UK HOOP NOTES
PAGE 36   THE CATS'  PAUSE, NOVEMBER 27, 1976
Jack Maiden With Daughter Jenny
How To Collect UK Sports Programs, Guides
I'm Jack Maiden. I'm Kentucky's number one super fan. If it has anything to do with Kentucky's Wildcats, I either have it or I want it.
When you feel like I do, you can classify yourself a true sports collector in standing with the Kentucky Wildcats.
This will be a column about sports collecting in general and the Kentucky Wildcats in particular. I invite your comments and would like to hear from any of you.
As to what it takes to be a UK collector, I guess it's nerve and giving up every spare minute of time. In my case, it has cost me about $200 for advertising, $400 in phone calls and at the very least, 5,000 miles of driving each year plus lots of luck and guys like Dick Parsons, Joe Hall, Jack Perry, Russ Rice and many, many more.
Of course you can collect UK material without spending as much as me. You can collect items according to the money you have to spend.
There are always schedules, posters and decals often given away free. And
then the programs are a modest cost. We'll get into that later on.
This time, we'll deal with some old Kentucky players and what they're doing now.
Dave Lawrence, captain of the 1935 team, is now with the University of Louisville as Dean of students.
Layton Rouse, captain of the 1940 team, is now a dentist in Carrollton, Kentucky.
Lee Huber, captain and Ail-American in 1941 now resides in Florida and is the state representative for "Thomas ville Furniture," and previously served as vice-president of the company.
Bob Brannun, 1944 All-American, is coach at Brandies University in Waltham, Mass.
Jack Parkinson, 1946 All-American, is back in Yorktown, Indiana.
Basil Hayden, Kentucky's first All-American, now lives at 409 Vine Street in Paris, Kentucky. He was captain of the 1921 SIAA championship team and later coached one year at Kentucky, winning 31 and losing 13.
I talked recently with Basil and he
told me about his biggest thrill in basketball:
"It was watching Bill King make the winning free throw in the 1921 SIAA tourney. In those days, the team captain chose the player to do the free throw shooting. I chose Bill because he was the coolest player in the world, he had icewater in his veins."
Most former players are more than happy to oblige collectors with autographs by mail.
I suggest and urge you to do two things when requesting information or autographs. First send something easy to autograph and not too expensive. An index card or a program is fine. Secondly, be sure to include an envelope large enough to return the item autographed. And be sure to include sufficient return postage.
If you follow these suggestions, most players will gladly fill your wish.
I would like to hear from any of you who are interested in Kentucky collecting or those of you who might want to trade items on UK. Just write to me: Jack Maiden, Tall Pines Trailer Park, No. 26, Daisy, Tennessee 37319.
Coach Joe Hall's three adventures around the state the past two weeks were highly successful as moe than 14,500 Wildcat fans were given the opportunity to watch the Cats in action on a local basis.
By far, the most enthusiastic welcome came at Pulaski County High where a standing room only crowd of 7,400 came out to watch the defending National Invitational Tournament champs.
Coach Joe Hall has been overwhelmed by pre-season practices, saying he couldn't ask any more of the players.
"They've been super, every one of them has given a 110 percent," praised Hall, "I couldn't ask for any more."
Some fans in the extreme portions of the state have asked why UK does not play scrimmages in their sections of the Commonwealth. The answer is simple.
The NCAA, in one of its grand regulations, prohibits any university from traveling more than 100 miles from its campus for a pre-season scrimmage.
So that rule eliminates many Kentucky communities from seeing the Wildcats. According to our sources, the mileage is figured on air miles, or as the saying goes, the crow's path.
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Here's a special note to all you Kentucky fans in the state of Alabama about a very important meeting coming up soon.
President Ron Forester of the Montgomery, Alabama UK Alumni group says all UK alumni and friends are urged to attend a meeting from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 5 at the Maxwell Air Force Base's Officers' Club (Old South Room).
Plans will be finalized at that meeting for those interested in attending the Kentucky-Auburn and Kentucky-Alabama basketball games this season.
Last year, about forty UK faithful from Alabama attended the Kentucky-auburn game as a group.
This is the same group which plans to organize a "Most Valuable Player" award for a kentucky player in the Auburn game in Alabama. But the award will also be presented if Kentucky wins.
?j:vHG i'ii . *  *
The Cats' Pause will present its pre-season All-American high school cage crop next week with the selection of All-South, All-SEC and All-Kentucky, plus the top recruiting jobs in the SEC this season.
The selections, made by Jack McKay, will feature two Florida cagers on the All-South club as well as one each from Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky.
An inside scoop tells us that Jeff Lamp of Louisville Ballard will be one of the top cagers in the country. Look for Kentucky to be hot on the trail of Lamp.