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WRESTLING THE FUTURE? Vocal chords
By Matt May SPORTSDAILY EDITOR He isn't Diamond Dallas Page.  Nor is he Goldberg or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He isn't even a wrestler, although he sure would like to be. He is Scott Padgett, UK basketball's preseason All-America candidate. The Wildcat, turned lawn-boy, turned Wildcat again, has become the vocal leader of the 1998-'99 edition of the Cats, while earning nationwide praise in the form of preseason nominations for some of college basketball's most prestigious honors, including the Wooden and Naismith awards. The 6-foot-9 power forward from Louisville is UK's official "old guy," although he is quick to point out that fellow senior Heshimu Evans is older than him by nearly a full year. But Padgett is the senior Kentucky boy, the one fans from throughout the state have that special love affair with -- the "Bluegrass Bond." But ask Padgett about all of this and he shrugs, the affable personality shining through the goofy grin. You see, Padgett wants to discuss this love affair with wrestling. "I've always watched wrestling," Padgett said. "It started out as just me and Shep (former UK guard Jeff Sheppard), but it built up to be six or seven of us. Now that most of them have graduated, Jamaal (Magloire) is the only one who will really watch now." It has not deterred Padgett, though, from trying to recruit the new freshmen to his world of body slams and suplexes. "We are into the WWF," Magloire, a junior center, said. "It's our little hobby. With the freshmen, it's got to be something they want to do." Those freshmen might want to think twice about joining in the UK wrestling scene, because Padgett has a reputation for tossing unsuspecting teammates around like rag dolls. "The only time I did that was in Hawaii," Padgett tried to explain. But Magloire said the wrestling still goes on. "We go to Steve (Masiello) for that," he said. "He's the smallest guy." Wrestling aside, Padgett will be counted on heavily by head coach Tubby Smith for points, rebounds and, most importantly, leadership. Smith named Padgett one of the tri-captains for this season. "Scott's personality is very outgoing," Smith said. "He is the vocal leader of this group of seniors. He has earned his right to be a leader, which is a tough thing to do because he is one of the boys but must be able to put his foot down and say, 'Let's go.' During last season's run to the National Championship, Padgett produced a steady performance each night, finishing second on the team in rebounding and third in scoring. He was voted Second Team All-Southeastern Conference by the coaches, along with making the All-Final Four Team and being named Player of the Game for the NCAA Championship game. His final season averages were a consistent 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in UK's balanced attack. He also lead the team with an 85 percent free-throw percentage. There was a time, though, when dreams of Final Four appearances and national titles were well beyond Padgett's reach. Young and inexperienced, he struggled academically in his first year at UK, and was academically ineligible and back home in Louisville doing odd jobs to earn enough money to return to Lexington. "I worked a lot in lawn care, mowing grass," Padgett said. "I also did some telemarketing. We had a little thing where we had to say our name, and sometimes people would recognize me." But the year off might have been a good thing for Padgett, as he returned to the Cats bigger, stronger and wiser. His maturity showed last season when he made the All-SEC academic honor roll by posting a 3.4 grade-point average as a social work major. Now in his fifth year at UK, Padgett is ready to assume the role of a leader. "I've been here five years," Padgett said. "I know how things work, so I try to help the coaches work with some of the younger guys and show them how it's done. It helps to have things come from a teammate." While the freshmen might take Padgett's basketball advice, at least one said he won't have any part of the wrestling fascination. "I'm staying away from that (wrestling)," freshman J.P. Blevins said. "I'm not participating in any holds at all, unless Scott comes from behind to get me." [ KENTUCKY KERNEL ] Comments or questions about KyKernel.com: andreas@gson.com ©1998 Kernel Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved -- Contact Information |
