Senior night in Florida!
March 5, 2007
I am in the airport returning from Gainesville having shot the UK-Florida game on Sunday. It was their senior night and it was also the first time I have gone to Gainesville for basketball or football. As I approached the arena I thought to myself that it was not the best looking thing I had seen, but it was on campus and the campus is really nice so it was not all bad. My opinion changed when I got inside. While it was not AWESOME by any means it was really cool. Nicely designed and the one standout of the place was the student section ran the length of the court just behind press row. It made for a great atmosphere and much as I like Rupp Arena, this was better. There was even alot of cheers by the students that were complimented by the school band that rocked the arena several times during the day.
The game of course was another story. Before the game even began a fan who was seated on the front row began yelling at all of us that we better sit down during the game and if we wanted to argue with him we would lose. He was red faced as he was yelling at us and I could not even hear him so I leaned in a little closer and told him to settle down. The National Anthem had just finished not 10 seconds before he began his tirade so I guess he would have preferred we sit then too! Those of you who know me know I would have loved to stand in front of him the whole first half after his rude outburst, but there was a game to play so we just ignored it after all the drama.
As you all probably know the game started out well with Bobby Perry really lighting it up. The only bad part of that was I had yet to get a clean shot of him and he had 13 points. No way I could go into the half without a photo of him which I finally got but lets be honest, how exciting is a jumpshot photo? Part of the game yes, but not the most thrilling.
I guess an omen was present when Ramel Bradley got out front on the break only to have his shot blocked by Corey Brewer. In the second half Bradley again went to the hole to have his shot slapped out of bounds by Joakim Noah, with Al Horford just hovering there to get the block just in case Noah missed it. (see photo above)
The one thing that is getting to me more and more is going into these arenas, having the team get beat, and watching the opposing fans leave the game early because the game is in hand. This is very strange because I/we are not used to fans ASSUMING they are going to beat Kentucky and don’t even stay around to see it finished. I thought only fans in Rupp did that? I think it shows where Kentucky’s reputation is now. It seems teams and fans are beginning to expect to get the win against UK. Not a feeling we are used too.
Watching Noah scream and hang on the rim as only he can made me wonder what is it going to take to get back on track. Why can’t they win? Why can’t they pull through in the clutch? Why do they always appear more tired than their opponent when the crucial time comes?
Some will argue these are not questions a photographer should ask but I ask because I want to know. Someone tell me so this photo below can be a memory and not a weekly occurence.
Senior night at Rupp Arena!
March 1, 2007
I remember shooting my first Kentucky senior night probably in 1992 or 93. Can’t quite recall exactly. What I do recall is a man named Happy Chandler being in attendance on the floor and a new coach by the name of Rick Pitino running the show! Of course that was the year of the "Unforgettables", John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Richie Farmer, and Sean Woods. Their storied careers were coming to an end in Rupp, and an eventual end in Philadelphia thanks to Christian Laettner’s shot at the buzzer.
Rupp Arena was full of emotion, both from the fans and the players. They didn’t want to go and the fans didn’t want them to go. Tears flowed all around including the players as "My Old Kentucky Home" was sung. It was an awesome event, I believe televised live by CBS. Billy Packer remarked "there is nothing like senior day at Kentucky", if I recall that correctly.
Well that was then and this is now. Last night’s senior night was the polar opposite. I knew we were in trouble when the players took the floor and immediately face the wrong direction. They traditionally face the seats facing the Kentucky bench and that is where the photographers line up to get the photos we all need. Tonight, the seniors ended up in an awkward line up facing an end zone. The photographers were now out of position and the whole thing felt strange. There was little to no emotion on the floor or in the stands. I think, and since this is a blog I believe I am allowed to do that, there was no real connection with these seniors. When they came in as Freshman hopes were high, but none of them were the big name recruits so maybe the expectations weren’t as high as maybe they were with the "Unforgettables" who had won the hearts of Kentucky by playing way over their own skill levels and showing the pride in the uniform.
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photo by Mark Cornelison
These players did not do that. There was fan favorite Lukasz Obrzut eating up the call of WOOOOO from the student section, but other than that it was polite applause and let’s get the game going. I must say I missed the emotion of the event. It felt strange not feeling any sadness about departing players. When Chuck Hayes left you could feel it. Once again, a player who put on the Kentucky uniform and played above his potential and the fans loved it. Maybe that is what we need someone to step up again and believe in the letters on their chest. I think, here I go again, that a big part of it is probably the star players are not here for four years anymore in many cases and the fans don’t get that full appreciation when they leave early. Or maybe they are just mad that they left early. Who knows? I just hope that we get a few players in who work hard, play hard, elevate Kentucky back to the top and maybe even stay four years. Then the fans will be sorry to see them go and senior night will be what it is supposed to be. Bitter sweet.
Photo by David Stephenson
