< Previous10 @KentuckyMBBYou can enjoy FREE * grocery delivery, 2X Fuel Points and more for as low as $59/year. *$35 order minimum. Restrictions apply. Subject to availability. Delivery time not guaranteed. Official Grocery Partner of UK AthleticsWEEKNIGHTS 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY 9:00 a.m.14 @KentuckyMBB From Press Row Mike Pratt to the Rafters Mike Pratt, who earned All-America and Academic All-America honors as a Univer- sity of Kentucky basketball player and served 21 seasons as an analyst on UK radio broad- casts, will have a jersey retired in his honor. The ceremony will take place at halftime during UK’s home game vs. Florida. Pratt, who died June 16, will be represented by his wife, Marcia, and additional members of the family. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Pratt began his Kentucky career in 1966-67 as a member of UK’s freshman team. He was a three year starter for the Wildcats’ varsity squad, from 1967-68 through 1969-70, totaling 1,359 points and 718 rebounds while averaging 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds during the 81 games of his career. His best performance came in a 102-100 win against Notre Dame in Louisville’s Free- dom Hall on Dec. 27, 1969. Pratt poured in a career-high 42 points and added eight rebounds. He was a perfect 10 of 10 at the free-throw line. The 6-foot-4 forward was a second-team All-America selection in 1970 and two- time first-team All-Southeastern Conference choice by the league’s coaches (1969 and ’70). He also earned Academic All-America honors as a senior. He was part of one of the best trios in program history under leg- endary head coach Adolph Rupp. The trio, which included Dan Issel and Mike Casey, led UK to three SEC championships and two Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tour- nament. During those three years, Kentucky compiled a 71-12 overall record, including 48-6 in league action. (Casey did not play the 1969-70 season because of injury but did return a year later.) Pratt rejoined Kentucky in 2001-02 as the analyst, alongside play-by-play announcer Tom Leach, for UK Sports Network radio broadcasts of the Wildcats’ men’s basket- ball games. Pratt held that role for 21 years, through the 2021-22 season, calling games coached by Orlando “Tubby” Smith, Billy Gillispie and John Calipari. He was on the call for 558 wins, high- lighted by Calipari’s 2012 National Cham- pionship victory. The Wildcats also claimed the SEC regular-season title eight times, the SEC Tournament crown eight times, and advanced to four Final Fours and nine Elite Eights during Pratt’s time on the radio team. Pratt was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009, the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Ohio Basket- ball Hall of Fame in 2019. His will be the 45th retired jersey to hang in the rafters of the arena. Three Named to NBA All-Star Game Three Kentucky men’s basketball alumni in Bam Adebayo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexan- der and Julius Randle were named to the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. Adebayo and Randle will make their second-career appearances, while Gilgeous-Alexander was selected for the first time. • Among all active collegiate coaches, John Calipari has more total players (nine) and more total All-Star selections (31) than any other coach • Adebayo will make his second-ca- reer appearance in the NBA All-Star Game in 2023. He’s averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game for the Miami Heat in his sixth NBA season and is a three-time selec- tion to the All-NBA Defensive Team. In one season with the Wildcats, Adebayo was the only player to start all 38 games for a squad that won the SEC Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight. He was an All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman Team honoree. Adebayo averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game before being select- ed 14th overall by the Heat in 2017 • Gilgeous-Alexander will be making his first-career appearance in the annual game featuring the league’s best players. He is the league’s fifth leading scorer, averag- ing a career-high 30.8 points per game and has tallied 30 games with 30 or more points this season. He averaged 14.4 points per game and 5.1 assists for the Wildcats during the 2017-18 season. Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Wildcats to an SEC Tournament crown and was MVP. Additionally, he was an All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Fresh- man Team honoree. He was then drafted 11th overall by the Hornets before his draft rights were traded to the Clippers. • Randle has the New York Knicks in the playoff hunt once again behind a ca- reer-best 24.7 points per game. He’s adding 10.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists, while also connecting on 45.8% of his shots from the floor. This will mark his second appearance in the NBA All-Star Game after being select- ed in 2021, the same season he was voted as the NBA’s Most Improved Player. One of just three players under Calipari to average a double-double, Randle was the leader of the UK squad that made its memorable NCAA Tournament run to the championship game in 2014. He averaged 15.0 points and 10.4 re- bounds per game. He was a Final Four All-Tournament Team honoree, a Midwest Region All-Tournament Team selection, a third-team All-American, an All-SEC First Team pick and the SEC Freshman of the Year. Randle was drafted seventh overall by the Lakers following his one season in Kentucky in 2014. Mike PrattMOP IT LIKE IT ' S HOTMOP IT LIKE IT ' S HOTKENTUCKY M ike Pratt, a University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Famer and UK Sports Network men’s basketball radio color ana- lyst, died June 16, 2022. He was 73. Pratt (1967-70) was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009, the Ken- tucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. He was a second-team All-America selection in 1970 with the Wildcats and finished his career with 1,359 points and 718 rebounds. A two-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by the league’s coach- es (1969, ’70), Pratt was named an Academ- ic All-American in 1970. He helped lead UK to three SEC championships and two Elite Eight appearances, finishing the regu- lar season ranked No. 1 his senior season. A native of Dayton, Ohio, he was a three- year starter for the Wildcats and was a part of one of the best trios in program history under legendary head coach Adolph Rupp. The trio, which included Dan Issel and Mike Casey, accounted for more than 5,000 points and 2,300 rebounds in just three sea- sons of varsity action. The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 16.8 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per out- ing in 81 career games played at UK. Pratt also amassed 29 double-doubles through- out his career. His best performance came in a 102-100 win against Notre Dame in Freedom Hall on Dec. 27, 1969. Pratt poured in a career-high 42 points and added eight rebounds. He was a perfect 10 for 10 at the free-throw line. Pratt and the Wildcats went 71-12 over- all and 48-6 against league foes during his career and were ranked in the Associated Press top five for 33 weeks, including the duration of his senior season. Pratt played two seasons with the Ken- tucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association and was later an assistant coach on UNC Charlotte’s 1977 Final Four Team, before becoming head coach of the 49ers in 1978. Following a stint as a professional scout, he then moved into broadcasting in 1985. Pratt worked with the Charlotte Hornets Television Network, ESPN and Fox Sports South. Since the 2001-02 season, Pratt had been courtside for every Kentucky men’s basketball game as the UK Sports Network’s radio color analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Tom Leach. Pratt was on the call for 558 wins, high- lighted by the 2012 National Championship victory. The Wildcats have also claimed the SEC regular-season title eight times, the SEC Tournament crown eight times, and ad- vanced to four Final Fours and nine Elite Eights with Pratt on the radio team. Mike Pratt n 1949-2022 18 @KentuckyMBBNext >