As we all know, three lottery picks and two more late first-rounders went in the draft. UK players were seen shaking hands with the Commish. The nation saw Calipari, the shepherd of all that talent, the one who can guide prospects to the promised league, smiling as each of his players realized their dreams. Jay Bilas preached about each UK player’s “length,” which ultimately wasn’t that great because he said that about literally every single player in the draft. And once Daniel Orton was taken off the board, the graphic was instantly cued up showing that UK became the first program ever to see five players taken in the first round (and HOW, with all that talent….).

Calipari also created a “new guard” of people who seemingly appreciate the name on the back of the jersey more than the name on the front.

“I’m not saying that winning national titles is not important; it is,” Calipari said. “But if you told me we’d win a national title and no one gets drafted, or you go 0-for-20 against West Virginia and five guys get drafted, you tell me what you’d want.”

Uh, OK. Let’s see an eighth national title! Of course that’s what we want! In fact, Calipari’s scenario just happened this season. Duke won the national title, and saw none of its players shake the Commish’s hand. UK fell short of a championship and watched five of its players get drafted. I’m pretty sure Duke fans were much happier on championship night than UK fans were on draft night. (Actually, I know this for a fact. My dorm neighbor was a Duke fan. Championship night was unbearable for me.) And I’m pretty sure I know which scenario I would rather have. And while Cal didn’t explicitly state which he preferred, I have a feeling he doesn’t fall on the same side of the blue-and-white fence as I do.

Now, draft night was a big night for UK basketball — it showed that the Wildcats are back on top, at the very least from a talent viewpoint, and if that draft wasn’t a ringing endorsement of Calipari for any recruit paying attention nothing will be.

It was a historic moment for UK basketball — never before had the Wildcats seen one of their own taken as the #1 draft pick, and then on top of that came a top-5 pick and a lottery pick. Never before had the Wildcats, or anyone else for that matter, seen five players taken in the first round.

But it was not the biggest night in history for this storied program. I figured Calipari got caught up in the heat of the moment — it can happen to anyone, especially when the moment includes watching almost all of your first team as head coach make it to the biggest stage of them all — and would maybe come down a little bit. But, no, he pressed on, saying it depended on your frame of reference and maintaining that it’s “players first.”

Now, it might have been the greatest moment in each of these player’s history. I would say earning a first-round selection and all the opportunities that come with it would be a crowning achievement, a validation of all the hard work and preparation put in (even though some player’s hard work and preparation only got them 3 ppg and 3 rpg in college, but who’s counting, right?).

It might have even been the greatest moment in Calipari’s history. These were his guys from his team in his first season at UK. It had to be special for him to watch all those guys he worked so hard to get and keep don their suits and walk to the podium. Perhaps this night was, for him, even greater than the Final Fours he had been to (maybe they were vacated from his heart as well as from the record books).

When Cal talks about the biggest night in UK basketball history, I think it was mainly done from the two perspectives he knows best — from the player’s and his own. And he’s probably right there. But he didn’t consider it from a fan’s perspective. Bluebloods wanted their own party through Lexington after the NCAA Championship game, not watch someone else’s Draft Party because they landed a franchise player who used to be their franchise player.

I’m only 19, so I don’t have the greatest answer as to what exactly would have been the biggest night for Wildcat fans. I would start with the obvious: seven national titles, including two in a three-year stretch. I can’t really remember what those were like — my aunt and uncle were attending UK during that streak and said it was wild, but I’m still waiting for my first championship I can remember — but I imagine those were pretty great moments.

To fans, the greatest moment in UK basketball history will always be something that happens while these guys are in uniforms, not suits.  We won’t see any banners hanging from Rupp’s rafters next season to commemorate the Draft Cats achievement, no matter how proud it made Cal.

It’s one of the most common questions we’re asked when we’re children and the answers can range everywhere from firefighter, to doctor, to teacher to professional basketball player.

Wait, professional basketball player?

Call me crazy, but after reading the comments from a lot of Big Blue Nation – no, not all of Big Blue Nation – I would have thought John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton were leaving UK early to enter a profession not safe for print.

I’ve heard everything from ‘John Calipari might as well be a trainer for the NBA,’ to ‘Why isn’t Calipari making his players stay to earn their degrees?,’ to ‘Everyone going pro is going to be broke in five years anyway.’

I don’t get it. Actually, it genuinely makes me upset.

I’m sorry Big Blue Nation if this freshman class didn’t deliver an eighth championship banner, but what else do they need to do for you?

They reinvigorated a program that had grown stale under the previous regime, they excited you all enough to help set a new Rupp Arena attendance record, they beat Louisville, they beat North Carolina, they won the program’s 2,000th game, they dawned covers that had never been dawned before by college players, they won countless awards, they won regular season and postseason championships, they started dance crazes, and they were one of the biggest stories in all of college basketball.

Why are you grilling them for following their dreams to become professional basketball players? Why are you grilling Calipari for encouraging them to follow their dreams?

Sure, getting a degree would be great, but let me ask you this: If you were majoring to become an accountant, and you were one of the smartest and brightest accounting majors in the entire country when you were just a freshman, and a firm contacted you and said they would pay you $30 million over the next five years to work them, would you turn them down?

Even that scenario isn’t fair though. These players can always get injured and have their dream and all the money that comes with it washed down the drain from an injury.

Please, stop acting like these young men are doing something horrible by foregoing a few years of college to begin a respected, well-paid profession as a professional athlete.

I don’t mean to paint Big Blue Nation with too broad a brush. It certainly is not everybody who is upset with these young men. In fact, it’s probably a minority, but why are some of you treating these young athletes with disdain for following their dreams?

Sure, as a fan it might stink to know your favorite team is missing out on a great opportunity to hang another banner in the hallowed rafters of Rupp Arena, but don’t put your fandom and personal desires above the futures of five young men who you cheered on for six months.

When these 19-, 20- and 21-year-olds were in elementary school and were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, it’s likely they said a professional basketball player.

Is that such a horrible dream?

Let’s congratulate Wall, Cousins, Patterson, Bledsoe and Orton for accomplishing their dreams at such young ages. Let’s congratulate these five players for being able to support their families. Let’s wish these players the best of luck in the future while thanking them for their work in the past.

All they’re guilty of is working hard and following their dream when they were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up.

A legendary Cat is moving on.

Junior forward Patrick Patterson called it a career Friday afternoon, formally announcing his intentions to turn pro.

Patterson first thanked his coaches, including former UK head coach and current Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith, for getting him acquainted with the university.

“I just felt that it was time for me to go, time for me to start a new chapter in my life, time for me to move on” Patterson said. “I’ve had a great collegiate career here these past three years. I had a lot of fun, created a lot of memories, and met some exciting people.”

Patterson said he seriously considered returning for his senior season, but intends to complete his degree this semester and participate in graduation ceremonies on May 8 with the rest of the UK graduates.

After averaging 14.3 points and 7.4 rebounds during the 2009-10 season and becoming a legitimate 3-point shooting threat, Patterson is projected to be a lottery pick at No. 12 by DraftExpress.com.

In his first two seasons, Patterson played mostly in the paint with his back to the basket.

Under UK head coach John Calipari, Patterson extended his range and said he has no regrets about returning for his junior season after being projected as a first round pick following his sophomore year.

“Ball handling, driving from the perimeter, just overall confidence in myself skyrocketed this year,” Patterson said. “(I improved) from the coaching staff pushing me every day and my teammates just believing in me. So definitely, there is no bitter taste in my mouth for returning for my junior year.”

Patterson’s mother, Tywanna Patterson, said she was more proud of her son for earning his degree than his basketball accomplishments, but she thinks of him leaving UK more as him passing on the baton to someone else rather than leaving. Tywanna said she was happy Patrick decided to come back for his junior season.

“It was his decision,” Tywanna said.

Patterson’s legacy may be one that will live in the rafters of Rupp Arena some day, but for now, he said he hopes he’s remembered for wearing the UK jersey with pride, and someone who was a great ambassador for the university.

While only at UK for three years, Patterson has experienced the highs and lows of the UK basketball program.

He came to UK with first-year head coach Billy Gillispie, played in notable home losses to Gardner Webb, San Diego and the Virginia Military Institute, had to sit out with an injury and miss his first NCAA Tournament, play in the National Inviation Tournament, go through a coaching change, help UK win the Southeastern Conference Tournament and played as a No. 1 seed.

“I definitely feel like a veteran,” Patterson said. “I feel like this is my fifth year here at Kentucky.

Patterson will leave the Cats with a career average of 16.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is 11 points shy of 12th place on UK’s all-time scoring list with 1,564 points.

“Finally, to be a part of history and to be a part of a team that got Kentucky back to its rightful place among the elite programs across the nation, I definitely think that I was a part of history,” Patterson said. “I definitely think I was a part of the progression of getting Kentucky back to the true spot, to the true top point where it needs to be and should be.”

Patterson talks about his decision to turn pro.

Another video of Patterson talking about his decision to turn pro.

One more video of Patterson talking about turning pro.

Final video of Patterson talking about his decision to turn pro.

The electric 6-foot-4 guard from Raleigh, N.C., held a news conference Thursday morning to tell media and family members, including his mother, Frances Pulley, he will be entering the draft.

“(UK head coach John Calipari) told me I had a chance … it was just going to take a lot of hard work and dedication, and that’s the type of person I am,” Wall said. “I always want to work hard, stay humble and hungry, and I came in and did what I was supposed to this year.”

Expectations for Wall varied from person to person since he signed with the Cats in May of 2009.

Wall arrived in Lexington as the premier player in a recruiting class many experts perceived as one of the best of all time. His ball handling, vision and speed were attributes that had the Big Blue Nation dropping their collective jaws, and after one dance at Big Blue Madness in mid-October, the legend was born. As the season progressed, the John Wall Dance swept the globe. Drinks at local bars were even named after the freshman phenom.

“I knew a lot of expectations would be set for me because of what type of player I was coming out of high school,” Wall said. “But I didn’t know all of it was going to be like it was, like a three-second dance and all the other things and so much expectations for this team. But I loved every second, every moment that we had at the University of Kentucky.”

En route to setting UK freshman records in points, assists and free throws made, Wall earned Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors and was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press. With recruiting season in full blast, Wall said he would recommend UK to any student-athlete still considering which school to go to.

Meanwhile, Wall will move on, and take on the responsibilities of an adult drawing an NBA paycheck. During the season, Big Blue Nation found out Wall’s fear of needles, but it seems needles aren’t the only hindrance for the teenager.

“I’m trying to still learn how to wash clothes and things like that,” Wall said. “And it ain’t working.”

Wall, who wore a black suit with pinstripes and a purple tie to the news conference, said he wasn’t worried about what he was going to buy first with his money.

“I have one suit, this is the only suit I got. I wear this to every press conference,” Wall said. “I’m just worried about getting my mom a house and car and just let her relax. Just show her that I care and love her so much for all the stuff she did for me.”

Wall said he didn’t really care what team he was drafted by and didn’t have a favorite team, but he hoped UK fans would come out and support him.

“I never thought college would be this fun for me,” Wall said. “I said I had fun in high school and AAU, but every time I sit back and watch a highlight video of this team this year, I sit back and I cry in my room because it’s so emotional. I never thought that this team would be this special, and the players and the coaching staff meant a lot to me.

“I’m always going to be a Kentucky Wildcat for the rest of my life. Like I said, the fans and the people support us all year long. Why wouldn’t you want to come here?”

On the same day John Wall formally announced his intentions to enter the 2010 NBA Draft, class of 2011 point guard Marquis Teague gave UK head coach John Calipari and the UK basketball team a verbal commitment.

Teague is regarded by Rivals.com as the No. 2 player in the country and the top point guard. Teague, brother of former Wake Forest star Jeff Teague who now plays for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, will be yet another highly ranked point guard to commit to Calipari.

Calipari has now coached in succession, Derrick Rose, who was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2009, Tyreke Evans, who is the favorite to be the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year, and Wall, who is favored to be the top pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. Calipari has also landed a National Letter of Intent from the class 2010’s No. 1 player, Brandon Knight.

Teague is a 6-foot-2 guard from Indianapolis who many believed months ago would commit to Louisville. The Cats and Cards were the final two schools Teague was deciding between.

The Cats now have verbal commitments from the top two prospects in the class of 2011, having already received a verbal commitment from Michael Gilchrist on April 14.

Wall talks about his time at UK and the college experience.

One more video of Wall talking about his time at UK and his future in the Association.

6-foot-4 shooting guard Doron Lamb gave a verbal commitment to play for the Cats during halftime of Saturday night’s Jordan Brand Classic played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Lamb is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 21 player in the country and the third best shooting guard. He joins Brandon Knight, Enes Kanter and Stacey Poole in the 2010 class for the Cats.

After signing a National Letter of Intent with the Cats on the first day of the spring signing period in 2009, Cousins – or “Boogie,” as many fans know him – has been welcomed with open arms, and he said his decision to turn pro was not an easy one.

“The people here, the coaching staff, it was just easy to adjust,” Cousins said. “I’ve never been accepted like this, no matter where I was. Everywhere here just felt like family.”

In his first game with the Cats, he recorded a modest seven points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action before fouling out. He learned quickly, however, scoring in double digits in 26 of his next 28 games and setting a UK freshman record for most double-doubles in a season with 20.

By the end of the season, Cousins was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-American by the Associated Press.

“I’ve proven myself this year, and right now my stocks are high and I believe this is the time for me to go,” Cousins said.

DraftExpress.com, a professional scouting service written and designed by a group of dedicated basketball analysts with a passion for the game, as described on their Web site, has Cousins projected as the No. 3 draft pick this summer. It should be noted, however, that because the order in which teams will draft has not yet been decided, team needs are not taken into account in current mock drafts.

Still, despite being projected as one of the top picks in the draft and having endorsement deals and millions of dollars waiting for him, Cousins said his decision to leave UK for the professional ranks was not an easy one, but one he had to make because it was “his time.”

“The love here, I mean I didn’t want to leave this place,” Cousins said. “I could stay here forever. I have so much love for this university (and) I just want to stay here and help the team to just keep winning.”

Cousins is finishing up the spring semester now and is working on losing weight and adding muscle to his 6-foot-11, 270-pound frame. He said he will still stay close to the university and come back often.

Cousins’ agent, John Greig, a Seattle-based agent whose current clients include NBA Development League players and European players, was in attendance at the news conference. Cousins said his mom found him, and to him. it wasn’t too hard of a process.

“Agents do what they do. They find you,” Cousins said.

Cousins’ emotional style of play drew concern from some NBA scouts, and being labeled as an emotional player continued throughout the season even though he walked away from numerous confrontations when other players tried to provoke him. Looking back on the season, Cousins said he thought he grew up a lot, passing some tests and failing others.  And he said players who choose to come to UK will love it.

“I’ll never forget this part of my life,” Cousins said. “This is probably one of the most precious times I’ve ever had. Like I said, I’ve never felt accepted like this. I just felt love from day one.”

Cousins, Krebs sign autographs at Kennedy Book Store

Fans lined up around Kennedy Bookstore late Thursday afternoon with items in hand to be signed by UK freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins and senior guard Mark Krebs.

“We sold out of the balls, we sold out of the Cats’ Pause yearbooks, the SEC T-shirts we put on sale, we about sold out of them too,” said Carol Behr, general manager of Kennedy Bookstore.

It cost $20 to get a signature from a player if someone brought in an outside item with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to charity. Twenty percent of whatever was sold inside to be autographed was also donated to charity. Workers at Kennedy Bookstore estimated 230 people came in the two-hour window made available from about 5:30-7:30 p.m.

“It shows how far we’ve come in the last couple years because I don’t think we would have had a showing last year,” Krebs said. “We had a great year this year, it shows how much people do love us around the state and how much of a good team we were and how much people looked up to us which is really good and that’s what you always want, to be good role models.”

Big Cuz — the same Big Cuz that drew almost as much love from NBA scouts as he did from end-of-the-bench hacks, sent in to try and hack their way through what many thought was a paper-thin temper — may have controlled the lane more so than anyone in college basketball for 38 games, but that’s all for now.

Eventually, he’ll move up to the two-lane roads and larger highways.

So maybe when John Calipari called Cousins a “big 12-year-old” on several occasions throughout the big man’s only collegiate season, there was a little something more to that than just sitting down and playing video games with Calipari’s son.

Regardless of his status with UK, the NBA or the DMV, they don’t make ‘em like DeMarcus very often. And soon, big men around The League will find out.

Right now, he’s not really working on much in terms of basketball. He said right now he’s focusing on finishing up the semester in good academic standing and getting his body ready for the NBA. He’s losing weight and putting on muscle.

Once the semester’s out, he’ll start working on his basketball skills, fine-tuning and getting them ready for the NBA scouts and general managers who will have to decide whether he’s worthy of a top-three, top-five or top-10 pick.

And more so than judging his skills, those same scouts and GMs will have to decide if his attitude is worthy of such a considerable investment. Cousins had a reputation follow him around while at UK that he lost his cool with the snap of a finger.

Anyone that digs into game film would be wrong to assume an issue with Cousins’ flares (which were few and fairly tame, especially compared to the perception surrounding him).

At UK. he was a kid being bullied around — by bullies, no less, who had to flout the rules just to keep him from breaking records at their expense.

Now it’s time for kids his own size to pick on him.

“It just helped me grow up as a basketball player and a man, and I believe it’s time for me to go,” Cousins said.

Soon, he’ll be going up against men like Dwight Howard, who can actually hang with a body and a talent like Cousins without not-so-subtly resorting to dirty tricks. It’ll be a new challenge for Cousins because even after a year of Division I hoops, he’s still never played regularly against men who can reasonably match up with him.

Those asking if Cousins can mentally handle the challenge could even compare him directly to Howard. Howard jumped straight from high school to the NBA (before the league established a rule in 2005 banning such transitions) and some thought his goofy attitude and constant grin would cost him.

Even as recently as 2009, a Sports Illustrated cover story questioned Howard’s “smile,” questions which Cousins has faced, if in a bit of a different light. (Big Cuz can get angry in a game, but not too much to don his geeky glasses and laugh it off immediately thereafter.)

In 2009-10, Howard led the NBA in rebounds per game, blocks per game and field goal percentage. Whether Cousins will equally produce doesn’t matter; but just because he’s a big kid, that won’t count against him. Even if he’s a “big kid,” he’s still big.

And for the sake of the NBA, which employs too many players that seem to find more headlines in court than on the court: Hopefully Cousins, like Howard, never grows up too much.

When asked on what he’d spend that first NBA paycheck, he answered without too much pause, like any kid who knows what’s best.

“Whatever my mom wants,” he said.

A few big paychecks down the road, he’ll get that driver’s license, too.

James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.