xt71vh5ccc46 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt71vh5ccc46/data/mets.xml Wildcat News Company 1985 Volume 9 -- Number 27 athletic publications  English Wildcat News Company Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Cats' Pause UKAW University of Kentucky Men's Basketball (1984-1985) coaches Hall, Joe B. players Walker, Kenny (Sky) assistant coaches Parsons, Dicky NCAA Men's Basketball Championship (1985) Rupp Arena SEC Men's Basketball Tournament (1985) University of Kentucky Baseball (1985) statistics schedules Cats' Pause Combs, Oscar The Cats' Pause,  "March 16, 1985" text The Cats' Pause,  "March 16, 1985" 1985 2012 true xt71vh5ccc46 section xt71vh5ccc46 Degree Is High	Cats Given Another Life By	Dick Parsons
On Walker's		Remembers
List Of Priorities	NCAA Selection Committee	Coaching Life
 UK Basketball Statistics
1984-85 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY BASKETBALL STATISTICS    (28 GAMES)
Overall:	16-12 Home:	11-3	Seutral	l-l	Away:	4-8		SEC: 11-8	
Player G-CS Kenny 28-28 WALKER    (C)19-19	Field Goals	Free	Throws	Rebounds	PF-D	A	TO	Polncs	High
	218-397-54.9 152-265-57.4	199-261-76.2 137-182-75.3		291-10.4 204-10.7	80-1 59-1	35 24	53 43	635-22.7 441-23.2	36-KAN 33-TENN
Ed                28- 9 DAVEM)ES(C) 19- 5	80-198-40.4 56-140-40.0 .	71-47-	95-74.7 67-70.1	34- 1.2 29- 1.5	52-1 35-0	76 56	68 49	231- 8.3 159- 8.4	27-ETS 22-LSU
Winston 27-24 BENNETT (C)19-19	78-182-42.9 53-121-43.8	47-30-	71-66.2 46-65.2	151- 5.6 107- 5.6	98-9 73-7	20 15	52 33	203- 7.5 136- 7.2	14-LOU 14-FLA
Bret 28-28 BEARUP    (C)19-19	73-168-43.5 49-101-48.5	38-28-	57-66.7 43-65.1	163- 5.8 109- 5.7	84-5 58-4	23 13	31 17	184- 6.6 126- 6.6	13-TENN 13-TENK
Janes 26-18 BLACKMON(C)18-14	65-152-42.8 37- 92-40.2	20-8-	33-60.6 15-53.3	34- 1.3 23- 1.3	50-1 35-1	60 36	34 21	150- 5.8 80- 4.4	17-T0L 16-GA
Roger 27-25 HARDEN    (C)19-17	55-146-37.7 38-105-36.2	23-20-	29-79.3 25-80.0	40- 1.5 27- 1.4	53-0 39-0	125 87	45 32	133- 4.9 96- 5.1	12-LOU 12-VAN
Richard 21-0 MADISON (C)13- 0	39-102-38.2 14- 45-31.1	23-15-	28-82.1 18-83.3	62- 3.0 23- 1.8	31-1 14-0	13 6	25 10	101- 4.8 43- 3.3	16-IND 14-AUB
Troy           25- 1 HcKINLEY(C)18- I	53- 97-54.6 44- 83-53.0	9-5-	10-90.0 6-83.3	24- 1.0 15- 0.8	20-0 19-0	18 13	10 8	115- 4.6 93- 5.2	14-OM 14-OM
Paul             19- 4 ANDREWS (C)12- 1	20- 43-46.5 9- 22-40.9	1-1-	2-50.0 2-50.0	8- 0.4 3- 0.3	24-0 12-0	17 14	9 2	41- 2.2 19- 1.6	8-SMI) 7-ALA
Robert         24- 4 LOCK       (CHS- 0	12- 40-30.0 7- 17-41.1	6-4-	15-40.0 -9-44.4	50- 2.1 27- 1.8	42-1 18-0	5 3	11 7	30- 1.3 18- 1.2	8-TENN 8-TENN
Cedric        17- 0 JENKINS (C)ll- 0	3- 9-33.3 3- 3-100.0	4-4-	7-57.1 6-66.7	23- 1.4 16- 1.5	7-0 6-0	0 0	6 5	10- 0.6 10- 0.9	3-VAN 3-VAN
Todd             9- 0 ZIEGIER    (C)4- 0	1- 4-25.0 1- 3-33.3	0-0-	4-00.0 3-00.0	4- 0.4 3- 0.8	0-0 0-0	0 0	0 0	2- 0.2 2- 0.5	2-VAS 2-VAN
Leroy           9- 0 BYRD         (C)6- 0	1- 2-50.0 1- 2-50.0	0-0-	1-00.0 0-00.0	2- 0.2 2- 0.3	7-0 4-0	3 2	3 2	2- 0.2 2- 0.3	2-TESN 2-TENN
Team				57			3		
Kentucky 28 (C)19	698-1540-45.3 464- 999-46.4	441-299-	613-71.9 420-71.2	943-33.7 631-33.2	546-19 371-13	395 269	350 227	1837-65.6 1227-64.6	92-TEKN 92-TENN
Opponents 28 (C)19	701-1492-47.0 468-1004-46.6	369-247-	540-66.3 367-67.3	886-31.6 593-31.2	578-17 392-13	423 274	363 217	1771-63.3 1183-62.3	8 9-KAN 82-HSU
MINUTES PLAYED:     Walker 1029-36.8, Bennett 772-28.6, Bearup 750-26.8, Harden 671-24.9,
Blackdon 599-23.0. Davender 642-22.9, Madison 330-15.7, McKlnley 336-13.4, Andrews 180-9.5, Lock 187-7.8, Jenkins 66-3.9, Byrd 14-1.6, Ziegler 13-1.4
BLOCKED SHOTS:       Walker 33, Bearup 17, Lock 7, Bennett 6, Madison 3, Jenkins 2, Davender 2 (UK 71, Opp. 49)
ALS: Davender 28, Walki    27, Blackaon 27, Bennett 23, Harden 23, Bearup 12,
Madison 6, McK   Icy 5, Lock 2, Andrevs 2, Jenkins 2, Byrd 1. (UK 158, Opp. 165) DEAD BALL REBOUNDS:    Kentucky 58, Opponents 68
RESULTS
GAME
27) I)
Toledo (H, Nov Purdue (A, Dec SKU (H, Dec. 4) Indiana (A, Dec. 8) Louisville (A, Dec. 15) East Tann. (UK1T, Dec. 21) Cincinnati (UK1T, Dec. 22) Kansas (Louisville, Dec. 31) Auburn (H, Jan. 2) North Carolina St.  (H, Jan. Vanderbllt (H, Jan. 7) Mississippi (A, Jan. 9) Alabama (A, Jan. 12) Mississippi State (H, Jan. 1
Florida (H.Jan. 19) Georgia (A, Jan. 23)
Tennessee (A, Jan. 27)
LSU (H, Jan. 31)
Auburn (A, Feb. 2)
Vanderbllt (A, Feb 7)
Mississippi (H, Feb. 9)
Alabama (H, Feb 13)
Mississippi State (A, Feb.
Florida (A, Feb. 20)
Ceorgla (H. Fab. 24)
Tennessee (H, Feb. 28)
LSU (A, Mar. 2)
Florida (B'ham-SEC Tourney)
Points
Fewest Polncs Field Goals Made Field Goals Att. Field Goal I Lowest FG I Free Throws Made Free Throws Att. Free Throw Z Rebounds Most Fouls Fewest Fouls Assists Moat Turnovers Fewest Turnovers
Points
Field Goals Made Field Coals Att. Free Throws Made Free Throws Att. ReboundB 'Assists Blocked Shots
UK-Opp	Attend	High Scorer	HiRh Rebounder
63-54	23.129	Walker, Blackmon 17	Walker 9
56-66	14,123	Walker, Blackmon 16	Walker 9
54-56	22,646	Walker 19	Walker 7
68-81	W.214	Walker, Madison 16	Bearup 11
64-71	19.487	Walker 32	Walker 15
69-54	21,300	Davender 27	Walker 9
66-55	23,102	Walker 18	Walker 9
92-89	18,920	Walker 36	Walker 19
68-61	22,847	Walker 24	Walker 13
5) 78-62	23,775	Walker 28	Walker 8
75-58	23,432	Walker 22	Walker 10
57-45	5,479	Walker 28	Walker 12
58-60	15,043	Walker 25	Walker 14
16) 58-57	23,628	Walker 15	Walker 8
55-67	23,325	Walker 26	Bennett 11
73-81	10,163	Walker 28	Walker 17
65-81	12,700	Walker 23	Walker 9
53-43	22,135	Walker 21	Bearup 8
49-47 ot	10,672	Walker 15	Bennett 8
68-62	15,626	Walker 31	Walker 15
67-52	23,232	Walker 33	Walker 13
51-48	21,125	Walker 19	Walker 8
16) 69-62	9,799	Walker 27	Walker 12
76-68	10,884	Walker, Davender 17	Bearup 9
77-79	23,230	Walker 25	Walker 12
92-67	23,820	Walker 33	Walker 18
61-67	13,446	Davender 22	Walker 13
55-58	13,300	Bennett 14	Walker 8
1984-85 Kentucky Basketball Superlatives
TEAM
Kentucky
92-Kansas, Tennessee
49-Auburn
37-Tennessee
79-Kansas
55.4-Georgia
34.8-Alabama
34-N.C. State
37-N.C. State/Kansas
94.4-Vanderbilt
51-Kansas
34-Purdue
10-East Tenn. St.
21- Kansas/Georgia
22- Purdue 6-Florlda
36-Walker vs. 14-Walker vs. 25-Walker vs. 13-Walker VB. 20-Walkr vb. 19-Walker vb. 12-Hsrden vs. 4-Walker vs.
INDIVIDUAL Kansas Louisville Louisville Vsndy/OK Miss Kansas Kansas Tennessee Cincinnati
Opponents
89-Kansas
43-LSU
37-Kansas
66-Kansas/Florida
66.1-tndlana
29.1-Clncinnati
30-Purdue, Miss. Stace
41- Purdue
100.0-East Tennessee St.
42- Alabama, Florida 28-N.C. State/Kansas 13-Louisvllle 27-Kansas
25-N.C. State 2-Vanderbilt
34-Brooks (Tennessee) 14-Brooks (Tennessee) 22-Laird (Ole Miss)
13- Cadls (Purdue)
14- Gadis (Purdue)
15- Koncak (SMU) 11-Webb (N.C. State)
4-Koncak (SMU)
(All Times TBA. seeding* In parMithaset)
EAST REGIONAL
First Round
Thursday, March 14, at Hartford, Conn.
Georgetown (1). 30-2, vs. Lehigh (16). 12-18; Temple (8), 24-5. vs. Virginia Tech (9), 20-8; Southern Methodist (5), 22-9. vs Old Dominion (12), 19-11; Loyola, III (4), 25-5, vs. tona (13), 26-4 Friday, March 15, at Atlanta
Georgia (6). 21-8, vs. Wichita St. (11), 18-12; Illinois (3). 24-8, vs. Northeastern (14). 22-8; Syracuse (7). 21-8, vs. DePaut (10). 19-9; Georgia Tech (2), 24-7. vs. Mercer (15). 22-8 Second Round
Saturday, March 16, at Hartford, Conn.
Georgetown-Lehigh winner vs. Temple-Va. Tech winner; SMU-Old Dominion vs. Loyola-lona winner Sunday, March 17, at Atlanta
Georgia-Wichita St. winner vs. Illinois-Northeastern winner; Syracuse-DePaul winner vs. Georgia Tech-Mercer winner Semifinal
Thursday, March 21, at Providence, R.l.
Saturday's second-round winners; Sunday's second-round winners Championship
Saturday, March 23, at Providence, R.l. Semifinal winners
SOUTHEAST REGIONAL
First Round
Thursday, March 14, at South Bend, Ind.
Purdue (6), 20-8, vs. Auburn (11). 20-11; Kansas (3), 24-7, vs. Ohio U. (14), 22-7; Notre Dame (7), 20-8. vs. Oregon St. (10), 22-8; North Carolina (2), 24-8, vs. Middle Tennessee (15), 17-13 Friday, March 15, at Dayton, Ohio
Michigan (1), 25-3. vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (16). 21-9; Villanova (8). 19-10, vs. Dayton (9), 19-9; Maryland (5). 23-11, vs Mlami. Ohio (12). 20-10; Louisiana St. (4). 19-9, vs Navy (13). 25-5 Second Round
Saturday, March 16, at South Bend, Ind.
Purdue-Auburn winner vs. Kansas-Ohio winner; Notre Dame-Oregon St. winner vs. N. Carolina-Middle Tenn. winner
Sunday, March 17, at Dayton, Ohio
Michigan-FDU winner vs. Villa nova-Dayton winner; Maryland-Miami. Ohio winner vs. LSU-Navy winner Semifinals
Friday, March 22, at Birmingham, Ala.
Saturday's second-round winners; Sunday's second-round winners Championship
Sunday, March 24, at Birmingham, Ala.
Semifinal winners
MIDWEST REGIONAL
First Round
Thursday, March 14, at Tulsa, Okie.
Oklahoma (1). 28-5. vs. North Carolina AST (16), 19-9; Southern California (8), 19-9, vs. Illinois St. (9). 21-7; Louisiana Tech (5), 27-2. vs. Pittsburgh (12), 17-11; Ohio St. (4), 19-9. vs. Iowa St. (13), 21-12 Friday, March 15, at Houston
Texas Tech (6). 23-7, vs. Boston College (11). 18-10; Duke (3), 22-7, vs. Pepperdine (14), 23-8; Alabama-Birmingham (7), 24-8. vs. Michigan St. (10). 19-9; Memphis St. (2), 27-3, vs. Pennsylvania (15), 13-13 Second Round
Saturday, March 16, at Tulsa, Okla.
Oklahoma-N.C. A4T winner vs. Southern Cal-IHinots St. winner; La. Tech-Pitt winner vs. Ohio St.-lowa St. winner
Sunday, March 17, at Houston
Texas Tech-Boston Coll. winner vs. Duke-Pepper-dine winner; Ala.-Birmingham-Michigan SI. winner vs. Memphis St.-Penn winner Semifinals
Thursday, March 21, at Dallas
Saturday's second-round winners; Sunday's second-round winners Championship Saturday, March 23
Semifinal winners
WEST REGIONAL
First Round
Thursday, March 14, at Salt Lakt City, Utah
St. John's (1). 27-3. vs. Southern U. (16). 19-10; Iowa (8), 21-10. vs. Arkansas (9). 21-12; Washington (5). 22-9, vs. Kentucky (12). 16-12. at 11:37 EST; Nevada-Las Vegas (4), 27-3. vs. San Diego St. (13), 23-7 Friday, March 15, at Albuquerque, N.M.
Tulsa (6). 23-7, vs. Texas-El Paso (11), 21-9; North Carolina St. (3). 20-9, vs. Nevada-Reno (14), 21-9; Alabama (7). 21-9, vs. Arizona (10), 21-9: Virginia Commonwealth (2), 25-5, vs. Marshall (15), 21-12 Second Round
Saturday, March 16, at Salt Lake City, Utah
St. John's-Southern winner vs. Iowa-Arkansas winner; Washington-Kentucky winner vs. UNLV-San Diego St. winner
Sunday, March 17, at Albuquerque, N.M.
Tulsa-UTEP winner vs. N.C. St.-Nev.-Reno winner; Alabama-Arizona winner vs. VCU-Marshall winner Semifinals
Friday, March 22, at Denver
Saturday's second-round winners; Sunday's second-round winners Championship
Sunday, March 24, at Denver
Semifinal winners
The Final Four, At Lexington, Ky. Semifinals, Saturday, March 30
Easl Champion vs. West Champion: Southeast Champion vs. Midwest Champion Championship, Monday, April 1
Semifinal winners
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Go West, young manl
Those were the sweet words which were delivered to the Kentucky Wildcats late Sunday by the NCAA Basketball Selection Committee.
"I couldn't be happier," beamed Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall, "we're so excited I don't know what to say except the road to Lexington begins in Salt Lake City."
Kentucky's invitation was somewhat of a surprise to many basketball experts around the country who thought that the Wildcats' 16-12 mark would leave them home for an NIT berth.
The NCAA committee thought otherwise, noting the Wildcats' awesome non-conference schedule which included the likes of Kansas, SMU, Purdue, North Carolina State, Cincinnati, Louisville and Indiana. All are in either the NCAA or the NIT.
Once in the field, the Wildcats were sent as far west as possible in quest of earning a spot in the Final Four at Lexington later this month.
If the Wildcats were successful as a Cinderella team, the Cats could well have to beat teams such as Washington, Nevada-Las Vegas, St. John's and someone like North Carolina State, VCU, Tulsa or Alabama.
In other words, the Road to Lexington is anything but a Cakewalk for anyone in the West.
But when you're a 16-12 Kentucky, you're just mighty happy to be invited. And that, the Wildcats are.
Kentucky's first round game with Pac-10 co-champion Washington should be a good one with the Wildcats a four or five-point underdog. It's one of the best opening round matchups as evidenced by CBS-TV's decision to televise the contest beginning at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, from Salt Lake City.
Coach Marv Harshman, who is retiring after his team's final game in the NCAA, and his Huskies were one of the nation's top ten favorites in the preseason, but injuries took a toll, in midseason before Washington regrouped and bounced back in the late going to take co-champ honors.
Washington's big guns are a pair of West Germans, 6-9 Detlef Schremf and 7-0 center Chris Welp, a 240-pound sophomore. Schremf is the team's leading scorer at 15.8 ppg and leading rebounds at 8.0 rpg while Welp scores at 13.1 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
Forward Paul Fortier, at 6-9, 210 pounds, gives Washington an awesome front line. He scores at 13.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Guards are Clay Damon and Shag Williams, a pair of 6-3 youngsters who score at 9.1 ppg and 5.1 ppg respectively.
For the Wildcats to have an opportunity to upset the Huskies, UK
will have to be patient with a Washington defense which has checked opponents at only 43.4 percent from the field. Washington also holds a decisive 34.3 to 26.6 edge in rebounding over opponents.
Perhaps Washington's biggest asset of all could be the fact that the Pac-10 does not use a 45-second clock and Kentucky will be playing in only its second contest of the season without the clock.
+
Kentucky's journey to the West is the first time in more than a decade that the Wildcats have ventured west of the Mississippi River for a post season basketball game.
If Kentucky has an advantage in this contest, it will be the Wildcats' stiff competition throughout the season. UK has played all kinds of defenses and offenses so anything which Washington might throw at the Cats shouldn't be new.
Actually, Washington's attack might remind Kentucky of the Wildcat team a year ago when the Twin Towers roamed the hardwoods. Washington has tall timber and likes to employ a power game inside.
Keys for the Wildcats could be the defensive jobs turned in by center Bret Bearup and forward Winston Bennett and how much relief the Cats can count on from freshman Richard Madison.
Offensively, will the Wildcats be able to spring Kenny Walker loose so he can work inside. On the other hand, will Walker be able to shoot over the Washington giants. Walker has faced only a couple true big men (Uwe Blab and Joe Koncak) this season.
Washington and Kentucky did not face any common opponents this season, but the Huskies did whip the likes of Fresno State (53-45), Texas Tech (59-57), Iowa State (72-59), Nevada-Reno (74-62), while losing to Georgia Tech (65-58), Duke (71-59) and Notre Dame (57-50).
Based on comparative opponents, the toughness of schedule and actual game results, this game has the making of a toss-up, perhaps with a slight edge to Washington on overall experience and the conference co-title.
Only one senior will be in the starting five for each team. On a neutral floor, one outstanding athlete can mean the difference. Look for Kentucky to spring an upset by three.
To say Kentucky was perplexed with the SEC tourney last week would be understating the situation.
The Wildcats appeared to have the Florida game well within hand the entire first half and even as late as the midway point of the second half, but tournaments have a way of misleading a team with single-digit leads.
More than once last week, teams
PROBABLE STARTERS:
1985NCAA.
CHAMPIONSHIP
KENTUCKY
			PPG	RPG
F	3k -	Kenny Walker (6-8, junior)	22.7	10.7
F	25 -	Winston Bennett (6-7, sophomore)	7-5	5-6
C	2k -	Bret Bearup (6-9, senior)	6.6	5.8
G	23 -	Roger Harden (6-2, junior)	k.S	1.5
G	15 -	Ed Davender (6-1 , freshman)	8.3	1.2
WASHINGTON
F	22 -	Detlef Schremf (6-9, senior)	15	8	8.	0
F	33 -	Paul Fortier (6-9, junior)	13	1	6.	k
C	ko -	Christian Welp (7-0, sophomore)	13.	1	7-	0
G	12 -	Clay Damon (6-3, sophomore)	9	1	1.	9
G	32 -	Shag Williams (6-3, junior)	5-	1	2.	7
with eight and nine-point leads early in the game stumbled to losses in the final half. Kentucky was one of those teams. Alabama was another in the championship game against Auburn. North Carolina danced to the same sad music against Georgia Tech in the ACC finals and Indiana suffered the same fate against Michigan.
Kentucky's loss to Florida wasn't totally unexpected in as much as the conference is so well balanced today. People laughed at such a theory a few years ago. Seven champions in seven years is proof enough.
Of course, no one wore more egg on his face than yours truly last week while picking Kentucky to beat Florida, especially in light of having picked the other eight games right on the head.
Practically every person I ran into last week in Birmingham wondered if I had lost my marbles by picking Auburn. I'm happy to report my marbles are still in place.
What most fans don't realize is that tournaments, more often than not, are for losers, not winners. Those who have endured the long double round-robin schedules have proved their worth and earned their trophies. Losers are still grasping for that one last hope.
The pressure is on the team expected to win. Underdogs play loose and free, nothing to lose and everything to gain. And that's why upsets are plentiful in post season tourney.
Another reason is fan support. When was the last time you watched a neutral crowd pull for the favorite? Probably nine out of ten times, the average fan pulls for the underdog. It's the American way, you know.
Like this week. There won't be too many people pulling for the likes of Georgetown, St. John's, Memphis State, Michigan and Oklahoma, unless you're one of their fans.
Take Auburn for instance. Sonny Smith is everyone's darling. He's had a tough year. He beat the system by telling it to find another whippin' boy and told Auburn he would not return.
When Alabama lined up against the Tigers Saturday night in Birmingham, it's a sane bet that every Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU and Florida fans was rooting for Sonny Smith and his Tigers. You know the rest.
It's been seven years since that final slam dunk by James Lee sealed Kentucky's 94-88 win over Duke in the 1978  NCAA  Championship  in St.
(Continued On Page 22) Recipe For NCAA Champ
Ingredients make the cook.
As all weekend chefs know: if a dish is good, it's because of the right ingredients.
And as all college coaches know: if a team is to do well in the NCAA tournament then they must have the right ingredients. (Coaches might not use the word ingredient, but the term is still adequate for the story.)
If a recipe. . .uh team, wants to win the coveted title, certain things must fall into place. And if a team has all the ingredients -- look out!
My culinary expertise may not range beyond the peanut-butter and jelly sandwich stage. And even though my basketball knowledge may not be of gourmet status, I will try to serve you the key ingredients in making an NCAA champion:
Nick Nicholas
CtiLV Pause Columnist
Team Concepts -- When in the tourney, more than anything players must realize they're playing for their college, college town, state, and their teammates. Everyone on the squad needs to work as a team -- no crying or pouting because they didn't score their regular season average on a given night. All individual statistics need to be forgotten and all ears should be tuned in to their coach's wise guidance. Not to say that a team shouldn't look for their star player to score 30 points a game, but everything must be geared toward a team effort.
Good Play From The Bench: When the brackets are completed for the NCAA tourney, it is considered, with some exceptions, 64 of the best teams in the nation were invited. Besides the obvious (Georgetown and Michigan, compared to Middle Tennessee and Marshall) most of the teams are at an even keel. But if one team's initial five doesn't get off to a good start, the door is then left wide open for the opponent to take advantage of the opportunity. So, a team that can go seven or eight deep will have a definite edge over less fortunate competition.
Ask Coach Joe B. Hall how important it is to have quality depth in NCAA play. If not for depth, Kentucky might not have won the '78 title.
In their first-round game against Florida State in Knoxville, the No. 1 team found itself behind at halftime 39-32. To start the second half Coach Hall started reserves La Von Williams, Freddie Cowan and Dwayne Casey, along with regulars Mike Phillips and Kyle Macy.
When the final second ticked off Stokely's scoreboard the Wildcats were winners, defeating the Seminoles 85-76, which enabled Kentucky to continue their championship quest.
The UK coach was able to apply some incentive to the three benched starters by putting in three strong replacements. Casey, Cowan and Williams were definitely contributors during the 'Cats' title drive, and they'll be remembered as such.
North Carolina, Indiana, Georgetown and others have always depended on the strong bench in the NCAA tournament. It's a nice asset to have. Coaches try not to leave home without it.
A Good Draw -- Playing sites and being paired against certain opponents are key factors. If a team can play close to home (or on it's home court for that matter) then this ingredient can be a positive ally.
Familiar surroundings, less travel time and large supportive crowds can be a big help. Even though the situation can backfire, schools have benefited like: LSU (won the Midwest Regionals in New Orleans in 1981), Alabama-Birmingham (defeated Ralph Sampson and Virginia in Birmingham in a 1982 Mideast Regional semi-final contest), Middle Tennessee (in 1982 shocked Kentucky in nearby Nashville during a Mideast game) and Kentucky (captured the Mideast Regionals by beating Illinois last year in friendly Rupp Arena).
Within the brackets lie many unexpected upsets. If a squad is lucky enough to play a team which is coming off an upset victory in the tourney, then that squad may hold the upper hand.
After an upset win, it's hard for a team to get fired up for another game within a limited number of days. It's not impossible for a team to pull off two, three, or four upsets, but with each game the odds of winning get less and less likely.
Edge on Scouting -- NCAA games are played on almost every night or day of the week. With this in mind, it's tough to get the inside word on the upcoming opponent. If coaches have the opportunity to scout a game concerning their next opponent, it's a very vital ;advantage, though all coaches usually have their assistants scout possible future opponents.
It helps if a team has already played their tourney opponent during the regular season. And if a coach knows some sort of tidbit about the opposing squad, believe me he'll use it to his advantage. When it comes tourney time smart college mentors leaves no stone unturned. To my knowledge, I can't think of a dumb coach winning the NCAA, can you?
Consistency -- Whatever it is: exceptional outside shooting, relying on tenacious defense or a patient offense, a team must be more consistent inthe tournament than in regular season action. If a team has to change its strategy in post-season play because of poor execution, the squad will be sent packing. Mass confusion erupts when a coach has to change his strategy during the regular campaign, not to mention the NCAA. The less confusion, the better.
Clutch Play Down The Stretch -- Close contests are inevitable in the NCAA. In the tourney every champion has almost always been involved in one close duel. Not being able to hold on to a lead or being outplayed during crucial moments is a definite no-no. Nothing else should be said. Like I mentioned before, it's inevitable.
Luck -- This may be the most key ingredient of all. Hitting the 50-footer, getting the close calls, receiving a lucky draw or anything else that has to do with magical wonders is a necessity for a successful NCAA tourney. You know the ole saying, "It's better to be lucky than good."
So comes the end of this recipe for the NCAA hopefuls. You can agree or disagree with these important ingredients. Anyway, I never said I was a cook.
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if77. tie CM'PaiJx Parsons Enjoys The Homelife
Liked Coaching Baseball Best
After graduation from the University of Kentucky in 1961, Dick Parsons was an assistant football coach at Glasgow High School for two years and basketball and baseball coach at Boyle County in Danville from 1963 to '68. He chose teaching biology and coaching over a possible baseball career.
"At the time, when I was graduating, I was going to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers," Parsons said. "There wasn't a draft then so you had to sign up and report to camp. But I didn't think I would make a good showing. And if I had signed with a major league club, I would eventually have been drafted into the Army.
"I've often wondered if I could have made it," Parsons continued. "I could always hit. That's the only thing I regret, that I didn't give it an attempt. I don't have any other regrets."
i^el Holbrook
Cats' Pause Columnist
Parsons returned to UK in 1968. While working on his master's degree in 1968-69, he scouted, recruited and helped with the Wildcats' freshman basketball team. He later accepted a part-time assistantship in basketball in addition to his baseball job. After Rupp retired, he became a full-time assistant under Hall.
He was the head baseball coach for three years, from 1970 to 1972, before joining Hall. His teams went 8-19,18-15 and 16-10-1. And he helped tutor such future professional players as All-SEC outfielder Derrick Bryant, who played for the Oakland A's, second baseman Doug Flynn, who was a key reserve on the Cincinnati Reds' championship teams and currently is with the Montreal Expos and catcher Marvis Foley, now with the Texas Rangers.
"There was no sport I enjoyed coaching more than baseball," said Parsons. "Baseball is a great sport. You're a little more relaxed. In basketball, you have to make a decision every 15 seconds. In baseball, you've got plenty of time to prepare teams."
But he left baseball to join Hall, who was taking over after Rupp had been in charge for 42 years. He did a lot of recruiting.
"The most difficult job in sports is recruiting," said Parsons. "You can't imagine how disappointing and frustrating it is. The competition is incredible. I remember once I went to see Johnny Neuman play in Memphis, Tenn. After the game, there were 18 coaches waiting around to see him. I must have waited an hour and a half. I saw Derrick Hord play 24 times."
Parsons, who has seen as many as 16 high school basketball games in one day, says the most important factor a player needs is speed and quickness.
."There's no substitute for that," he said. "If I were recruiting today, I would recruit kids who could run and had quickness. Any kid who can jump has quickness. The higher the kid can jump, the quicker he is."
Parsons had to spend a lot of time selling the university, yes, but he also found some of the most talented players who didn't believe they were good enough to play for the Wildcats.
Parsons With Hall And Hamilton
Known To His Players As "Little Adolph
"It's an honor to come to a school with the great tradition Kentucky has," says Parsons, "and in many cases the players we recruited had to be convinced they were good enough to play here. One of the best players we've ever had, Kevin Grevey, felt that way.''
The toughest part of the job is not getting the student-athlete the recruiter was after. But Parsons had a way of dealing with that.
"Something I learned from Coach Rupp was that after a loss he wanted to forget about it as soon as possible," said Parsons. "You just forget about it. You do the best job you can at selling yourself and the program. If you don't get a kid, that's the way it is. The key is showing enough toughess and courage to bounce back. That's what is important."
Parsons stated that recruiting is a life-and-death matter at Kentucky. Well, those may not be the right words but at a school with a winning tradition like UK it's close.
"Some five to 10 years ago, there were 20 top players in the country most of the basketball schools wanted," Parsons said. "Now, it's more like 60 to 80. And the new recruiting limitations have made it possible for every school to get the good players. There's more parity. There's more good programs. We were once way up on top, but now some schools are catching up."
He said the players are getting better and better.
"They're more specialized," Parsons said. "They work at it and work at it."
Parsons cited as an example the fact that in 1948 UK's NCAA championship team shot only 32 percent as a team from the field. On the 1958 title squad, it was 37 percent. But in the 1978 title season, the Wildcats made 54 percent of their field-goal attempts.
"But I do see a difference in players having trouble dealing with coaches that are real demanding," Parsons noted. "Coach Rupp was very demanding. Rupp had little patience for mistakes. But that demand that you perform flawlessly did force you to concentrate a little more. The task for a coach today is to be demanding and yet communicate. You have to reason with kids today. I think the kids are smarter. They're better educated. They know what's going on."
Parsons was such a tough assistant that the players called him "Little Adolph." Parsons said he was tough, but fair.
"I was tough on a player if he didn't make breakfast check, go to class, or meet with his academic advisor," said Parsons. "You get criticized for that, but after playing for Rupp criticism doesn't bother you. Criticism and pressure are self-imposed in many cases.''
But when Parsons had to make a decision on his future, he got out of coaching. He doesn't rule out a return, however.
"I do miss the game, but I just didn't want to spend anymore time on the road," he stated. "I had a good time recruiting  most of it I did here in Kentucky  but I wanted to spend more time with my youngsters.''
Parsons and his wife, the former Celia Lee Cawood of Harlan, have two children: Kathy, 18 and Ed, 21. Kathy, a member of the Dance Kats, is a freshman and Ed is a senior.
"There's more involved than where you're working," said Parsons. "But if you're a recruiter, you're never home. You can't afford to be." Comments On UK's NCAA Bid
The following are Kentucky player quotes after learning that they were chosen for NCAA tournament:
ROGER HARDEN
(About the name "Kentucky" helping the Wildcats earn an NCAA bid)
I don't know what all was involved. It really doesn't matter to me because all I know is that we're going to Salt Lake. I'm sure Florida is really upset that they didn't get chosen -- they have a better record and beat us twice. But you know, they'll get over it. We're going to Salt Lake City.
(About having the tough pre-SEC schedule this season)
I think that really helped us. I give Coach (Joe) Hall a lot of credit for two reasons: He really prepared us for the conference, and we got to see how we st