UK basketball is honoring impact players with a ‘big, shiny belt’ after wins this season

Following one of the more nondescript Kentucky men’s basketball performances of the season thus far — a 40-point pre-Thanksgiving home win over North Florida — UK star Oscar Tshiebwe showed off a new accessory while he completed his postgame media duties inside Rupp Arena.

Whether it was speaking to reporters in the bowels of Kentucky’s iconic basketball venue, or when courtside for a postgame UK radio interview with Jack “Goose” Givens, Tshiebwe carried around his newest piece of basketball hardware: A black championship wrestling belt that featured the words “KENTUCKY M.I.P MOST IMPACTFUL” in silver.

The belt is given out only after Kentucky wins and is part of a new approach from John Calipari and the UK coaching staff, one that seeks to reward UK players for outstanding individual performances during team victories.

Calipari explained the procedure following that North Florida win on Nov. 23.

“Now we have a belt that we give out after wins, the most impactful player. Who impacted the game? The staff gives it and it’s a big, shiny belt,” Calipari said. “He was the most impactful, not because of points and rebounds … . He had five assists, he had three steals and two blocks. That’s impacting the game.”

Calipari’s brief explanation of the belt and the way it’s awarded also came with insight into how much players seem to enjoy the honor.

In the context of UK’s 2022-23 season to date, the North Florida win was unremarkable. It was a get-right game for the Cats after a poor showing in a highly anticipated game against Gonzaga, and it came before the team had nearly a week off before an eventual home win over Bellarmine.

But Tshiebwe eagerly showed the belt off in public after the North Florida game, and even wore it around the locker room.

“He wore it to the radio?” Calipari said in an exasperated tone at the end of a press conference answer. “Oh, geez.”

Origin of the Most Impactful Player belt

Last week, another member of the Kentucky coaching staff went into detail about the origin of the M.I.P belt.

Bruiser Flint, UK’s associate to the head coach, said the belt was created by the UK coaching staff following this summer’s four-game exhibition stay in the Bahamas.

“You give out those types of things and they start to feel themselves like, ‘All right, I need to get the belt,’” Flint explained. “We got back from the Bahamas and as a staff (said), ‘Let’s give them something that they can feel as though they get rewarded for having good games.’”

Flint explained that the award — which is decided on quickly by the UK coaching staff after wins — isn’t just a reflection of the box score.

“Not just because they’re scoring,” Flint said, dispelling the idea that the belt automatically goes to whomever scores the most points (Kentucky was led in scoring against North Florida by both Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin, who each had 20).

“The most impactful goes along with other things: rebounding, assists, steals, whether or not you’re at the right places at the right time, those types of things like that.”

As with most trophies in sports, the value of the M.I.P belt is tied to the level of importance ascribed to it by stakeholders.

If the players care about it, they’ll want to win it. And they’ll be proud when they do.

“It’s definitely a good thing that we can compete for those type of things because as a team, you definitely want to be in that category of always getting the belt and things of that sort,” Reeves said after he again led the Cats in scoring with 18 points in a home win last week over Bellarmine. “It’s definitely a grind, and if you earn it, other teammates are happy for you, as well, and it just builds confidence.”

Kentucky has now awarded the M.I.P belt after six regular-season wins this season following Sunday’s triumph over Michigan in London.

“I think the kids, they love that type of stuff,” Flint added. “I think it’ll be a big contribution to our mental state going into games.”

Next game

Yale at No. 16 Kentucky

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Yale 8-2, Kentucky 6-2

Series: Kentucky leads 1-0

Last meeting: Kentucky won 79-58 on Dec. 27, 1961, in Lexington.

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