A former Derby Week classic-- THE KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL CLASSIC -- DERBY/OAKS PICKS -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 A FORMER DERBY WEEK STAPLE -- THE KDF HOOPS CLASSIC

Since we are in Derby Week, and there are so many activities going on, we hope you get out and enjoy a few of them. One of the events I attended yearly, when it was being played, was the classic clash of the high school stars called the KDF Kentucky Derby Basketball Classic. I went yearly, from 1973 to it's end in 2018...even though it was a boys event, It featured some great hoops of the nation's high school best. From tickets from my high school coach the first year, to getting free seats from "a certain college coach" at the end (in 2018) ...I counted back and went through three girl friends and my current wife in those years. I had 12 different cars...and even drove down from Indianapolis for three years when i worked up there to attend it. 

Mid April was when it usually took place, and, in latter years, also included a "A Night of the future stars" the evening before. 

I saw some incredible talent over the years in Freedom Hall (and one year in the KFC YUM! Center. Just a few of the stars involved over the years included Moses Malone, Penny Hardaway, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Mashburn, Dominique Wilkins, Pervis Ellison, Darrel Grifffith, Derek Anderson, Rex Chapman, Malik Williams, Kenny Payne and Darius Perry. 

It was a fun event, but was ultimately ended due to lack of attendance and increased high school basketball tournament with more "pull", prestige and colleges directing future players to other events. 

It was also a rivalry event, with UK and UofL fans rooting loudly for the prospects interested in their school, and booing the other school's potential recruits. The final year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in as a UK recruit and stole the show, leading his team to 29 points (in 19 minutes) in a 13-point win. He out-shot and out-sccored the Cardinals signees in the event..Jordan Nwora, Darius Perry, Lance Thomas and Malik Williams. 

Television covering the event helped killed the attendance, and not many UK signees participating that final year also affected attendance. .there were a proliferation of high scholl all-star events cross the nation, and the Louisville event, sponsored by the local McDonald's restaurants over the years, lost them as a sponsor and no one stepped forward to be a new sponsor. 

Sadly, the attendance the final year was a mere 4,000. Fans in the "300" seating areas of Freedom Hall were invited to come down and sit closer to the action. Plus, Freedom Hall was in disrepair in those days and not nearly the palace it used to be years ago. Cattle and horse shows and  the occasional "second-tier" rock concert had taken over the facility. I remember seeing Def Leppard, Styx and Foreigner there in fall 2018 and my seat was missing a seat  cushion up in the 300 level. Those bands were pretty much past their heydays by 2018 and there were "pot" busts going on all around the arena. 

i'd like to see a return of some sort of basketball classic during the Derby Festival weeks, and maybe organizers could try it with the girls...Louisville, out in the state of Kentucky and Southern Indiana have tons of college scholarship high school girls every year...and maybe a 
KYAN: squad could face off against 12 of the best from the rest of the nation.   

Anyway, happy Derby WEEK to you...and my Derby/Oaks pics ( A YEARLY TRADITION) are below:

KENTUCKY OAKS AND DERBY PICKS 

In the OAKS...i AM GOING WITH Good Cheer and Quietside...IN THE KENTUCKY DERBY...Journalism and Final Gambit

paulie