The Floyd Street Tribune: A night to remember, and some key takeaways from the opener
Inside: Don't let the game's result overshadow the historic nature of Wednesday's opener at the KFC Yum Center. Plus, the good and the bad from the actual hoops.
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A night to remember for more than basketball reasons
The first time Bellarmine played in Freedom Hall in 2020, I stood near the old team entrance with Scott Davenport and looked up at the rafters. He could specifically point out where he sat as a kid attending the Final Four games in the 1960s, memories full of joy and glee for the sport he loves so much in the city he loves so much. That love extends to the University of Louisville, where he was an assistant coach on Denny Crum’s staff and retained by Rick Pitino.
All of that is to say this: Wednesday night meant a lot to Davenport and a whole lot of other people in this city. Bellarmine-Louisville at the KFC Yum Center as a regular-season Division I basketball game — that is historic. And to cap it all off, Louisville’s new head coach, Kenny Payne, the first black coach in the program’s storied history, made his debut, a return to the city and the program he loves and helped sustain greatness.
Regardless of the score, the winner, the loser, embrace what Wednesday night was. I am trying so hard in my personal life to do exactly that — hug moments, cherish milestones and celebrate love with our very handsome 9-month-old son. (He crawls now. Holy crap.) A deliberate, intentional effort to do those things, to value snapshots in time, will pay off down the line when you want to explore your memories and remember the good times.
Someday, when you’re looking up at the rafters at the Yum Center or just talking about the old days with your children or grandchildren or friends or family members or whoever you walk down memory lane with, you can reflect on tonight — on watching it live or seeing it on TV. Maybe I’m too sappy, but everything about tonight was pretty damn cool as a Louisville resident who deeply appreciates what basketball and the two coaches who went toe-to-toe mean to this community.