TURNOVERS

by Alan B. Gibson

The hardware comes back to the Bluegrass

Late night basketball games sure are hard on an old guy, but Monday night’s NCAA Championship game that saw the CATS put their hands on the newly designed Championship trophy was well worth this groggy feeling that most of us were going through come Tuesday morning.

It’s certainly been a long time coming, going through those final Tubby years, and then what turned out to be especially worse – the Billy G. years, before we finally saw the Kentucky program put back on a winning track with Coach Cal.

One and done – doesn’t matter, on Monday night that translated into “Won and done” for Kentucky fans, and for those same fans, now the question is “Wonder who he’ll get to win it for us next year?”

Can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a roundball season – from top to bottom – any better than this 2011-12 campaign.

Got to watch our Lady Bulldogs show improvement from start to finish. Got to see our Dawgs have one of the best seasons ever – capturing another 16th District crown after a fantastic 24-7 campaign that saw Clinton County finish in an overtime loss at the regional tournament.

Got to enjoy the WKU Hilltoppers turn a season on the brink completely around, slip through the Sunbelt tourney with a newly named head coach and find their way into the Big Dance – picking up a win and finishing the year with a loss to Kentucky (hey, we got ousted by the best team in the brackets).

Got to watch the Louisville Cards and Coach P put their act back together after an injury ridden start that at one point had them facing a possible NIT post season stretch – taking their game into the Final Four – earning that ring, and again, losing to the best team in the nation.

Then, there was the fun of the year in watching, listening to, and reading about this Kentucky team that marched it’s way to Monday night’s championship game. Losing only narrowly in the season to rival Indiana, then in the (useless) SEC tourney to Vanderbilt, before pulling together to all but completely dominate the entire NCAA tourney run.

Cut the nets. Put on the hats. Measure for the rings and call the agents. It was a great year for roundball fans on any level in this basketball crazy Commonwealth.

It was fun, but I sure am tired on this Tuesday morn!

Whew – March is over, time to mow the grass and gas up the boat. Gotta find something to do until November!