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| Travis Perry slips on a UK camp while with mother and father, Jamie and Ryan Perry look on. Ryan and Jamie are graduates of Crittenden County High School and the University of Kentucky. |
Ryan Perry and his wife are both University of Kentucky graduates and have been Kentucky fans their whole lives. However, they made sure they took the middle ground when their son, Lyon County senior Travis Perry, was being recruited.
“I have a whole closet full of Kentucky clothes that I could not wear the last couple of years. I could not go into events wearing clothes of another team when my son was being recruited by the school where we were,” Perry said.
Travis Perry, the state’s all-time leading boys scorer, picked Kentucky over Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Western Kentucky, Alabama and others in a move that surprised a lot of UK fans and national recruiting analysts.
“It was his decision but it was hard at times,” Ryan Perry, the head coach at Lyon County, said. “Deep down you would love to see your kid play at any school but especially the school you pull for as much as my family does for Kentucky. It was his decision and it was a hard decision because he had such good relations with a lot of other coaches.
“My wife and I wanted to make sure it was Travis’ decision. He had to make sure it was the right place for him but he has a good track record of making good decisions.”
Coach Perry said his son is a “very loyal” person who chose Kentucky because he wants to help the program win.
“He is addicted to winning. That’s all he wants to do. As long as he can impact winning, he is happy,” Ryan Perry said. “Lyon County used to be a little over a .500 program. Now we have been to the last two state tournaments. He played for Indiana Elite (in summer basketball) and went 106-7 in three years. He expects to win and will do what it takes to win.
“He wanted to put that Kentucky jersey on every morning and help the team win. Fans love him because he plays so hard and that’s what he will do at Kentucky.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari was so welcoming to the Perry family after offering the Lyon senior a scholarship and Ryan Perry said that “resonated with us early” and meant a lot to the family.
Calipari didn’t tell Travis Perry he would have to work to earn playing time.
“It’s no secret Kentucky has really good guards every year. That’s what they do at Kentucky,” Ryan Perry said. “You have to try and earn minutes from lottery picks every year. We appreciated coach Cal and the way he was honest the whole time.
“The more Travis heard he should take the easier path and get playing time quicker by not going to Kentucky, the more he felt challenged and he loves a challenge.”
Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard of North Laurel heard the same thing last year before he signed with Kentucky. He’s been an instant contributor at Kentucky with his 3-point shooting, passing and defense.
“I told Travis that Reed would be an impact player and could definitely play for Kentucky. He’s a guy you cannot keep off the floor. He shoots at a high level and is just a guy that makes everybody around him better,” Ryan Perry said. “If you are trying to win you have got to have guys like that on your team.
“He is having a great freshman year just like I thought he would. He’s a great kid from a great family. They have been supportive of Travis and we have been supportive of Reed. It helped Travis watching games and seeing what Reed was doing. It kind of validated that if you play the right way and make others better it is hard to keep you off the floor.”
Travis Perry is similar to Sheppard in that he is not an emotional player. He doesn’t get overly excited or overly down on the court. He took the same approach to his college choice.
“He doesn’t get very excited about a lot of things but we saw a sense of relief when he picked Kentucky and could tell Travis was very relaxed about the decision he made,” the Lyon coach said. “It was like the first time we were in coach Cal’s office. I wanted to jump up and down but Travis was so calm just like he was until he made his decision.”
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She had been verbally committed to Kentucky for more than a year but Allison Blum of New Palestine, Ind., said it was “still a pretty big deal” when she got to sign her scholarship with UK earlier this month during a signing ceremony with two teammates also headed to play Division I softball.
“It was kind of a surreal feeling and was finally official,” Blum said.
Coach Rachel Lawson describes her as a “versatile” infielder/utility player who hit .447 with nine home runs and 40 RBI’s as a junior .
That versatility also shows because she plays both soccer and basketball. Her soccer team won its conference championship — she was team captain — and she earned all-conference honors.
She describes herself as “feisty but not good” in basketball but also started the season with two 23-point games while having to play inside against bigger opponents. However, she then tied the school record with 36 points when she hit four 3-pointers and went 10-for-21 from the field. She also had four rebounds, two assists and three steals in the game.
“I love that coach Lawson and her staff encourage me to play other sports knowing my focus will always be softball. I like to always be doing something,” Blum said. “I had a rough summer. I did not hit as well as I wanted and just was in a bit of a slump.”
She normally spends more time working on her hitting than fielding because fielding comes naturally to her. She hopes to hit “for a good average with a decent amount of home runs” her senior season
“Sometimes I go through a slump where I feel like I can’t field anything but it’s always felt natural to me. I am almost always super relaxed and smooth in the field but it’s not always that way when I am at bat,” she said. “But when I am not fielding well, it takes a bigger mental toll on me because I am supposed to be a good fielder and it messes with my head. I did overthink that a lot for a long time but I think I have gotten better the last two years.”
Blum talks with Lawson almost every day either through a phone call or text.
“She is really good at keeping in touch,” the Indiana senior said. “She would congratulate me on what I do in my other sports. She keeps up with that.”
Blum doesn’t have a lot of free time and thinks her busy schedule will help with time management at Kentucky.
“I don’t have any crazy activities like horseback riding or something like that I do. I spend free time with friends and family,” she said. “I love napping. There’s really nothing else hobby-wise. Sports are my hobby.”
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Tre Mitchell played at Mass, Texas and West Virginia before arriving at Kentucky this season where he has been a huge plus for the Wildcats with his 3-point shooting, passing and interior defense with three 7-foot teammates out for various reasons.
St. Joseph’s coach Bill Lang was impressed when he saw Mitchell in person at how much progress he’s made in the 108 college games he’s played in.
“I think that the first thing that sticks out is his body has changed and I respect that because it takes discipline,” Lang said. “You can have all the strength coaches and resources and clearly Kentucky has that, but just looking at all of the work our own players have done to transform their bodies it takes two. And he has done a great job since he left UMass, at Texas and West Virginia.
“But this is as lean and slim that I have seen him. I think that the offense positioning that it looks like the coach is doing is essentially moving the ball for them so the guards can cut off and play on the second and third side and he needs to be that fit to do it for them. I was upset when he left West Virginia, trust me, I knew we’d have to play him.”
Mitchell appreciates the opportunity he has at Kentucky and the way UK fans and teammates have embraced him.
“I’m unbelievably blessed to be in the position I’m in. To play for the Big Blue Nation, to be on the path that I have been on and ultimately leading me here for my last year of college — it’s such a blessing from God,” Mitchell said.
“And it looks different from an outside perspective, but when you take a step back from it and really look at it — God has orchestrated this unbelievably for me to be here. And my family has supported me every step of the way. I can’t be thankful enough for them. Regardless of how I play, what I do — they support me.
“And then to come here and play with these dudes is an unbelievable blessing in itself. You’ve got unbelievable talent, but these dudes, as people? I’m going to be in contact with these dudes for the rest of my life. God has just been so graceful to me. It really, truly is unbelievable to me.”
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Former Kentucky coach Rich Brooks was popular with UK fans by the time his coaching tenure ended with the Wildcats after the 2007 season. He finished with a 39-47 in seven years at UK but took the Cats to bowl games his last four years after going 4-8, 2-9 and 3-8 (9-25 overall, 4-20 SEC) in his first three seasons. His best season was his final one when UK went 8-5 upset eventual national champion LSU and No. 8 Louisville. The Cats also beat Florida State in the 2007 Music City Bowl.
“I started a Twitter account because I was coaching Kentucky and was told to recruit I had to be on social media. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, so it was an interesting time,” Brooks said.
Now he’s a Twitter/X darling with UK fans sharing pictures/thoughts not only on UK sports but his golf game, tomatoes and more.
“At 82 I have a different perspective on life. l love my tomatoes and they are the only thing I grow. I love to fish and golf,” Brooks said. “Who would want to follow an 82-year-old man and see his fishing and golf stories? But last time I was at Keeneland, about 25 people came up and told me they loved my Twitter.”
Brooks admitted he does miss coaching and even the interaction with the UK media.
“I think we had some fun. It was a good exchange and I always started things with an injury report which no coach does any more,” Brooks said. “It was a great time in my life and my family’s life to finish my career in a wonderful place like Lexington. I enjoy my life now but at times I do miss coaching.”
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Kentucky volleyball has now won or shared the Southeastern Conference championship for seven straight years going into this week’s NCAA Tournament.
One reason for UK’s late-season surge has been the play of junior Erin Lamb. She was not playing a significant amount early in the season but waited her time and has been a major contributor during UK’s 15-match win streak.
“We are good friends and have been here together from the beginning. I am really proud of her play over the past few weeks,” UK junior All-American setter Emma Grome said. “She has grown a lot as a player.
“She has had some injuries and things but she never got discouraged. (Coach) Craig (Skinner) harps on everyone on the team has an important role. When you are not playing you still have to work hard to be ready for the moment you are called on. It’s nice to have different options on this team if we need a change and once Erin got her chances again, she has been great.”
Lamb has played in 18 matches and has 114 kills along with 28 digs. However, she's averaging 12 kills in the last five matches
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Quote of the Week: “There really ain’t no such thing as a starter on our team. We know how many good players we have on the team. Everybody can play. Coach says we got seven starters. He’s not lying. On any given day, anybody can start,” freshman D.J. Wagner on Kentucky having more than five starters.
Quote of the Week 2: “We want to put everything on the line. We want to show everybody what we’ve been working on. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And I think that he’s starting to understand that more now. And you’re going to see him grow tremendously over these next few months here,” UK senior Tre Mitchell on freshman teammate D.J. Wagner’s potential.
Quote of the Week 3: “You just gotta buy in. You gotta be grateful and thankful for your teammates and their success. You can't be stuck in your way,” Kentucky freshman Jordan Burks on if transition from high school star to limited role at UK had been difficult.
