What separates Kentucky Basketball from other programs?

Fans mistakenly say UK Basketball players don’t get the real college experience. Many options, however, are opened for the 12 men who battle on the court. Playing for the University of Kentucky is like joining a fraternity or a brotherhood with big goals and aspirations.

Tortuous workouts and hours of practicing for a scholarship and a shot at the league is one thing, but coming back willingly shows comradery and family. The Big Blue Nation witnessed a family atmosphere displayed at Rupp Arena recently as the generations of players came together for Charity, proving the family dynamic UK fosters through the award-winning basketball program.

Witnessing the stars of past and present lace up their shoes in unity raises the question, what makes them want to come back?

The family atmosphere is always in the air when you come to Kentucky. It’s similar to the brotherhood or sisterhood feeling you get when you join an organization on campus. Recruiting is long, and enduring rush week and the final initiation happens when they walk out of the halls of Rupp Arena to “On On U of K.”

From John Wall to Karl Anthony-Towns, the family is molded for success in the league. Players at other schools have success in the NBA; why do they not come back? For example, what is stopping a program like Duke from fundraising money by putting people like Kyrie Irving and Jahlil Okafor on the floor together?

Only in Kentucky are alumni welcomed with open arms. People forget where they came from, but the people who wore the blue and white never forget and always try to give back to the program that helped them reach their goals.

With all it takes to build a program, it isn’t shocking there are only a handful of great ones, and this is something Kentucky fans should be proud of. Not a lot of people have the rich history seen in the rafters at Rupp.

Everything from the recruiting stages to becoming an alum of the school with the greatest tradition in college basketball signifies a big brotherhood—a fraternity—and that’s what truly separates Kentucky Basketball from other programs. 

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