Sights and Sounds from Kentucky MBB's trip to Georgetown Kroger

The Kentucky men’s basketball tour across the Bluegrass State made a stop in Georgetown on Thursday, the third of five locations that the program will visit this week. Head coach John Calipari is the star of the show, signing autographs and taking plenty of pictures with the hundreds upon hundreds of fans who showed up in support. The goal, however, is to raise money for the victims of the tornados that ravaged western Kentucky back in December. Nearly every single person who stood in line for the nearly 2.5-hour wait gave some sort of donation before getting their moment to meet Calipari.

But this wasn’t just an autograph signing for Coach Cal. It was a perfect opportunity for the Big Blue Nation to meet members of the team — past and present. Joining Calipari in Georgetown were the likes of assistant coach Chin Coleman along with current players Jacob Toppin (who is an obvious fan favorite), CJ Fredrick, and Sahvir Wheeler. Even Kentucky Hall of Famer Jack “Goose” Givens made an appearance, bringing the 1978 national championship trophy along with him for fans to snap pictures of.

I had the pleasure of being on location for the event, where I spoke with several of the KSR faithful and was able to interview the coaches and players. In all honesty, these events are some of the most fun to cover from my perspective — even if it was 85 degrees outside. Every single person who showed up did so to support the program and provide relief for those in need. Fans were lined up from one end of the building to the other, and some stood in the heat for hours, but there wasn’t a face in the crowd without a big smile throughout.

From Jacob Toppin holding babies and making TikToks with younger fans, to Chin Coleman filling in as a surprise photographer, to Goose Givens interacting with fans of all ages, it was a really cool look at how one sport can bring so many people together. Now without getting too sappy, let me show you some of what I saw on Thursday.

Jacob Toppin is a crowd favorite

Staying three years in this era of Kentucky basketball isn’t common, but when it does happen, that player typically turns into one the fans feel a special connection to. Add in the fact that Jacob Toppin is extremely outgoing, incredibly likable, and very good at basketball, and you have the perfect mixture of a fan favorite. At one point, while the media was interviewing CJ Fredrick, Toppin popped up behind us. Naturally, I handed him my phone while recording and let him ask a couple of questions to his teammate (starts around the 2:50 mark).

The 6-foot-9 forward was in his element interacting with the crowd and cracking jokes.

Toppin even had to pull out a page from the Oscar Tshiebwe Book of Fandom, stopping to hold a cute baby as he made his way through the droves of fans.

Always down for a TikTok

With the line stretching down the entire front side of Kroger, people were looking for reasons to pass the time. A pair of younger fans decided to see if Toppin — known TikTok aficionado — would be down to help create for of their own. The rising senior Wildcat happily obliged.

@luke_wells_ @Jacob Toppin @Liam Sellinger ♬ Ur mom – ⚒

John Calipari, Goose Given makes time for the fans

No doubt about it — John Calipari shines in this setting. The longtime head coach is a walking star when he pulls up to these events. But even more impressive, he knows exactly how to make each and every fan feel welcomed and as if he’s known them for years. Watching the faces of Kentucky fans light up once it was their turn to talk with Cal was a priceless experience.

Not to be outdone, Jack “Goose” Givens was equally as popular throughout the day. As mentioned before, he brought the 1978 national championship trophy with him, which fans were allowed to take pictures of. Givens even allowed a handful of fans to hold the trophy while taking a picture with him. He might have been the most thrilled to be there of anyone.

Chin Coleman daylights as a photographer?

On this particular Thursday, he sure did. Assistant coach Chin Coleman made sure to snap some pictures with fans and talk with the media, but he also understood that the fans were there to see the players. He wasn’t upset about it though — if anything, he was eager to help fans take pictures of the current ‘Cats.

This is team is going to be a lot of fun to watch this season, both on and off the hardwood.