June 30th: On this date...

... in 1993, Jamal Mashburn was selected fourth by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft. The Kentucky All-American was asked to do exactly what he did in Lexington, try and rebuild a team. Mash didn't seem overwhelmed by this task either. He spoke of the similarities between the Lexington and Dallas situations and was looking forward to the challenge. The number four selection was the highest for a Wildcat since Sam Bowie went second overall a decade earlier. Personally, I remember this moment in UK history sending little Cat fans into a frenzy trying to find replica Mashburn/Mavericks jerseys. The "Monster Mash" had a very successful NBA career cut short due to knee problems and microfracture surgery, a new(ish) surgery in which players had difficulty recovering. Former UK star Chris Mills was drafted 22nd overall by Cleveland.

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June 29th: On this date...

... in 2002, Tayshaun Prince was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 21st pick of the NBA Draft. NBA teams were hesitant on taking the long, lanky fella from Compton. I can remember watching the McDonald's game that Tayshaun participated in and thought the rail thin kid would be overmatched at the college level. He proved me and twenty NBA teams wrong by becoming one of the steals of the Draft. He earned his playing time by becoming a defensive specialist frustrating the best players in the world. His key block on Reggie Miller in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals was the signature play in what became a Championship winning season for the Pistons. An All-American at Kentucky, Prince became the first UK alum to win an NBA title since Rick Robey in 1981 with the Boston Celtics.

Also June 29th: On this date in 2000, Jamal Magloire was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 19th pick in the NBA Draft. Somehow, this massive Canadian has built a career out of blocking shots/goaltending after the whistle. He has stayed in the League for a decade+, and even gotten an All-Star nod. He was the ultimate, "I love this guy on my team, but I would despise him if he wasn't" bad guy and should have a career in the WWE after basketball is over.

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June 28th: On this date...

... in 2006, Rajon "Johnny" Rondo was chosen 21st in the NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix made the mistake of trading him later that night to the Boston Celtics. It ultimately turned out to be a blessing, as he was able to get to a team with point guard needs and was surrounded by three aging Hall of Famers. I'm not gonna lie though, I would've loved to see him play a few years in the run and gun of Phoenix. Can you imagine Rondo in the D'Antoni Phoenix offense? Would've been fun to see. In his first season, Rondo was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team in spot duty off the bench. Johnny had four steals in a game six different times during his rookie campaign. As we all know, he went on to lead the Celtics to an NBA title in 2008, and was the best player on the Celtics team that made it to NBA Finals in 2010 and a triple double machine his whole career.

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June 27th: On this date...

... in 2003, the man on the right was drafted 43rd by the Milwaukee Bucks. His luck, though, had him traded by the end of the night to Disney World and Orlando. Keith Bogans was named SEC Player of the Year by league coaches after leading Kentucky to an undefeated mark in SEC play and the first overall #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. The guard from DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland quietly amassed more than 1,900 points during his time in Blue and White in what has to be the most under the radar careers in the past twenty years. Oh...and we beat DeWayne Wade and Marquette if he doesn't go down. No doubt in my mind.

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June 26th: On this date...

... in 1996, your University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team had three players taken in the first round of the NBA Draft. The draft took place in the very building where the Cats won their sixth National Championship just a few months earlier (East Rutherford, NJ). Sophomore Antoine Walker was selected sixth by the Boston Celtics. Senior guard Tony Delk was selected 16th by the Charlotte Hornets. Walter McCarty went 19th to the New York Knicks. A fourth Wildcat was taken in the second round at pick number 52 by the Indiana Pacers: Mark Pope. Other names of note from the '96 Draft: Iverson, Camby, Marbury, Ray Allen, Kobe and Nash. Wildcat head coach Rick Pitino was in attendance and provided analysis for the TV coverage. He then turned his back Big Blue for stinky cash and filthy sex at Fazoli's.

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June 25th: On this date...

... in 1997, UK's "Air Pair" was drafted in the top 13 of the NBA Draft -- Ron Mercer (6th), Derek Anderson (13th). The two members of the 1996 NCAA Championship team were two of the most athletic players our generation of Wildcat fans had ever seen. A first team All-American, Mercer was drafted by the Boston Celtics and newly hired coach Rick Pitino with the sixth pick. Derek Anderson was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers at selection thirteen. Mercer would play until 2005, averaging 13.6 points per game. Anderson won an NBA ring with in 2006 with fellow '96er Antoine Walker for the Miami Heat. They were the sixth and seventh Cats to win both a NBA and NCAA Championship. The others are: Frank Ramsey, Rick Robey, Lou Tsioropoulos, Cliff Hagan, and Nazr Mohammed.

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June 24th: On this date...

... in 2008, your University of Kentucky all-time great Tayshaun Prince was named to the United States Olympic team that would compete for a gold medal in Bejing, China. Prince was only the second Wildcat in forty-eight years to be selected to the Olympic team and the first to play since Adrian Smith in 1960. Sam Bowie was selected, but the Americans boycotted the vodka-drinkin’ commies in 1980. In what turned out to be actual tryouts, Tayshaun’s length made him a defensive weapon in case another nation got out of hand. Prince brought back the gold in an impressive performance against the Spaniards and refused to give his medal to Coach K during a ceremonial photo op after the game. He was immediately inducted into the Kentucky Hall of Fame.

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June 23rd: On this date...

... in 2005, your University of Kentucky alums faced off in a game 7 of the NBA Finals as veteran Nazr Mohammed and the San Antonio Spurs edged Tayshaun Prince and the Detroit Pistons. It kept Prince from repeating as the Pistons had won the 2004 title behind his key defense on Kobe Bryant. Mohammed became the fifth player in Kentucky history to win both an NCAA and NBA Championship. He also became the first player in human history to win the trifecta: NBA, NCAA...and Junior Varsity Championship of the world. Nazr was MVP of the JV Championship game scoring 79 points and pulling down 52 rebounds. Way to go Nazr!

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June 22nd: On this date...

... in 2001, your University of Kentucky Wildcats got some good news when both Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans withdrew their names from the upcoming NBA Draft. Each Kentucky superstar had entered their name on May 7th, giving the rabid Wildcat fan base a...how do you say...swift kick to the nuts. Luckily, they had the “maturity” to recognize how bad we needed them for the 2001-02 season. Prince was coming off a year in which he was named the SEC Player of the Year, and Bogans, a sophomore campaign where he led the Cats in scoring. Big Blue would return all but one letterman (Saul Smith) for the 2001-02 season. In other words, Tayshaun and Keith were looking forward to playing with a new point guard.

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June 21st: On this date...

... in 1991, tributes continue to pour in for Kentucky's most famous supporter, Albert "Happy" Chandler, who died June 15th at the age of 93. Not only was Chandler an ardent UK supporter, he was the former governor, senator and commissioner of baseball. He would always be seen sitting in the front row of World Series games wearing his blue "K" hat. The singing of My Old Kentucky Home, though, is my favorite memory of the Happy one.

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June 20th: On this date...

... in 2006, three of your former University of Kentucky Wildcats, Pat Riley and Antoine Walker, along with an injured Derek Anderson, led the Miami Heat to the NBA Championship. And when I say led, I mean stayed out of the way of DeWayne Wade and Shaq as much as possible. It was Riley fifth overall NBA title, his first since 1988. It was the first NBA ring for Walker and Anderson, who were teammates on the 1996 NCAA Championship team, the consensus best team of all-time. No one disputes it.

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Bronson, Cuban Missile Just Kickin' It

June 19th: On this date...

... in 1984, your University of Kentucky twin towers, Sam Bowie was taken second and Melvin Turpin sixth in the NBA Draft. Bowie was selected by Portland, while Turpin was picked by the Washington Bullets. The story of the Draft, though, was the third overall pick to the Chicago Bulls, Mr. Jordan. Portland pick has been scrutinized ever since for the lone reason that Sam Bowie wasn't better than Michael Jordan. Newsflash: no one ever has been better than Jordan. While often injured, Bowie did play 10 seasons in the NBA and scored nearly 6,000 points, hardly a below-average career. He also was a member of the gold medal winning 1980 USA Olympic team. Fellow Twin Tower Melvin Turpin stayed in the league only five seasons.

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June 18th: On this date...

... in 1988, your future University of Kentucky Wildcat great, Clay County's Richie Farmer, who led the Tigers to five consecutive Sweet Sixteen high school basketball tournaments and the 1987 state title, was named Kentucky Associated Press High School Athlete of the Year. He averaged over 27 points per game for a Clay County squad that finished runner-up in the state finals. Eddie Sutton was very hesitant in recruiting the 'stache, but Farmer went on to survive the probation years, a new coach, the worst season in school history, to finish his career with a jersey in Rupp's rafters. The combination of his legend as a Kentucky high school player and being a part of Kentucky's Unforgettable team made Farmer one of the most popular players in UK's storied history.

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... in 2010, this happened.

June 17th: On this date...

... in 1986, your University of Kentucky Wildcat all-timer Kenny "Sky" Walker was selected fifth in the NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. The Kentucky All-American was most known for his Slam Dunk championship moreso than his actual NBA playing career, but "Sky" represented the Cats well nonetheless. Walker was the highest pick from Kentucky since Sam Bowie in 1984 and only Jamal Mashburn had gone as high since (until the 2010 NBA Draft). After making All-SEC four times and All-American twice, Walker went through five coaches in five years. Ultimately, knee injuries limited Walker's success, ending his career in Washington.

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June 16th: On this date...

... in 1983, Commonwealth Republican Louie Guenther, a state legislator out of Louisville, decided he was filing a bill to be considered in next year's state legislature requiring the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to play each other annually in basketball and football. Negotiations were already going on between the two schools, but Guenther was afraid nothing would get done. The Cats and Cards had just played Dream Game 1 in Knoxville during the 1983 NCAA Tournament with a Final Four berth on the line. The game was considered an overwhelming success that many wanted to happen regularly. I'm guessing this was Guenther most notable accomplishment in office.

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June 15th: On this date...

... in 1989, your University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball staff welcomed Orlando "Tubby" Smith and Billy Donovan, as they joined Rick Pitino as assistant coaches. Smith, 37, was an assistant coach for South Carolina. Donovan, 24, played under Pitino at Providence and is best known for turning down the Kentucky head coaching job twice because it would hurt his mentor's feelings.

Also on this date...

 ... in 2009, Jodie Meeks officially decided to skip his senior season and keep his name in the 2009 NBA Draft. It turned out to be a good decision as he got a guaranteed contract, which many second rounders don't get. Sure would've been nice to have a Jodie-type shooter on the 2009-10 Cats.

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June 14th: On this date...

... in 2007, your University of Kentucky Wildcats baseball star Sean Coughlin was named first team All-American. The catcher (from Colorado) became the fifth player in program history to be named to the first team, following Ryan Strieby, who was named to the team in 2006. Coughlin led the squad in HRs (13) and RBI (73), and was fourth in batting average (.344). He helped turn around a struggling program and helped Kentucky win the SEC for the first time ever in 2006. The lineup featured five MLB draft picks, including Lexington's John Shelby and 2006 All-American Ryan Strieby. Coughlin was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 13th round of the 2007 MLB Draft.

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June 13th: On this date...

... in 2008, your University of Kentucky Wildcats baseball team made history when two members were named first team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Outfielders Sawyer Carroll and Colin Cowgill had two of the best season's in program history and led the Cats to a school record 44 wins. Carroll's set a number of school records, including career batting average (.386), hits (97), and RBI (83). Cowgill's numbers were just as impressive, as he set a school mark in runs (80), along with a .361 average, 19 HRs, 60 RBI, 23 steals, seven outfield assists, and a first team Academic All-American honor. In all, it was one of the greatest seasons in program history and it was capped off with a record seven players being drafted in the 2008 MLB Draft. They were the school's sixth and seventh first Team All-Americans.

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June 12th: On this date...

... in 2004, your University of Kentucky football team unveiled a new uniform that the team would begin wearing with the Louisville game in 2004. The new Nike uni's were a clean, fresh look that was sorely needed. Traditionalists can like the old stuff, but it doesn't hurt with recruiting in a conference where recruiting means everything. Both current and former players met with Nike reps to add input to ultimately get the design. The new look also included a throwback uniform that the players would wear during a home game vs. Ohio. The throwback helmet had a silhouette of the Commonwealth and a 1960's style Wildcat head. Coach Rich Brooks signaled to the Big Blue Nation that times were changing, and in the years ahead the team would prove just that.

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