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Your Best Shot Will Be "Issel's Parting Shots"
It's the season of giving and if you're a fan of the Kentucky Wildcats nothing could be more appropriate on your last-minute shopping list than a copy of Dan Issel's new book. "Parting Shots."
The former University of Kentucky All American has been making the author circuit for the past couple weeks and if the response to his new book in Denver, Colorado is any indication, it's going to be a blockbuster among Wildcat fans. During a two-day span last week. Issel signed over 2,200 copies in the land of the Nuggets.
Parting Shots is not your typical ex-jock, tell all secrets of former teammates and their per sonal lives. Instead, this book is about a young man who recognized an opportunity and took advantage of it by giving 100 percent to everything he has undertaken in life.
People who have succeeded in life by overachieving will truly admire the Dan Issels of the world and his new book is a testament to a delightful story.
During a press luncheon Monday, Issel recalled a conversation with John Y. Brown many years ago when Brown had to make a decision on the future of the Kentucky Colonels.
It was a time when the business deals were swallowing athletics from the fun angle. Isse didn't understand exactly what Brown meant when John Y. told him that, for business pur poses, he would have to deal off either Issel or Artis Gilmore to keep the Colonels afloat.
"I couldn't dream of a pro franchise existing in Kentucky without me," said Issel. "All I ever thought about was playing ball in Kentucky. I felt like I had never even left school, having gone straight from the UK campus to the Colonels It didn't eVen seem like professional basketball at all."
But true to Dan Issel's good-hearted nature he always recognized the lighter side. Like John Y's assertion that "Dan, I've got to trade either you or Artis and I think Artis will last in the game (pro ball) longer than you."
"Right again." laughed Issel about Brown's prediction. "Here I am retired and Artis is still going."
Of course. John Y. never dreamed either one would stay in the game for fifteen years. But that's Issel, never one to carry a grudge.
Issel said he learned a lot from those Kentucky Colonel days, that basketball certainly was more than just a game of fun. Yes, indeed, it is a business, an everyday job.
But there is much, much more to Issel's book There was the time the late Adolph Rupp told him he would help provide him the additional playing time to break the all-time UK scoring record if he (Issel) wouldn't rebell against then assistant Joe B. Hall's new running program. Later, there would be games solidly in the win column with very little time left in the contest| and Issel would still be on the court.
Once he broke the record, Issel was con gratulated by Rupp who told him (Issel) that he (Rupp) was glad that Cotton Nash's mark had been broken.
During the next couple weeks, we'll review the entire book for our readers, but the wise move for anyone who has a Wildcat friend would be to purchase a copy of "Parting Shots" as the best Christmas sift of all.
Kentucky's 83-66 loss at the hands of Kansas in Lawrence Saturday wasn't the upset of the century. It wasn't even an upset, but the margin, of defeat certainly points to the theory this Kentucky team has a lot to learn if it wants to become a top ten contender by the season's end.
Kentucky has the potential to be a good basketball team by March. Getting beat by 17 to a great Kansas team is no disgrace. In fact, Kansas displayed enough skill and grace to illustrate why some believe Larry Brown's club just may be good enough to win all the marbles in Dallas.
I doubt if there's a team in America that has a better 1-2 inside punch than Kansas with Danny Manning and Greg Dreiling, and that includes North Carolina.
Calvin Thompson. Ron Kellogg and Cedric Hunter were superb, to say the least. If there is a weakness on this Kansas team, it could be depth on the bench, and we're not talking about the coaching staff. Coaching, in itself, is another strong point for the Jayhawks.
If Kansas can whip Arkansas at home this Saturday, don't be surprised if the Jayhawks are ranked in the nation's top four when the selections are made next March.
Back to Kentucky. Sutton will have no trouble is getting his players' attention this week. Kentucky was talented enough to prevent a total blow-out in Kansas, but the Wildcats don't need any taped replays to tell them how poorly they performed.
Sure, there were adverse conditions, but such circumstances are common on the road and that's exactly where Kentucky will play half its games during the SEC season in January and February.
The next four games will tell us a lot about how quickly Kentucky will develop. This team will not improve as quickly in January and February as it did a year ago and that's because this team is a year older and you tend to improve less as you become older.
Kentucky must come out with a lot of enthusiasm this weekend during the UKIT. Anything less than a championship will seriously hinder the Cats' preparation for next weekend's war with Louisville. A two-game sweep in the UKIT is not a lock. This happens to be one of the better fields (record-wise) in recent years.
The Wildcats should take care of East Carolina, but bigger upsets have been scored over the Wildcats before.
This week's UKIT field is a strange one, strange in that it isn't attracting a lot of attention. The four teams have a combined record of 21-3. SMU is undefeated at 6-0, Pepperdinc is 6-1, East Carolina is 4-1 and UK is 5-1.
Now, don't get this field confused with the NCAA Final Four or anything, but Pepperdine is on a roll with impressive wins over Washington State. Nevada-Reno and Brigham Young. Only a narrow 67-61 loss to Kansas in the NIT dents an otherwise perfect record.
Pepperdine has a balanced scoring attack with four starters in double-figures but the big news is 6-5 senior Dwayne Polee who is an interesting story by himself. He's been around for a while, having played at three different schools and was
the subject of a national television feature a couple weeks ago.
East Carolina's record is misleading in that its only legitimate big-time foe. Duke, slashed the Pirates by a hefty 98-66 score.
It should provide a lot of great up-and-down the court action as all four schools have impressive scoring averages this season.
Another plus for the fans are new starting times for the UKIT Unlike past years when times were 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., the games will tip off at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. each night.
More good news for fans. Several hundred tickets are still available for the tournament and can be purchased either at the UK ticket office or the Rupp Arena ticket office right up to game time each night. Tickets are S10 per book (one book is good for both nights).
We'd like to welcome Louisville Radio Station WAVG 970 to The Cats' Pause Sports Hot Line show. WAVG Radio joins Radio Station WVLK in Lexington on our Monday night lineup this week.
The sports call-in show can be heard every Monday evening from 7 p.m. til 8 p.m. Listeners can phone us for comments and or questions by dialing (606) 253-5959.
Next week (December 23, we'll have as our guest the great all-time UK scoring leader Dan Issel who has retired from the Denver Nuggets and now operates his own thoroughbred horse farm in Central Kentucky.
Dan will talk about his new book as well as his days at the University of Kentucky and about the current UK basketball team as well.
Without doubt, Issel has done more for the Kentucky program on the pro scene by virtue of his 15 playing years than any other pro player. He'll be happy to talk with fans and answer any questions you may have.
Don't forget, next Monday from 7 til 8 p.m. on The Cats' Pause Sports Hot Line.
HITS AND MISSES . . . All-American Kenny Walker became No. 10 on the all-time Kentucky scoring list when he surpasssed CHff Hagan'sl.475 points last week with his 12 points against Kansas. Walker is now 28 points shy of Melvin Turpin's No. 9 spot. . . Eddie Sutton says he wants to have a more varied schedule in the future for recruiting purposes and one way to achieve such a plan is to trade Kansas for an intersectional game with the likes of St. John's in New York for a two-game series and then perhaps DePaul in Chicago. Sutton also said he wouldn't mind putting UCLA on the Wildcat schedule. . . Here's another one you might be thinking about. Don't be surprised if Kentucky decides not to renew its series with University of Louisville after next season. It could happen, especially if UK decides to involve state schools in its UKIT. Such a plan might call for two in-state Division I schools (Western. Eastern, Morehead, Murray and Louisville) to be invited to the UKIT each season on a rotating basis with the two schools
playing each other in the opening round. The winner would advance to the championship game against the winner of a game involving Kentucky and an out-of-state school. Either way. Kentucky would be playing another state school on Saturday night, either in the consolation game or the championship contest. Such a proposal would be difficult for any of the state schools to refuse ... On the Kansas trip, Sutton invited three University professors as his guests. "We want to involve the total university with our program," Sutton said, "we want everyone at UK to feel they're a part of our program because they are." . . . While the Kansas series appears to be a part of history, indications are UK may be on the verge of renewing its series with Notre Dame. One insider says the game may be renewed as early as next season. No details on where the games will be played . . . While speaking on the subject of scheduling, you have to believe that UK will do something to pump some life into its annual Freedom Hall game. This season's contest with VMI may be the biggest flop of all. There was a time when the Louisville game was something special. Usually, Freedom Hall meant Notre Dame. But at times, teams like Indiana and North Carolina provided the competition. Of course, that was before Rupp Arena and its 23,000 seats. Still. UK should take better competition to Freedom Hall. The last few years, opposition has been in the form of Purdue and Kansas. While both are excellent competitors, it would be more exciting if the Cats invited someone like St. John's or DePaul or Notre Dame to the woodshed in Louisville . . .By the way, tickets still remain for the UK-VMI game in Louisville on December 30. Those tickets (at S7 each) can be purchased at UK ticket office or at Freedom Hall in Louisville . . . Besides the UKIT this weekend, there are a couple great high school classics on tap that basketball fans will want to see. The big Hillbrook Classic will be staged at Rupp Arena in Lexington all day Saturday with some very outstanding high school teams and stars, including superstar Terry Mills, the one who got away . . . Over in Louisville in the King of the Bluegrass, sixteen teams will be going at it and they include Owensboro Apollo with the senational Rex Chapman and Pulaski County with UK-bound Reggie Hanson. All games there will be played at Fairdale High-School . . . Some real food for thought! Everyone knows just how difficult it's been for UK to beat Tennessee in Knoxville, right? Well, rumors have it Tennessee has offered Kentucky in the neighborhood of $100,000 to help the Vols dedicate their new 25,000-seat arena in Knoxville with a season-opening contest next winter. The catch is that UT does not want to count the game as its regular SEC home game, thus forcing UK to make a second trip to Knoxville in the same season. Kentucky's response? Reportedly, UK is interested in opening the new arena with the Vols, but only on the condition that it will be the Cats' only visit to Knoxville during the regular season. After all. the Cats will have to return to Knoxville in March of that year for the SEC Tournament and not even Eddie Sutton would want any part of the Vols three times in K-town in one season.............