Star Player Gives Zach Tow A Jersey
Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler gave a jersey to the team’s very own “Rudy”, a walk on named Zach Tow before Tuesday’s game vs. LSU. Tow is far from a household name in the Wildcats fanbase, but thanks to Butler’s gesture, that could very quickly change.
Tuesday was senior night in front of the Kentucky Wildcats’ home crowd, but that may have been overlooked by the story heading into the game. Head coach Mark Pope discussed how huge of a game and opportunity this was for Zach Tow during his postgame interview. According to Pope, Lamont Butler came up to him about a month ago and told him that Tow deserved a jersey. During the pregame speech by Butler, he presented Tow with his first jersey, which he took with “stunned wonderment” while his teammates “lost their minds.”
A name that most people don’t know is Zach Tow. Zach Tow actually came to walk on tryouts when we randomly held walk on tryouts. He showed up and fought through 60 guys in workouts and then earned the right to come to practice and be on a one-day contract throughout the entire course of the season. He came and battled every single day, never said a word, never missed a rep, never missed a practice, never was an issue, never asked for anything. Just came and fought every single day.
The “Rudy” of the Kentucky Wildcats
Tow checked into the game with .2 seconds left to officially log gametime and be an official member of the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time all season. Butler admired and appreciated the sacrifice and dedication Tow has displayed all year long and thought that Tow should get the recognition he deserved. His teammates had nothing but high praise for Tow as well, echoing the same admiration and respect Butler and Mark Pope showed.
Sophomore Brandon Garrison talked about Tow as essentially being the heart of the team when asked about his significance to the team.
I feel like he’s been a big part of this team, even though he doesn’t get the notice that we get… In practice, you know, he’s helping us a lot, killing us in practice, scoring (and) stuff on us. And off the court, just helping. Like, if I need something, I can call him and count on him. But it was just an amazing moment for him. You know, he was very excited. (We were) excited for our guy.
As far as his contributions and overall impact on the team, Mark Pope has all the respect in the world for a player that went through what Tow did to be a part of the team in any capacity. “the fact that Zach was willing to come here and do that, do what he’s done for our team, all year long. Never asking for a single thing. He earned that jersey.”
How Will the Wildcats Do Moving Forward
Armed with their tenacious walk on who’s the heartbeat of their team, the Kentucky Wildcats are prepping for the SEC Tournament and March Madness. While their play has been very up and down this year, they have the perfect chance to turn things around in the next few weeks. The regular season difficulties they’ve faced both offensively and defensively have been numerous, specifically their perimeter defense as Pope has stated many times in postgame interviews which ranks 6th in the SEC.
But great teams always adapt and improve, something Kentucky Wildcats fans have been praying for since about December. They’re currently 20-10 overall and 9-8 in conference play, which puts them 8th in the SEC standings. According to the most recent bracketology, they hold the 3rd seed and will face Utah Valley in the first round of the March Madness tournament.
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