UK men’s basketball gives Gov. Andy Beshear donation for Eastern Kentucky flood relief

The Kentucky men’s basketball team’s much-anticipated trip to Pikeville for the annual Blue-White Game on Saturday was meant to highlight a region affected by devastating flooding this summer and provide a chance for UK fans in the area to more easily watch the Wildcats play ahead of the 2022-23 season.

The trip accomplished just that.

After starting the day in Floyd County, distributing winter clothing and meeting with people affected by this summer’s catastrophic flooding in Eastern Kentucky, the Wildcats made it to Appalachian Wireless Arena in downtown Pikeville for the Blue-White Game.

After a 20-minute scrimmage between UK players — without the injured Oscar Tshiebwe, Lance Ware and Sahvir Wheeler — there was a special presentation at center court featuring the Cats and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Wheeler took a microphone and announced to a packed arena of 7,029 fans that UK was presenting a check for $162,450 to Beshear’s Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief fund.

All the money was raised from Saturday night’s event, and Coach John Calipari told everyone the team met throughout the day that it was the players’ decision to bring the annual scrimmage to the region.

“It’s incredible. It’s heartwarming,” Beshear told the Herald-Leader. “These are players who chose to do this. Who chose to use their Blue-White Game to raise money for flood victims. Who stopped by Jenny Wiley Park and saw hundreds of displaced individuals today. Kentuckians love their Cats, but these Wildcats showed us that they love Kentuckians. It’s really amazing.”

It was previously announced that all ticket revenue from Saturday’s Blue-White Game in Pikeville would go toward people affected by this summer’s devastating floods through the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund.

A presale event for this year’s Blue-White Game allowed people from the counties of Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Whitley and Wolfe to secure tickets to the game, which is normally held at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

Even before Saturday, UK Athletics and the UK men’s basketball team specifically has held events designed to help those affected by the floods.

In August, the Kentucky men’s basketball team held an open practice in Rupp Arena that was part of a three-hour telethon to raise funds for Eastern Kentucky flood relief.

All proceeds from that event — which totaled more than $2.4 million once the telethon ended — were to go toward the American Red Cross to benefit the immediate needs of Kentuckians impacted by the floods.

Beshear pointed out that Calipari and the Kentucky program also raised money for tornado victims in Western Kentucky less than a year ago, an effort that the UK coach has continued in conjunction with the Eastern Kentucky flood relief drive. Asked if he ever thought he’d see a day like this — a UK basketball game played in Pikeville — the governor said that he wasn’t entirely surprised that the Wildcats made it happen.

“Because, really, for the last year, this program has looked for every way it can to really help our people,” Beshear said. “Let me tell you, when Coach Cal talks about servant leadership — we’re seeing it.”

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