Lady Cat’s Rock

What a game yesterday at Memorial Coliseum between the Lady Cat’s and the visitors from SC.  The Lady Cat’s were rude hostesses to the visitors and sent them home very embarrassed by the final score of 71-50.

What a turnaround from the earlier loss this year to that same team on their home court, but it wasn’t just this game that makes the team, fans and administration walk around with a smile on their faces.  The overall record for the year is good enough to warrant a #16 national ranking and would probably be higher if they hadn’t come from out of nowhere this year.  They have won enough games in the SEC that they can finish as high as #2 in the SEC (how long has that been).  Another reason to smile really big is the fact they never lost a home game all year.

For the Lady Cat’s to not lose a home game in the SEC is remarkable because the SEC has the best teams in the nation top to bottom every year and the Lady Cat’s took on all comers and sent them home carrying an “L” with them.

The game was the home finale for two of our beloved seniors, Ldyia Watkins and Amani Franklin.  It seems like only yesterday when we first listened to their names being called and now they have concluded their careers before the record home crowd for the year.  What a befitting send off for them because they have battled injuries and played through pain all year to help make this teams record one of the best ever at UK.

It has been since the 1980-81 season, 29 years, since they have had such bragging rights which brings me to a major point I want to make.  Mitch Barnhart has been vilified by many ever since he came to UK, but the naysayers have been silenced, at least for the time being.  His devotion to all the sports at UK is remarkable and we don’t hear too much about most of them, because they don’t have the following that football, basketball and to a lesser extent baseball do.

His hiring of Matthew Mitchell was a gutsy move, because Matthew had limited head coaching experience at Morehead State.  However, Barnhart already knew Matthew’s devotion and passion for the game when he was an assistant at UK, but it takes more than that to be a successful coach.  You have to be able to plan the “X’s & O’s”, be a master teacher in practice, and be a master recruiter.   He has been all those things, but he has been successful in getting the ladies to buy into his passion and belief that UK basketball belongs at the top of the #1 conference in all of Basketball.

The ladies played the games with heart, Matthew coached them well and Barnhart made a good decision.   All of them deserve recognition for what they have accomplished thus far and the groundwork has been laid for many more smiley faces in the future!

catfan4life