Dan Owens, who fretted publicly and repeatedly about no UK recruit in the Derby Festival Basketball Classic this year, sounded upbeat on Wednesday.
Owens said more than 10,000 tickets had been sold for the game, which will be played Friday in the KFC Yum Center in Louisville. The upper arena will be curtained off, which allows for seating only in the seats closest to the court.
The attendance record for the Derby Festival game came in 1987. That’s when 19,044 came to Freedom Hall to see UK recruits Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey and Richie Farmer play.
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald- Leader has covered Kentucky basketball since the 1981-82 season. That time includes five coaches, five Final Fours, four athletic directors, two interim athletic directors and many memories. Before coming to Lexington, Tipton worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. He covered Marshall’s basketball team for two seasons before coming to the Herald-Leader.
