Just returned from Caravan in Lexington

[PikeCat15]

It was great to see the team up close and have interactions with the players.

Cliff notes:

Reid Travis is a grown man and is going to punish some people this year. Really nice guy as well. He seemed somewhat shellshocked at BBN, ha.

Ashton Hagans is as enjoyable of a personality I’ve seen on a UK team in some time. Constantly smiling, polite to all fans and just good attitude in general.

Quade Green looks much thinner and in good shape. He was also smiling the entire time and cutting up with fans. Tyler Herro also super nice.

EJ and Nick were sitting beside each other and I can’t imagine anyone is gonna get a shot off in the paint with those two tall trees in there.

Coach Cal personable and swaggy.

Now to the one negative. I understand these players are tired. It had been a long day of signing autographs and I’m sure some fans asked more questions than appropriate. That being said, PJ Washington is the rudest UK player I’ve ever met. Head down the entire time. Refused to interact with fans. Wouldn’t respond to questions or comments from fans, not even if they just said thank you. Never smiled, once. Was rude to the fans in front of me, to my wife and I, and to the people behind us. Several fans walking back to their cars were talking about it. It was truly shocking and disappointing. PJ is one of my favorite players, and it was just a big let down. I know fans can be exhausting, but he was the only one acting like that. He acted as if he wanted to be anywhere else.


Rant over. This team looks like they really like each other (with the exception of PJ who acted like he wanted to die). I think we are poised for a big year.

GBB

 

[Blue Wildcat]

It was great to see the team up close and have interactions with the players.

Cliff notes:

Reid Travis is a grown man and is going to punish some people this year. Really nice guy as well. He seemed somewhat shellshocked at BBN, ha.

Ashton Hagans is as enjoyable of a personality I’ve seen on a UK team in some time. Constantly smiling, polite to all fans and just good attitude in general.

Quade Green looks much thinner and in good shape. He was also smiling the entire time and cutting up with fans. Tyler Herro also super nice.

EJ and Nick were sitting beside each other and I can’t imagine anyone is gonna get a shot off in the paint with those two tall trees in there.

Coach Cal personable and swaggy.

Now to the one negative. I understand these players are tired. It had been a long day of signing autographs and I’m sure some fans asked more questions than appropriate. That being said, PJ Washington is the rudest UK player I’ve ever met. Head down the entire time. Refused to interact with fans. Wouldn’t respond to questions or comments from fans, not even if they just said thank you. Never smiled, once. Was rude to the fans in front of me, to my wife and I, and to the people behind us. Several fans walking back to their cars were talking about it. It was truly shocking and disappointing. PJ is one of my favorite players, and it was just a big let down. I know fans can be exhausting, but he was the only one acting like that. He acted as if he wanted to be anywhere else.


Rant over. This team looks like they really like each other (with the exception of PJ who acted like he wanted to die). I think we are poised for a big year.

GBB

Similar demeanor at the father/son camp-don’t think it’s his intent, just his personality. He appears to be a little introverted-rest of the team seems to be more outgoing which makes him standout. Interacting with people is difficult-especially when you’re asked to be a politician of sorts. Couple that with having to wear the brace/cast and keep the hand/arm elevated, easy to see why he could be miserable at this time.

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

PJ seemed like a great guy last year. Constantly smiling. I wonder what his problem was today.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

It was great to see the team up close and have interactions with the players.

Cliff notes:

Reid Travis is a grown man and is going to punish some people this year. Really nice guy as well. He seemed somewhat shellshocked at BBN, ha.

Ashton Hagans is as enjoyable of a personality I’ve seen on a UK team in some time. Constantly smiling, polite to all fans and just good attitude in general.

Quade Green looks much thinner and in good shape. He was also smiling the entire time and cutting up with fans. Tyler Herro also super nice.

EJ and Nick were sitting beside each other and I can’t imagine anyone is gonna get a shot off in the paint with those two tall trees in there.

Coach Cal personable and swaggy.

Now to the one negative. I understand these players are tired. It had been a long day of signing autographs and I’m sure some fans asked more questions than appropriate. That being said, PJ Washington is the rudest UK player I’ve ever met. Head down the entire time. Refused to interact with fans. Wouldn’t respond to questions or comments from fans, not even if they just said thank you. Never smiled, once. Was rude to the fans in front of me, to my wife and I, and to the people behind us. Several fans walking back to their cars were talking about it. It was truly shocking and disappointing. PJ is one of my favorite players, and it was just a big let down. I know fans can be exhausting, but he was the only one acting like that. He acted as if he wanted to be anywhere else.


Rant over. This team looks like they really like each other (with the exception of PJ who acted like he wanted to die). I think we are poised for a big year.

GBB

Eighty percent of a good post.

Im not sure everything in life is for sharing. Once at the White House after the 1998 championship a UK player much beloved by the fan base was a rude jerk to me. I'll never say who it was. The kid had a bad two minutes and there's no need to trash him over it. Probably the same with PJ tonight. His video when he announced he was coming back was very gracious and enthusiastic.

 

[throatpoker]

It was great to see the team up close and have interactions with the players.

Cliff notes:

Reid Travis is a grown man and is going to punish some people this year. Really nice guy as well. He seemed somewhat shellshocked at BBN, ha.

Ashton Hagans is as enjoyable of a personality I’ve seen on a UK team in some time. Constantly smiling, polite to all fans and just good attitude in general.

Quade Green looks much thinner and in good shape. He was also smiling the entire time and cutting up with fans. Tyler Herro also super nice.

EJ and Nick were sitting beside each other and I can’t imagine anyone is gonna get a shot off in the paint with those two tall trees in there.

Coach Cal personable and swaggy.

Now to the one negative. I understand these players are tired. It had been a long day of signing autographs and I’m sure some fans asked more questions than appropriate. That being said, PJ Washington is the rudest UK player I’ve ever met. Head down the entire time. Refused to interact with fans. Wouldn’t respond to questions or comments from fans, not even if they just said thank you. Never smiled, once. Was rude to the fans in front of me, to my wife and I, and to the people behind us. Several fans walking back to their cars were talking about it. It was truly shocking and disappointing. PJ is one of my favorite players, and it was just a big let down. I know fans can be exhausting, but he was the only one acting like that. He acted as if he wanted to be anywhere else.


Rant over. This team looks like they really like each other (with the exception of PJ who acted like he wanted to die). I think we are poised for a big year.

GBB

 

[IndyCat1995]

Lol they're kids dude. Not robots. Chill. Maybe was just having a bad day.

 

[kywildcatsfan#1]

A lot of athletes are like this. I met Darius Miller before and he was nice. A little shy but he's a great kid. Met Marcus Mariota at a Titans Autograph Session after practice, extremely nice dude! Signed for hours in the hot sun of early August in training camp after having been on the practice field. I've had my instances where athletes always look down or not outgoing but I'm just happy to get the autograph.

 

[Drcats2025]

Eighty percent of a good post.

Im not sure everything in life is for sharing. Once at the White House after the 1998 championship a UK player much beloved by the fan base was a rude jerk to me. I'll never say who it was. The kid had a bad two minutes and there's no need to trash him over it. Probably the same with PJ tonight. His video when he announced he was coming back was very gracious and enthusiastic.

Who was it? I won’t tell anyone.

 

[uk78_rivals88018]

Good post. Let's not be critical to someone sharing their real experiences. We can admire and love our players but that doesn't mean they are all going to be how you want them to interact. I also was told that Cal could be a bit rude at some functions where it is not of his own. I have had my moments too.

 

[CatColumbia]

PJ seemed like a great guy last year. Constantly smiling. I wonder what his problem was today.

Not getting that guaranteed first round pick would be my guess.

 

[kyjeff1]

Well, it's possible that PJ has read up to thousands of negative comments on social media from his own fans about how his free throw shooting cost the team a trip to the E8. Now he's being asked to be friendly to said fans.
That's tough for a grown *** man to do, he's still a kid.
You can tell them to stay off social media, but that's like putting a big juicy steak in front of a dog and telling him he can't eat it.

 

[FFWhite]

Little nasty goes a long way on the court

 

[DerekMcPwn]

Frankly, I’m surprised at how many of the players stay positive and smiling throughout the process. I’m sure a lot of us have had jobs where we’ve had to gladhand strangers or business contacts for hours straight. If you’re an introvert, that usually means you’re dying on the inside and want to retreat into a dark room. A lot of NBA players are standoffish and unwelcoming in person, and they get paid millions.

It’s tough because as fans we feel like we’re paying a lot of money and traveling long distances to see and support the players (and for our own entertainment), and we want them to look happy and engaged. But remember these guys are teenagers getting paid nothing. The ambassadorship of being a UK player is a tremendous responsibility under those conditions.

 

[kywildcatsfan#1]

Frankly, I’m surprised at how many of the players stay positive and smiling throughout the process. I’m sure a lot of us have had jobs where we’ve had to gladhand strangers or business contacts for hours straight. If you’re an introvert, that usually means you’re dying on the inside and want to retreat into a dark room. A lot of NBA players are standoffish and unwelcoming in person, and they get paid millions.

It’s tough because as fans we feel like we’re paying a lot of money and traveling long distances to see and support the players (and for our own entertainment), and we want them to look happy and engaged. But remember these guys are teenagers getting paid nothing. The ambassadorship of being a UK player is a tremendous responsibility under those conditions.

A lot of truth here.

 

[Mojocat_rivals48469]

PJ seemed like a great guy last year. Constantly smiling. I wonder what his problem was today.

Because I don’t want to lose faith in humanity entirely, I don’t spend much time at all on social media. So this is just a guess. We lost an NCAA tournament game in the very rare year where we got some lucky breaks and had a pretty easy path to the FF, and we lost that game - by 3 - due in no small part to one kid going 8-20 from the line. I can’t imagine what he read about himself in the days following by “fans”. If I’m right about that guess, that could change a person’s perspective pretty completely...

 

[bucsrule8872]

I had a bad day today. I was rude to my family and treated them poorly because I was under the weather. My wife let me know about it.

So I can relate to Mr. Washington.

 

[PikeCat15]

I’m not attacking the kid’s character. As some have said above, could just be he was having a bad day. I want to and will give him that benefit of a doubt, coupling that with his hand didn’t look too comfortable.

Just sharing my experience with that players. Which was all were super kind and appreciative of the fans with the exception of PJ who wouldn’t even respond to a little kid saying “thank you so much” for an autograph. Wouldn’t even acknowledge that she was standing there. No eye contact, nothing. To some, they’ll be some excuse, to me, it’s never too hard to say thank you or you’re welcome to someone. But I digress. I’ll be rooting for the kid big time this year regardless. As many said, he probably (hopefully) was having a bad day. Go Cats.

 

[Bungalow Bill]

I have it on good authority PJ has PMSS. Post Metacarpal Surgery Syndrome.

 

[KYFOSSIL]

The problem I have is based on one interaction he was labeled as th “ rudest UK player you ever met. You describe someone as introverted and non responsive but rude is more of an action verb. He didn’t meet your expectations but you honestly don’t know what going on with him.

 

[PikeCat15]

The problem I have is based on one interaction he was labeled as th “ rudest UK player you ever met. You describe someone as introverted and non responsive but rude is more of an action verb. He didn’t meet your expectations but you honestly don’t know what going on with him.

Were you there?

 

[Saguaro Cat]

Eighty percent of a good post.

Im not sure everything in life is for sharing.

Unfortunately your good story might have over shined your better moral. OP and everyone should assume any negative interaction is just a player with a cold or girlfriend problems and keep it to themselves.

 

[ImUTGagain]

It was great to see the team up close and have interactions with the players.

Cliff notes:

Reid Travis is a grown man and is going to punish some people this year. Really nice guy as well. He seemed somewhat shellshocked at BBN, ha.

Ashton Hagans is as enjoyable of a personality I’ve seen on a UK team in some time. Constantly smiling, polite to all fans and just good attitude in general.

Quade Green looks much thinner and in good shape. He was also smiling the entire time and cutting up with fans. Tyler Herro also super nice.

EJ and Nick were sitting beside each other and I can’t imagine anyone is gonna get a shot off in the paint with those two tall trees in there.

Coach Cal personable and swaggy.

Now to the one negative. I understand these players are tired. It had been a long day of signing autographs and I’m sure some fans asked more questions than appropriate. That being said, PJ Washington is the rudest UK player I’ve ever met. Head down the entire time. Refused to interact with fans. Wouldn’t respond to questions or comments from fans, not even if they just said thank you. Never smiled, once. Was rude to the fans in front of me, to my wife and I, and to the people behind us. Several fans walking back to their cars were talking about it. It was truly shocking and disappointing. PJ is one of my favorite players, and it was just a big let down. I know fans can be exhausting, but he was the only one acting like that. He acted as if he wanted to be anywhere else.


Rant over. This team looks like they really like each other (with the exception of PJ who acted like he wanted to die). I think we are poised for a big year.

GBB

My buddy took his son. They had a blast. To touch on your point about Travis, I asked him to name some things that stood out. All he talked a out his how big Travis is. My friend is kinda "muscle bound" so just raved about how Travis was gonna "punish" people inside

As for PJ, I saw him act just the opposite last year. Maybe it was a bad day. I hate that happened to you tho. Maybe it's the cast, I don't know

 

[Blueaz]

Well, I heard he just lost his lyft/Uber coupon.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

P.J.is prolly hurting from surgery and I would say gotten bumped a ton these last few days around all the people. Probally wearing him down a bit not being healthy.

 

[PikeCat15]

My buddy took his son. They had a blast. To touch on your point about Travis, I asked him to name some things that stood out. All he talked a out his how big Travis is. My friend is kinda "muscle bound" so just raved about how Travis was gonna "punish" people inside

As for PJ, I saw him act just the opposite last year. Maybe it was a bad day. I hate that happened to you tho. Maybe it's the cast, I don't know

Travis just seems physically like he is going to dominate every opponent. I couldn’t be more excited for November 6th.

 

[ImUTGagain]

Well, it's possible that PJ has read up to thousands of negative comments on social media from his own fans about how his free throw shooting cost the team a trip to the E8. Now he's being asked to be friendly to said fans.
That's tough for a grown *** man to do, he's still a kid.
You can tell them to stay off social media, but that's like putting a big juicy steak in front of a dog and telling him he can't eat it.

Grand slam here Jeff. It would be hard for not to read all the negative stuff. I red thru it some after losses on their pages and it's ridiculous. If I was one of them it'd be impossible not to get on social media. Hell you know they get laid thru it on the regular

 

[WonderBraa]

so he didn’t say “you’re welcome”?

 

[Big John Stud]

Maybe he was concentrating on his autograph.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

I was at the Midway stop and didn’t notice anything out of sorts with PJ. I took a pic of him signing and he looks tired and I’m sure wearing that cast doesn’t feel very comfortable either.

 

[irishcat1965]

PJ was probably having a bad day. Or maybe he didn’t feel like being there at that time. Lord knows at his age, I could not have handled the scrutiny 24/7 that they face.

 

[GonzoCat90]

He's probably thrilled to spend his day signing autographs for the same middle aged men who think they'd shoot 80% from the free throw line with the Final Four at stake and a broken hand.

 

[akaukswoosh]

Frankly, I’m surprised at how many of the players stay positive and smiling throughout the process.

Agree. I’m generally easy to get along with but would be grumpy after a day of having to what these players had to do today.

 

[wromanp7]

Little nasty goes a long way on the court

And in the bedroom.

 

[Wildcats1st]

Maybe PJ is all business all the time now. Maybe he’s focused on the mission keeping everyone level headed and be the mental leader we need. Season is always off but maybe he got his game face on early.

 

[bbnkat02]

Maybe Washington had a bad day. I’m sure his wrist is killing him and now after signing all day I’m sure his other wrist is sore.

Maybe his dog is sick. Maybe his Mom is nagging him about something. Maybe he’s having girlfriend issues. Who knows? We need to stop instantly judging people on short experiences. This is how people feel crapped on and bullied. I know it’s not hard to say “You’re welcome.” and “Thank You.” but if he’s feeling like crap or again having personal issues, it can be a lot harder.

As a introvert myself I have to really force myself to interact with people in a large setting. I used to work sales for while and let me tell you, I went home drained every day. It’s really hard to put yourself out there for the public and not feel exposed or vulnerable. Yes. Good for growth, but it’s exhausting. Maybe that’s his nature. Maybe he’s an introvert off the court and what he shows us on court is his job face.

Point being, we should cut him some slack. Crap happens.

 

[KYFOSSIL]

Were you there?

No because if I was I would have given you a Kleenex. Seriously you bust out a college kid on social media because he didn’t meet your expectations.

 

[STEVECAT]

Travis is a freaking brick wall. I want some revenge on Tennessee this year [devil]

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Maybe the cast thing. Could be a little perturbed he can't fully participate with the rest of the team yet. Who knows?

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Maybe PJ is sick of doing this two years in a row, where every public interaction with an overbearing weirdo fan - be it at McDonald's, the gas station, on campus, at the mall - is a moment when the fan wants to talk about the same stupid BS and take a photo or get an autograph for their slobbering goofball of a child.

I don't think he owes us anything outside of basic decency. He gave that today by signing those stupid autographs that probably meant more to grown adults who should know better than they did to any impressionable kids.

Good for PJ for not faking it. Some of those same UK fans bellyaching probably can't even make it through three sincere handshakes in a row on Sunday morning at church.

 

[stoneycat_20]

The problem I have is based on one interaction he was labeled as th “ rudest UK player you ever met. You describe someone as introverted and non responsive but rude is more of an action verb. He didn’t meet your expectations but you honestly don’t know what going on with him.

I can't think of any reason not to smile or say hello to a little girl..not cool PJ