UK standouts storm into area

By MELINDA ROBINSON - The Independent

SUMMIT April 30, 2008 11:51 pm

— The University of Kentucky’s annual Barnstorming Tour will be at Boyd County Middle School tonight at 7.
UK seniors Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, along with former Wildcats Lukasz “Woo” Orbzut, Bobby Perry and Randolph Morris will take the court and represent the Big Blue Nation.
They’ll take on a team comprised of Marshall University alum.
“Hopefully we can get that Marshall-Kentucky thing going again,” said Boyd County Schools facility and events coordinator and former Herd player Frank Martin.
Slated to appear from Marshall are seniors Mark Dorris and Jean Francois Bro Grebe and alumnus J.R. VanHoose, Travis Aikens, Mark Patton, Joda Burgess, as well as Martin.
Martin’s ties to the Herd were part of the inspiration for finding a team to play the UK stars when he was contacted by the Barnstorming tour.
“That’s part of my position (at Boyd County) so I’m trying to bring a lot of events down here,” he said. “We know there’s a lot of Kentucky fans in this area and we wanted to make it a big event with the Marshall alumni.”
The UK all-stars have five barnstorming games under their belt and will play a total of 12 this spring.
Last week, Bradley poured in 102 points against a group of 14th Region seniors in an event in Hazard.
The UK stars typically take on a group of high school players or school faculty along the Barnstorming Tour. This will be the first time this year they’ll take on another team of Division I seniors and alumni.
The event will consist of a four-quarter game with special shows in between quarters. The players will also test their skills against a group of children during one of the breaks. There’s also a 3-point competition on tap with area high school senior basketball players going up against the Wildcats.
“We hope to have a good one,” said Matt Jones, who helped coordinate the tour along with Perry. “We want to get as many people as possible out to the game.”
Boyd County hopes to draw a crowd of 500 or more, according to Martin. The school will set up a concession stand and also receive a portion of the ticket money.
The Ashland Area UK Alumni Association will also be on hand for information about joining its organization.
Players will be available after the game to speak with fans and sign autographs.
Tickets are $10 and the doors will open around 6 p.m.