When Kentucky men’s basketball commit Acaden Lewis and his father, Jarett, learned about the devastating floods in eastern Kentucky, they wanted to do something to help.

“We are big on community service,” Jarett Lewis explained.

Even though they live in Washington, D.C., they reached out and found a way to help those in eastern Kentucky. They sent extra gear that Acaden had accumulated to Pikeville High School basketball coach Elisha Justice.

“He has accumulated a lot of stuff over the year from the (Nike) EYBL circuit and the various camps he has attended,” Jarett said. “We were looking for a way to gift some of those things to families or maybe a rec center when we saw what was going on in Kentucky. We just thought it was a good opportunity to connect with the folks in Kentucky who needed some help.”

Acaden, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard, is a top-40 national prospect who came close to committing to UConn before a late home visit from Kentucky coach Mark Pope convinced him to pick Kentucky.

“For us it is so cool to see everything that has happened for him basketball-wise, but we are a family and look at ourselves as part of the community,” Jarett said. “He chose Kentucky as his next home and will carry ourselves as no different than people born and raised in eastern Kentucky. We would hope if there was a natural disaster here in D.C. that someone would do their best to help in time of need. So our role is just to try and maybe help a few folks out in Kentucky.”

The Lewis family thought the pictures from eastern Kentucky were “devastating” and knew based on the love they had received from Kentucky fans since Acaden’s commitment that they needed to try and help.

“Acaden knows Kentucky will soon be his new home and wants to be able to impact the community there like he has here,” the player’s father said. “We have done our best to raise Acaden in a way that he understands not everything revolves around him and to get to where he is now he had to be selfless.

“He was not always the best player on his team and had to watch others thrive. His outlook is a little different from others in the same position, but he will be able to relate to people when he gets to Kentucky. He might be going to a blueblood school, but he is a blue collar kid.”

Lewis’ senior season has not gone exactly as planned because a foot issue has limited his game availability. His father said the family tried to find a positive from the injury when Acaden had to figure out alternative ways to stay in shape so he would be able to play when his injury healed.

“He got stronger during the break. Injuries are part of the game, but you have got to continue to find ways to improve. He got significantly stronger and one thing we had highlighted in his preparation for UK was that he needed to get stronger,” Jarett said. “He made the sacrifices to get up for physical therapy at 5:30 a.m. or to go to strength and conditioning at 6 a.m. or maybe 8 p.m. He made the most of his down time and I think that bodes well for UK.”

Jarett Lewis was anxious to see how Pope would “weather the storms” when things didn’t go well and fans were upset and criticizing him and players.

“I thought at times when the criticism amped up on Pope or the players, he did a magnificent job diffusing the noise and taking ownership that we didn’t meet the standard and we have to be better,” Jarett said. “He didn’t let the wheels fall out when they had injuries. His positive energy rejuvenated the team.”

He likes that Pope is not a get-in-your-face coach, but is more unorthodox with his constant positive energy.

“I think this is a fun team to love,” the UK signee’s father said. “I think if Mark could have picked the ideal way to start out this is probably the team he wanted and would go back and do the same thing with an older team that had the ability to adjust faster to the expectations and demands of the fanbase.”

He said he was not sure his son and signees Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno with a mixture of portal players would have been the “ideal” first team for Pope.

“This way he’s been able to establish the culture he wants with an older team and I think that has worked out really well,” Jarett said.

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All-American point guard Georgia Amoore has seen plenty of defensive gimmicks used to try and stop her from scoring or at least disrupt her offensive flow. Rather than complain, she tries to “make lessons out of silver linings” to help make her an even better player.

“It’s an honor that I get the defensive pressure I get. It’s an honor that they scout me the way they scout me. It’s an honor that I get grabbed and face-guarded when they pass the ball in. It’s an honor that I came over here, and I got stuck during COVID because if I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t have the relationships I had,” Amoore said.

She came from Australia to play for coach Kenny Brooks at Virginia Tech and helped the Hokies reach the Final Four. She was coming off an All-American season when she transferred to Kentucky for her fifth collegiate season.

“Every single thing that I’ve been through basketball-wise, it has shaped me into the player I am, and I think I hear it all the time. I’m too short, I’m not quick enough, I’m not this, I’m not that,” she said. “But it’s like, OK, what am I then because we’re a ranked team, people scout for me. I don’t know if that’s a nobody then.

“So, I think that for me … I don’t know if it’s just being Australian or the mentality that we grow up having. Never get too high and never get too low. People are always going to talk to people, or people are always going to say something. There’s going to be days where you feel it, there’s going to be days where you disagree, there’s going to be days where you agree, but I’m this. I’m solid.

“I’m enjoying what I have. You call it what you know, what’s on the other side, you know, the grass is not always greener. It may look like that, but it’s not. I love what I have, I love the experience I’ve had. I’ve loved the staff, the guidance, the coaching.”

Amoore knows her collegiate days are numbered now with postseason play ready to start and then next year she plans to be in the WNBA.

“I’ve squeezed every single ounce of whatever orange juice was in that orange. That has been my college career,” she said. “I take pride in that, and I just take little wins every single day.

“So, if that’s what you have to do, then do it, because I’m loving my life right now.”

Amoore believes playing with guard Dazia Lawrence, a Charlotte transfer, has “brought a different side of leadership” out in her this season.

“She’s the more vocal kind. I think I was always a by-example type of person, and never necessarily had as big of a voice as I wish I wanted earlier, but she does,” Amoore said. “She brought it out in me for sure.

“It’s been a pleasure just to watch her in how she leads with what she says, how she says it. She’s very articulate, very intelligent, and she just, I don’t see her not getting along with anyone. I think that’s really special about her, and something that I’ve learned from her.”

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Probably not many Kentucky fans expected freshmen Travis Perry and Trent Noah to play significant minutes for UK in key games this season. Many probably hoped that might happen, but didn’t believe it would until injuries decimated UK’s backcourt.

Perry finished his prep career at Lyon County as the state’s all-time leading scorer. Noah finished at Harlan County as the fifth all-time leading scorer.

“He’s been a guy that’s been consistent for us. Everybody on the team knew that whenever he got his shot, he was going to make the most of it. He has consistently done that,” Perry said about Noah. “Every time he comes in, he provides a spark in some way, whether it’s making a 3, grabbing a couple of big boards.

“He’s been a guy that doesn’t really hang his head on whether he’s playing 20 minutes or playing zero minutes. He comes in consistently with the same effort, attitude, energy, passion for the game.”

The two guards played against each in the 2024 state high school championship game when Lyon beat Harlan, but are enjoying being teammates on coach Mark Pope’s team.

“It’s been awesome. Trent plays fearless, he plays free out there, and that’s all you can ask for from a guy,” Perry said. “He plays hard, harder than probably anybody on the floor at all times. He just plays a great game of basketball. It’s fun to watch. He’s fun to play with.

“For me, it’s really cool. I’ve kind of grown up in basketball with him — watching him, being good friends with him. To get to see him have those opportunities, it’s really awesome.”

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Zach Calzada played in 15 games at Texas A&M from 2019-21 and made 10 starts, including one against Alabama where he led Texas A&M to a win.

He eventually transferred to Auburn after a coaching change for the 2022 season, but did not play because of an injury before spending the last two years at Incarnate Word in San Antonio where he started 22 games.

The 6-4, 230-pound Calzada is now at Kentucky and ready for his first spring practice on coach Mark Stoops’ team. He has thrown for 8,707 yards and 73 touchdowns and rushed for 381 yards and 11 scores in his career — and is 23-9 as a starter.

After starting in the Southeastern Conference, dropping to a lower level at Incarnate Word is not something every player can do. For Calzada, it was not a problem.

“It was difficult at first, but I feel like I just embraced it. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through this journey is self-accountability and the good things that happen and the bad things that happen to me, I’m responsible for,” the veteran quarterback said. “I took ownership of that.

“It wasn’t the best feeling ever having to go down, but it was a blessing at the same time, and I embraced it. Those guys and those coaches there were amazing. And I’m really grateful for that experience.”

He admits there are times he had some doubts about his future the last two years.

“I wondered if I was going to be able to play football at a really high level again? I just trusted the process,” he said. “Resiliency and perseverance is something that’s always been instilled in me, and I just tried to keep those values and continue to push forward.”

Calzada figures to compete with redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley in spring practice that starts March 10. Stoops said he felt UK needed an experienced option at quarterback.

“A six-year guy, the guy has played a lot of football, competed in our league and did very well when he was in there,” Stoops said. “I think to balance that with a guy like Cutter, who is very young. You have got Beau (Allen) back, which gives us some experience as well, so I feel good about that position. I think with Zach what I like is the fact that I can put on film and see a ton of reps.”

He also has true freshman quarterbacks Stone Saunders and Brennen Ward.

“I mean, look at them and what they did in high school. I feel very good about them. But you know and I know I am not going to put all of my eggs in an incoming freshman,” the Kentucky coach said.

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Quote of the Week: “I’m a big fan of his. I just think he’s class. I think his teams are always good. We do seem to be playing each other a lot. Played him at Baylor and now at LSU, and he deserves everything that comes his way. Just a tremendous person. Great coach,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey, on UK’s Kenny Brooks.

Quote of the Week 2: “I’m recognizing that I’m a public figure, so I have to conduct my business in a professional manner and compete with class. Like (coach Mark) Stoops, be a statesman,” New Mexico State offensive lineman transfer Shiyazh Pete, on being at Kentucky.

Quote of the Week 3: “He’s had a great year, phenomenal year. To have that double-figure scoring (streak) as long as he did in this league? Phenomenal. He’s having an all-league type of year,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser, on UK junior Otega Oweh.