Advertisement

SEC Media Days: Gillispie, music appreciation and Montgomery Gentry

October 23, 2008|LARRY VAUGHT

BIRMINGHAM -- Billy Gillispie already liked Montgomery Gentry's music before he became the basketball coach at Kentucky.

But he likes it even more now because he's become friends with Perryville's Eddie Montgomery.

The Kentucky coach still recalls heading to a coaching clinic in Las Vegas on May 12, 2007, shortly after he became the new UK coach.

"I was getting on a plane and walking back to my seat. There in first class was Eddie wearing his Kentucky basketball shirt," Gillispie said here Thursday during the Southeastern Conference Media Days. "I didn't know him, but he introduced himself. I ended up sitting by one of his band guys and talked to him all the way out there."

That started a friendship that developed into phone calls and text messages. When Montgomery Gentry had a concert in Cincinnati this fall, Gillispie was on the guest list.

Advertisement

"They are great and I love Eddie," Gillispie said.

He made Montgomery one of the judges for the dunk contest at Big Blue Madness recently.

"He's good for the program. But it is really good because of the passion he has for the sport. One of my favorite songs (Lucky Man) is where he talks about having a bad day because his Wildcats lost. That is my favorite song they sing," Gillispie said.

"But he is so great for our program because of his excitement and passion. I want to do even more to get him involved with our program because when you have somebody famous like that with a passion for UK basketball, you want everybody to see that."

Central Kentucky News Articles
|
|
|