LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Graduate transfer Nate Sestina's storehouse of college basketball experience extends to the Senior Night ceremony. He went through the fond farewell thing as a senior at Bucknell last season.
Sestina had no idea that his brother, Andrew, who is a captain in the Marines, would be there.
"It really threw me off," Sestina said. "I was, like, 1-for-7 to start. My first shot hit the shot clock."
A less dramatic surprise with his Kentucky sendoff came on the eve of Tuesday's Senior Night. His parents, Don and Ricki Sestina, came to Monday's news conference moments before he arrived at the podium.
"They texted me that they had landed, like, 30 minutes ago," Sestina said. "And they just got Uber on their phone. So, I was not expecting them to be here before practice."
When asked if he had to be careful what he said with his parents in the back of the television cameras, Sestina played along. "Not so much my dad," he said. "But, when my mom is around, absolutely. No swear words. I've got to watch what I say. Make sure I represent us well."
Play VideoDuration 0:56What has been Nate Sestina's favorite moment at Kentucky?
Sestina described the 2019-20 season as a whirlwind of lasting memories.
"I came here in June kind of wide-eyed (and) shooting for the stars," he said after Kentucky beat Auburn on Saturday. "And the fact that it's already March, and I've got one more game at Rupp is wild to me."
Sestina's debut as a Kentucky player could hardly have been more memorable. His first UK game was at a storied arena, Madison Square Garden, against the No. 1-ranked team (Michigan State). His parents were there for that one. "Huge," he said.
Later, Andrew came from Camp Pendleton to Las Vegas to watch his brother and Kentucky play Utah and Ohio State.
Sestina reached 1,000 points in his college career by scoring 13 at LSU on Feb. 18. "Something I always dreamt about as a little kid," he said. "To do that wearing this uniform means a lot to me."
