Willie Cauley-Stein emerged from the Joe Craft Center film room, saw the throng of Media Day reporters and turned back into the hallway.
It turns out Cauley-Stein needed to set something down and couldn't put it next to him with that many people surrounding him for an interview. A year ago, the move would have represented Cauley-Stein's apprehension about the idea of being a star.
Then, Cauley-Stein wasn't ready for the spotlight. He preferred to stay in the shadows as a supporting cast member. Let the other talented, more highly touted freshmen take center stage, he thought. He figured, as a lower-ranked, relatively unknown “project,” he could come in, figure out his role on his time and blend in.
But that never quite happened.
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.