UK's Pro Day event featured a sneak peek at what to expect from the Cats this season. Here are a few key takeaways on some players who will be crucial to the team's success.
Before the basketball even left his fingertips, everyone knew it was going in.
After what Tayshaun Prince had already done for Kentucky that night — four 3-pointers in a row to start a rivalry game against North Carolina — the fifth was destined to drop.
When it did, Rupp Arena went nuts.
I was in Section 224, Row U, Seat 16, standing next to my dad, and the visual of Prince taking that step across the UK logo, rising up and letting it fly will never leave my memory. The experience was unforgettable. It was a magical moment.
I’ve witnessed so many of those over the years, from watching Rick Pitino’s teams as a kid way up in those rafters to covering Tubby Smith’s squads courtside as a reporter for the UK student newspaper to, eventually, spending 20 years at the Lexington Herald-Leader, including the past four seasons as the men’s basketball beat writer chronicling the end of the John Calipari era and the beginning of Mark Pope’s tenure.
I recently made the decision to leave the Herald-Leader, voluntarily stepping away from the only job I ever wanted because I felt the out-of-state decision-makers who oversee its coverage didn't care about this community or its readers.
But I’m not stepping away from covering a program that has been such a major part of my life, and I'll strive to provide the high quality of coverage that UK basketball fans deserve. That's my promise to you with what's coming next.
Welcome to Inside Kentucky Basketball, an independent website focused on the Wildcats.
The goal is to deliver a reading experience that you won’t find anywhere else. There will be in-depth analysis, exclusive interviews with players and coaches, fun features on those in and around the program, mailbags, newsletters and so much more.
And I’m bringing some friends along for the ride.
John Clay, a longtime Herald-Leader columnist and recent U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame inductee, will be making his return to offer up periodic commentary on the Cats.
Derek Terry, a former Cats’ Pause beat writer who now operates Bat Cats Central, will assist in team and recruiting coverage.
All three of us grew up in Kentucky, which is to say we grew up with Kentucky basketball. And we all know how much this program means to those who follow it.
This isn’t a fan site. It’s a site for fans looking to go deeper than the breaking news and daily happenings around the team. It's a site that will offer an objective look at the program. It’s a site that will be clean and simple to read, without pop-up ads, clickbait and other annoyances that get in the way of your reading experience. And it's a site that won't ever rely on AI-generated content.
It's also a risky move, and to make this work, I'll need your support.
If you've enjoyed my coverage in the past, please consider subscribing. The cost is $8 per month or $75 per year, with no hidden rate hikes down the road. I promise you'll get your money's worth.
There have been so many magical UK basketball moments over the years, and there will be so many more in the seasons to come. I hope you’ll support independent journalism with a subscription to our site, so we can continue to tell those stories and take you inside the Kentucky basketball program long into the future.
Help us get started. Support local, independent coverage of the Cats with a subscription to Inside Kentucky Basketball.
Ben Roberts launched Inside Kentucky Basketball in 2026 to bring a source of independent and objective coverage of the Cats to UK fans. He spent 20 years at the Lexington Herald-Leader, including four seasons as UK men's basketball beat writer.
