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Kentucky has a Portland connection in former Cat Larry Steele

Larry Steele

Larry Steele

Kentucky is scheduled to play the University of Portland in the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, home state of Terrence Jones, on November 19, 2010.  What other connection does Kentucky have with Portland?  In 1987, former Kentucky forward Larry Steele was named head coach of the University of Portland.  Steele played collegiately at the University of Kentucky under coach Adolph Rupp and was a first-team All-SEC player during his time with the Cats.  Although he had never coached a game before in his life, Portland gave him a shot after spending nine seasons playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.  Steele played his entire NBA career for the team (retiring from basketball at the end of the 1979-80 season). Steele led the NBA in steals in the 1973-74 NBA season — the first year steals were recorded by the league. He played 20.7 MPG on the 1977 championship team (starting in only nine games), and his jersey number (15) was retired by the team on October 11, 1981.  He currently runs a basketball camp in Vernonia, Oregon.

Sources:  Big Blue Booyah and Wikipedia

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Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.

On This Day in UK Basketball History

On March 8, 1949, Kentucky ends the year ranked No. 1 in the first season of the Associated Press basketball poll.

 

On March 8, 1976, Jack Givens keys a late rally as UK outlasts Mississippi State, 94-93 in overtime, in the last game played at Memorial Coliseum.  The final UK regular season game ever in the venerable Memorial Coliseum seemed headed for a crushing letdown. Kentucky trailed Mississippi State 84-77 with 1:23 left in regulation. Lifted by a crowd of 12,200, the Cats fiercely rallied, and, with eight seconds left, Jack Givens buried a short jumper to force overtime.

 

On March 8, 1984, Melvin Turpin scored 42 points against Georgia in the 1984 SEC Tournament. The 42 - his 42nd came on the game's last shot — established a new scoring record for the SEC Tournament.  Turpin's 18 field goals also made him No. 1 in the SEC tournament annals.

 

On March 8, 2025, Kentucky defeats No. 15 Missouri, 91-83, for its eighth win over an Associated Press Top 15 team in Mark Pope's first season as head coach. It is the most wins over AP Top 15 foes in program history and ties Indiana (1992-93) and Duke (1978-79) for the most top 15 wins ever in a single season. Pope's team finishes the year 24-12 overall and earned a trip to the program's first Sweet 16 since 2019.

 

Wildcats Born on This Date

March 8, 1934

32 Clay Evans

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