It’s no secret that this Kentucky team loved their shoes, and we seen just how superstitious they were it came to them.
Who wouldn’t be, if you played at Kentucky and had access to the newest and most exclusive shoes on the market?
Let’s take a look at some of the best shoes of the season.
Advertisement
FYI: Most of the custom shoes are done by Billy Hobbs of True Blue Customs, check his work out here.
Tyler Herro Custom Nike Off-White Hyperdunk
The Nike Off-White Hyperdunk is one of the most limited and popular pairs of basketball shoes in several years. Tyler Herro put his “Kentucky/Boy Wonder” spin on it to make it my Kentucky Basketball “Sneaker of the Year”.
Johnny David’s Custom Senior Day Nike Kobe Proto 1
On senior day, Johnny David paid homage to his hometown of Pittsburgh with a custom pair of Kobe Proto 1’s that feature the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins logos.
Tyler Herro Custom KD 10
Advertisement
Tyler Herro had these shoes custom made for his high school senior night but brought them out again for Big Blue Madness.
Ashton Hagans’ Custom Nike Kobe AD Exodus L’s Down vs UofL
We remember Ashton Hagans throwing the L’s down sign as the clock ticked down in the KFC Yum Center, but he had even better way to troll the Cards. Hagans was prepared to wear this pair of custom Kobe AD’s that featured an “L’s down” on the tongue, said “No Mercy” on the side, and referenced all of Kentucky’s national championship years. However, the officials would not allow Hagans to wear the shoes beyond warmups.
Breast Cancer Awareness
Advertisement
Pink shoes were seen just about every game this season. Ashton Hagans wore the “Aunt Pearl” KD 11 for many games. Nick Richards wore a Kobe AD custom with “mom is a survivor”. PJ Washington wore a pair of Nike Zoom Rev II TB Promo Kay Yows, in honor of his grandmother, Susie Tucker, who was battling breast cancer earlier in the season.
Keldon Johnson Custom Jordan Why Not Zero.1 “Purge”
Keldon Johnson’s Big Blue Madness entrance included the Purge siren and a Purge mask, and to go along with the Purge them Keldon had these custom shoes made.
Coach Cal 60th Birthday Custom Nike Air Monarch “Dunkin Donuts”
Cal celebrated his 60th birthday back in February and what better way to celebrate than with a custom pair of shoes? True Blue Customs created a custom “Dunkin Donuts” version of the Air Monarch ( aka old dad shoes). The shoe also features Cal’s Dunkin Donuts order with the “1 cream, 1 sugar” on the back of each shoe.
Mrs. Cal Roshe Run
Mrs. Calipari was not forgotten as she was gifted a custom pair to represent Brad Calipari and the Calipari name. ?
“Mismatched” Kyrie 4’s
Advertisement
I lost count of how many times I was asked, “why are they wearing two different shoes?” This season. The eye-catching shoes are sold in this “mismatched” colorway and they were definitely an early season favorite for the team.
Self-Lacing Nike Adapt
Yes, Nike brought the “Back To the Future” auto-lacing technology to basketball. While they are certainly innovative, the team wasn’t a big fan of them as they only for one half of basketball due to a “loose” feeling.
Nike Kyrie 4
True Blue Customs teamed up with Nike ID and UK Athletics to create these custom Kyrie 4’s for the team.
PJ Washington Family Customs
One thing we’ve learned about PJ Washington is that his family plays a big part in his life. PJ had a custom pair of Kyrie 4’s and KD 10’s made to represent his family on the court.
PJ Washington’s Custom Air Jordan 11
Advertisement
The Air Jordan 11 is one of the most popular Air Jordan models ever made. You gotta love the Big Blue twist on this custom model made for PJ Washington, that features a #25 on the back.
Nike PG 2.5
Aka the shoe Zion Williamson blew out, this shoe was a Nike player edition exclusive for the Kentucky Wildcats. The shoe was a favorite for Tyler Herro and PJ Washington.
Immanuel Quickley Custom Nike Kyrie 2
Immanuel Quickley rocked these custom Kyrie 2’s at Big Blue Madness. The shoes feature a “U” on the left shoe and a “K” on the right shoe.
Ashton Hagans Air Jordan 18 “Sport Royal”
Advertisement
The Air Jordan 18 is the final shoe that Michael Jordan wore in his career. While it’s not one of the popular Air Jordan models, Ahston Hagans brought them out for Big Blue Madness.
Ashton Hagans Air Jordan 10 “Orlando”
If you haven’t been able to tell by now, Ashton Hagans is this years Sneaker MVP, and he brought out the Air Jordan 10 in an away game against Georgia.
Nike Kobe AD
This shoe was a favorite for nearly the entire team. This team exclusive version of the Nike Kobe AD featured Kentucky blue and white and the Kentucky logo on the back.
Ashton Hagans KD 4 “Battle Tested”
Is there any doubt about who is the sneaker MVP of this team? Hands down its Ashton Hagans who pulled out a rerealease of the KD 4 from last summer.
Zan Payne Air Jordan 4 Doernbecher aka “Superman”
Advertisement
Everyone has talked about Brad Calipari’s off the court outfits, but what about Kenny Payne’s son, Zan? Zan sat out all season with a redshirt freshman, but in the UofL game he brought out some heat. The Doernbecher Air Jordan series was, originally released in 2011, is very limited and were designed by Hospital cancer patients. This particular pair was designed by Isaiah Scott a then, 11-year old nicknamed “Superman”.
Nike Lebron 16
THE signature Nike line, the LeBron 16. The LeBron 16 came out back in September and has really only been used by Reid Travis this season, who most likely enjoys the shoe due to his 6-8 240, LeBron like physique.
John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.
If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.
That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.
Advertisement
“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”
Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.
Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.
Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.
At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.
Advertisement
“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”
“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”
William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.
Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.
It was different to see Kentucky ranked 23rd in the preseason AP Poll, their lowest since the 2008 season. However, a week and a half into the season, they are already climbing the rankings.
Jumping to No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches poll this week, the Wildcats will take another good jump when the updated polls are released Monday, after defeating sixth-ranked Duke in the Champion’s Classic 77-72. They will likely fall in the 11-14 range.
That said, some analysts believe Kentucky is a top 10 team, including one from CBS that has them ranked as the SECOND best team in the country.
It took all of three games for Mark Pope to capture a signature victory at Kentucky. UK outlasted No. 6 Duke on Tuesday in the Champions Classic, nailing 10 3s in the win and downing Duke despite a huge game from Blue Devils freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.
At halftime during the Champions Classic, it was fair to question whether Kentucky could consistently get points in a half-court setting against a strong opponent. Duke was keeping the Wildcats out of transition, and after an early barrage of 3s, the team’s attack had dried up. Then Mark Pope made some smart tweaks offensively, using Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison as playmakers in the middle of the floor, and Andrew Carr created matchup problems. The Wildcats answered a lot of questions with their second-half showing.
If the Wildcats are able to maintain this momentum and keep themselves high in the rankings, they will truly be one of the best stories of this college basketball season. A storied program, with a new coach and an entirely new roster.