Sunday, July 11, 1999
No losers among UK champs in charity game
BY SAM MELLINGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Derek Anderson said it best.
After his three-pointer with 16 seconds left secured a 130-130 tie between Kentucky's 1996 and 1998 national championship teams, Anderson strolled over to the public address announcer's seat, grabbed the microphone and greeted the more than 18,000 people in Rupp Arena Saturday night.
“This just goes to show you the true champions at UK, we'll never get beat by anybody,” he said.
They could have played an overtime, but that would have defeated the night's purpose. The event, “The Game: A Night of True Champions,” was more an all-out UK basketball lovefest than an actual game.
From the pregame introductions, when Scott Padgett (1998) and Anderson (1996) flaunted their team's respective trophies, to the introduction of all former Kentucky players in attendance at halftime, to the final seconds when 1998's Jeff Sheppard dribbled out the clock to preserve the even score, the game's goal was clear.
“We just wanted to have fun, and we did,” Anderson said. “This was a lot of fun. We got to come back here, see all the guys, see the fans — it was great.”
Fun was put on hold for only a brief period in the second half. The 1996 team — widely considered one of the most talented in college basketball history — found itself on the wrong end of a 71-55 halftime score and trailed most of the second half.
“It was all about having fun, but we had to take it a little more seriously there at the end to come back,” said Ron Mercer, who scored 24. “That's the first time I can remember everybody being happy after a tie.”
Each team played one player short. Anderson, who helped organize the event, said Antoine Walker (1996) missed a flight and Wayne Turner (1998) was trying out for NBA teams.
Nazr Mohammed led all scorers with 51 points on 24-for-33 shooting.
Defense seldom interrupted any player's path to the basket, and the teams combined for 65 three-point attempts, hitting 20.
“I'll always feel the '96 team was the best team I've seen,” said Mohammed, who played on both championship teams. “But I think the '98 team, we were better as a group.”
Profits from the game benefited the UK Basketball Museum and the Derek Anderson Foundation.
Sports Stories
INDIANS 11, REDS 10
Small Vizquel proves to be big-time player
REDS NOTEBOOK
Box, runs
Casey takes the world by the hands/b>
Astros 3, Royals 2
New Bengal arrested
What would you do with Pickens?
UC's Martin leads U.S. into semis
