Head coach Mark Pope and the rest of the Kentucky men’s basketball coaching staff took a trip to Wheeler’s Pharmacy on Romany Road in Lexington on Wednesday, and Big Blue Nation was nothing short of thrilled about it.
“BBN knows there’s something legendary about Wheeler’s Pharmacy. We had to go experience it for ourselves!” He said in his post.
The old-fashioned pharmacy, which includes Buddy’s Diner, where locals grab a bite, coffee, and discuss Wildcat basketball, has become a Lexington staple over the years.
I’m sure Buddy’s Diner offers great food; I’ve never been, but I do know that what echoes Wheeler’s Pharmacy’s name throughout the streets of Lexington isn’t necessarily what the building has to offer in terms of their services, it’s more so about the people that have walked through the door.
Legendary former Kentucky basketball head coach Joe B. Hall, who raised a banner in Rupp Arena back in 1978, would often go to Wheeler’s Pharmacy when he retired, discussing UK hoops with the people of Lexington, becoming a man of the people in an off-court environment. He would routinely have his “Breakfast Club” meetings there with fans and associates, which then resulted into the exact location that he would come up with his future radio show name of ‘The Joe B. And Denny Crum Show’ that would be syndicated across the state for years to come.
Adding to this, it was heavily documented over the years after that Rick Pitino and Orlando “Tubby” Smith were regular customers as well.
Following his hiring in 2009, Hall of Fame head coach John Calipari took up the tradition, occasionally stopping by for a cup of coffee, discussing ball with fans while building an everlasting connection with the fanbase. He said he learned quickly that he had to come pay his dues as the head coach of the program, heavily influenced by Joe B. Hall that it was a must.
What followed that? A dominant national championship run in 2012, the last time the program reigned at the top of the college basketball world.
Now, it’s Mark Pope’s turn, and through the power of superstition, fans have flooded his social media comments, overall making the point that the team will win a national title under his leadership due to the way things have unraveled in the past.
Is a national title guaranteed? Obviously not. But seeing Pope partake in the tradition and make his best efforts to interact with the fanbase is a sign that Big Blue Nation can’t overlook, and based on the social media comments, they definitely haven’t, and knowing the fanbase, they probably never will.
Our own, Tres Terrell, mentioned earlier this summer on social media that Mark Pope needed to make a visit as the head coach and coincidentally enough, a month later, it happened.
The legendary Oscar Combs also chimed in saying it needed to happen also.
Why is this visit important though?
The reason is that the only two coaches to have never made a trip to visit are the only two coaches in program history to not win a title. All the others? They did. Coincidence? Has to be.
So it’s widely believed that if a head coach at Kentucky wants to win a national championship, you stop by and visit.
Mark Pope has now paid his dues.
Number nine on the way? We shall see.
The Wildcats’ first exhibition game of the season, against Arkansas Little Rock, continues to draw closer and closer, and that contest will be the first step in seeing how well the Wheeler’s Pharmacy ritual will play out.
That game is set to take place on Friday, Oct. 16 inside of Rupp Arena. Tipoff time and viewing logistics are yet to be announced at this point.
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