The University of Kentucky NCAA Championship men's basketball team invaded 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue today, bringing along with them their own raucous caucus of supporters and friends.
President Obama honored the team for winning the NCAA title after they defeated the University of Kansas Jayhawks, 67-59, on April 1st of this year.
“Congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats on your eighth national championship!” President Obama said, who picked the Wildcats to complete his NCAA March Madness bracket.
"I had them in the championship game. But in the end, I thought, they got all these freshmen. These guys are too young. And keep in mind, at this time last year, three of the Wildcats’ five starters were still in high school. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist couldn’t even vote yet."
Kidd-Gilchrist may not have been old enough to vote, but he was certainly old enough to ball, as were several of his teammates including Doron Lamb who led the Wildcats (38-2 on the season) with 22 points in the game, in addition to back-to-back threes that gave the Wildcats a 16 point lead with ten minutes left.
Relenting, the president said, "But let’s face it, sometimes talent trumps experience. And sometimes, a bunch of young players, even if they’re used to being big fishes in their ponds, even if they’ve never played together before, they can buy into a system, they understand the concept of team, and they do something special right away. And that’s exactly what happened in Kentucky."
The team's coach John Calipari said of his team, "When this team won that championship in New Orleans they were jumping up and down. "They weren't saying 'We did it!' We won!, they were saying, "We're going to the White House!"
The visit by the 'Commonwealth' to the White House, may be a foot in the door for President Obama in the state where his popularity has been waning.
President Obama honored the team for winning the NCAA title after they defeated the University of Kansas Jayhawks, 67-59, on April 1st of this year.
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| President Obama with the 2012 NCAA Champions, the Kentucky Wildcats. Photo/CD Brown. |
"I had them in the championship game. But in the end, I thought, they got all these freshmen. These guys are too young. And keep in mind, at this time last year, three of the Wildcats’ five starters were still in high school. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist couldn’t even vote yet."
Kidd-Gilchrist may not have been old enough to vote, but he was certainly old enough to ball, as were several of his teammates including Doron Lamb who led the Wildcats (38-2 on the season) with 22 points in the game, in addition to back-to-back threes that gave the Wildcats a 16 point lead with ten minutes left.
The team's coach John Calipari said of his team, "When this team won that championship in New Orleans they were jumping up and down. "They weren't saying 'We did it!' We won!, they were saying, "We're going to the White House!"
The visit by the 'Commonwealth' to the White House, may be a foot in the door for President Obama in the state where his popularity has been waning.
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