MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. _ When Rick Pitino cited weather as a reason he could not come to a Southeastern Conference Media Day one year, then Florida coach Billy Donovan joked that the Kentucky coach had been doing a rain dance on the airport tarmac.
Fast forward to Wednesday when attending SEC Media Day was cited as a reason highly coveted graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear chose Florida rather than Kentucky.
"I told him throughout the (transfer) process, 'If you come to Florida, I'll bring you to Media Day,' " Florida coach Mike White said.
This was part of White's way of telling Blackshear, an All-ACC player for Virginia Tech, he would be a team leader for the Gators.
" 'You won't be coming in as the guy who has to work his way into the trust of the staff,' " White said. " 'You'll be the lone senior. Speak up! We'll be relying on you. You'll be an extension of our staff.' "
Blackshear found this appealing.
"That was cool," he said. "Just understanding I had a big role on the team was really fun for me. It made me understand I had to be one of the leaders this year."
UK coach John Calipari has made no secret that he sought to add another "big" as a safeguard against foul trouble or injury. When asked if he seriously considered UK as a transfer destination, Blackshear said, "Heavily. Heavily."
Perhaps putting the best face on the situation, UK sophomore guard Ashton Hagans said he was happy that Blackshear went elsewhere.
"I'm glad we didn't (get him)," Hagans said. "It lets EJ (Montgomery), Nick (Richards) and Nate (Sestina) show what they've got. Give them more minutes to play."
Hagans all but gushed about the improvement Montgomery and Richards have made since last season.
"Nick is totally different," he said. "Looks 10 times better. EJ is 10 times bigger and better."
Hagans conceded that Blackshear, whom the media voted as preseason SEC Player of the Year, would have been a nice addition to Kentucky's team.
"It would have been," he said. "But now, we're moving on from that."
Blackshear, who is from Orlando, spoke of how intently the Florida players reached out to him.
"They were persistent," he said. "Really persistent. They kept engaging me."
Blackshear scored 1,152 points and grabbed 616 rebounds for Virginia Tech.
"What will he bring?" White said. "A bunch."
The Florida coach also cited how Blackshear can contribute an intangible benefit.
"Our guys know he's good," White said. "And he's a high-level communicator. He's a positive-reinforcement guy with his teammates. He goes a really good job with our younger team. They were excited about the day he committed."
