Al McGuire’s Timeless Kentucky Quote Still Defines the Wildcats’ Identity
“Kentucky is like the WWE: Now. Then. Forever.”
There is only one Kentucky basketball.
Few figures in college hoops history could craft a line as piercing and enduring as Al McGuire. Decades ago, the Hall of Fame coach who led Marquette to the 1977 national championship delivered a statement so simple, yet so powerful, that it still reverberates through the Commonwealth today:
“They had it before you, they had it during you, they’ll have it when you’re gone.”
That one sentence perfectly captured the indestructible aura of Kentucky basketball. No matter the era, no matter the coach, no matter the roster turnover, the Wildcats are not just another program on the map they are the program.
Even now, in 2025, those words hold as much truth as they did the day McGuire spoke them.
For over a decade, Kentucky fans endured postseason heartbreaks and the eventual end of the John Calipari era, but the standard never wavered. And now, under head coach Mark Pope a man who once wore the jersey himself the Wildcats are finding their identity again, not as a shadow of what they once were, but as a reinvented empire.
Pope has wasted no time reshaping Kentucky in his image. In less than 18 months, he’s built a roster rooted in experience, chemistry, and basketball IQ. No longer does the team rely solely on five-star freshmen to carry the weight. Instead, Pope has fused veteran leadership with talented newcomers, creating a balanced and dangerous unit.
This is the real embodiment of McGuire’s message Kentucky doesn’t just exist in moments of glory. It exists in every era because it is sustained by culture, belief, and an unwavering fan base.
McGuire knew it too:
“My genuine opinion of the Kentucky basketball program is that there is only one, and it is top drawer, Park Avenue. All other basketball programs in the country think they are, but they are not. The closest are North Carolina, maybe Indiana and UCLA. But at Kentucky, basketball is a type of religion a fanatical obsession where they expect to be national champions each year, and they live and die with each ball game. One of the things so different about Kentucky is that they have more than 100 stations that broadcast the games, while most colleges have three or four and think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Kentucky puts SRO 23,000 people in Rupp Arena; if they built an arena seating 50,000, there would still be a waiting list.”
That “basketball as religion” mentality is alive and well in Lexington today. Pope’s 2025-26 roster is proof.
With Otega Oweh’s defensive toughness, Jaland Lowe’s floor leadership, Trent Noah’s sharpshooting, and versatile talents like Andrea Jelavić and Jasper Johnson coming off the bench, the Wildcats have depth, firepower, and adaptability. Pope’s motion offense thrives on spacing and decision-making. His defensive system is designed for March, not just for highlight reels.
Kentucky is not playing for hype anymore. They’re playing for banners.
As McGuire said, Kentucky had it before you, during you, and they’ll have it when you’re gone. And in the Mark Pope era, that isn’t just a quote on a wall it’s a warning to the rest of college basketball.
The empire is awake again. And this time, it’s built to last.
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