier, Dermontti Dawson, Kevin Dooley, Scott Endris, Mark Higgs, Tommy Howard, Tim Jones, Jeff Kremer, Greg Kunkel, Eric Maust, Brad Myers, Jimmie O'Neal, Jerry Reese, Mike Robinson, John Shannon, Scott Stubbs, Steve Trego, Butch Wilburn and Joey Worley.
JUNIORS (14)
Chris Chenault, Charlie Darrington, Jay Dortch, Glenn Fohr, Carwell Gardner, Ray Gover, Jim Hill (senior academically), Ivy Joe Hunter, David Johnson, Ron Mack, Tony Mills, Martin Pennington, Mark Sellers and Jay Tesar.
SOPHOMORES (12)
Vic Adams, Oliver Barnett, Darren Bilberry, Donnie Gardner, Doug Houser, Tony Massey, Andy Murray, Mike Pfeifer,
Glenn Fohr
Ron Robinson, Dee Smith, Ken Willis and Tony Zigman.
FRESHMEN (5)
John Bolden, Randy Holleran, Phil Logan, Chris Tolbert and Dean Wilks.
UK FOOTBALL NOTES
?Not including bowl games, the 1987 University of Kentucky opponents posted a combined record of 61-59-2 (50.8 winning percentage) with five teams (Indiana, LSU, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee) selected to bowl games.
?The team-by-team records of 1987 UK opponents follows: Utah State (5-6), Indiana (8-3), Rutgers (6-5), Ohio (1-10), Ole Miss (3-8), LSU (9-1-1), Georgia (8-3), Virginia Tech (2-9), Vanderbilt (4-7), Florida (6-5) and Tennessee (9-2-1).
?Looking ahead to the 1988 UK schedule, the combined opponents' records (not including bowl games) is an impressive 73-44-4 (61.9 winning percentage). In SEC play, Kentucky drops Ole Miss and adds Alabama and Auburn as the league goes to seven SEC games.
?Here are the 1988 UK opponents and their records: Central Michigan (3-6-1), Auburn (9-1-1), Indiana (8-3), Kent State (7-4), Alabama (7-4), LSU (9-1-1), Georgia (8-3), Southern Illinois (3-8), Vanderbilt (4-7), Florida (6-5) and Tennessee (9-2-1). Seven of those squads will go to bowls this season.
?In the last five years, Kentucky leads the [Continued On Page 20]