Alumni from the Kentucky Wildcats and the North Carolina Tar Heels played an exhibition game on Sunday in a sold-out Rupp Arena. Kentucky’s Alums won 122-115 in a game that benefited many different charities.
The Tar Heels were represented by Golden State Warriors forwards Harrison Barnes and James Michael McAdoo, Rasheed Wallace and player/coach Jerry Stackhouse. Fresh off his NBA championship, Barnes had a game-high 39 points.
The Wildcats were led by Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins with 33 points 18 rebounds and six assists. Cousins' Kings teammate Willie Cauley-Stein also played, along with Phoenix Suns guards Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Dakari Johnson, Utah Jazz rookie Trey Lyles, Charlotte Hornets rookie Aaron Harrison and his brother Andrew along with top-pick Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns. New Orleans Pelicans All-Star center Anthony Davis served as coach.
Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal wrote about the star-studded exhibition, which raised a lot of money for charity and featured a lot of Boogie Cousins clowning around:
- “The band was back together when the Harrison twins, Booker, Lyles and Johnson ran out together – after Calipari appeared briefly in their timeout huddle – late in the first half. Then, during intermission, a special moment: the players presented Calipari, who entered the Naismith Hall of Fame on Friday, a giant picture of himself that was created using a mosaic of photos of his former players from 23 seasons as a college coach. It was also a big night for charity."
