The Mark Pope era has wrapped Big Blue Nation in a warm blanket of nostalgia since the day he was introduced at Rupp Arena. That’s the case even for otherwise mundane Tuesday night Kentucky basketball games.
A familiar face was on the SECN+ broadcast of UK vs. Lipscomb, Travis Ford. Hearing Ford on the call took me back to a place I hadn’t been in years. The nostalgia didn’t creep in because he’s a former player. From Goose Givens to Kyle Macy and Cameron Mills, Kentucky fans have heard plenty of former players call games over the decades. This one was different.
While listening to Travis Ford call the game alongside Andrew Kappes, I was brought back to my childhood, watching the Wildcats on Jefferson-Pilot Sports with Larry Conley commentating alongside Tom Hammond.
Even though I am paid to write words, I can’t accurately describe what about their voices strikes me as so similar, but I can’t shake it. Hearing Ford felt like a blast to the past of one of the best to ever call Kentucky basketball games. He was one of Rupp’s Runts, then became one of the original ESPN color commentators for college basketball.
Ironically, Conley was on the call for one of Travis Ford’s most memorable games, the Mardi Gras Miracle, a 31-point comeback victory at LSU in 1994. In the clip below, the first thing you’ll hear Conley say is, “Travis Ford needs to pick his game up.” Am I crazy, or do these two former Cats sound a lot like behind the mic while calling a basketball game?
Ford Hosted Mark Pope on His Official Visit
Long before he spent more than two decades coaching college basketball, Travis Ford was a Madisonville kid who transferred from Missouri back to Kentucky. He shot the lights out for Rick Pitino from 1991-94, guiding the Cats to the 1993 Final Four alongside Jamal Mashburn. Ford still ranks Top 10 in career three-point field goals made (No. 6, 190) and career assists (No. 9, 428).
He never played with Mark Pope at Kentucky, but the Wildcats’ head coach revealed during his postgame conversation with Tom Leach that Ford hosted him on his official visit to Kentucky.
“He was a great mentor to me. Coming to Kentucky, it’s kind of like TP (Travis Perry) and Trent (Noah) with our guys. Travis Ford was a guy that helped me understand Kentucky really, really fast,” Pope said.
“Travis Ford, if you remember, was an unbelievable point guard. He’s only like 5-2 and his arms are probably shorter than his body. He’s probably minus length. And he was an assassin and the toughest kid ever, man, and was so good on that Final Four team as he played such a major role with Coach Pitino and restoring Kentucky basketball to where it was supposed to be and will always be greatly indebted to Travis. He’s an all-time great here.”
Another Former Wildcat Honored
Ford wasn’t the only former All-SEC player at Rupp Arena for the Kentucky win over Lipscomb. Jim Andrews was a two-time First Team All-SEC selection in 1972-73 when he averaged north of 20 points per game for Adolph Rupp and Joe B. Hall. On Tuesday night, he served as the Y at midcourt.
Andrews wasn’t the only former Cat in attendance. After helping the Bills hand the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season, Ray Davis is back in Lexington for the Buffalo bye week. He enjoyed last night’s game at Rupp Arena. Dr. Mike also spotted Keely Willis in the stands with Wolf, her and Derek Willis’ first child.
