Senior Night sendoff won’t be Sestina’s first. His last one ‘really threw me off.’
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.”
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.”
Some turmoil, too
Of course, this season hasn’t been all sunshine and lollipops for Sestina. He fractured his left wrist in November and missed three games.
Opponents have looked for scoring from the player he was guarding enough to affect his confidence. UK Coach John Calipari recommended the book, “10-Minute Toughness,” which Sestina again credited for helping deal with the inevitable declines in what he called the roller-coaster ride that is any basketball season.
While coaches, including Calipari, call for players to have amnesia, to not let a temporary setback affect the next play, this does not come easily for a player as conscientious as Sestina.
“I’m a perfectionist,” he said. “At least I try to be. You want to play perfectly all the time. You want to play great. When you don’t, sometimes that stuff lingers on your mind.”
UK assistant coach Joel Justus saluted the role Sestina has played this season as a leader. Despite being older than his teammates, Sestina can relate, which enhances the impact he can make, Justus said.
“Being that guy who is older, more mature (pause for comic effect) most of the time,” Justus said as reporters chuckled. “Nate has a spirit about him that he has enjoyed his time here. I like the 22-year-old Nate. You know, then at times he slips back to 13-year-old Nate.”
Justus contrasted Sestina with last season’s grad transfer, Reid Travis. Travis was “very serious,” the coach said. “Nate, while he is serious, he’s able to relate to this group. And it’s a fun, it’s a laughing, jovial group.”
Getting things going
Justus credited Sestina with setting a tone for communicating on the court.
“Nate doing it has empowered Immanuel (Quickley) to do it,” Justus said. “He’s empowered Ashton (Hagans) to do it.”
Talking reflects a player’s investment in team success that Calipari and his staff emphasize.
“When it’s truly player-driven, you’ve got a chance to do something special,” Justus said. “Nate kind of got that going early.”
That something special extends to Sestina’s tiny hometown of Emporium, Pa.
“You see Kentucky flags,” Sestina’s father said. “People have changed their college team from whomever to Kentucky.”
Townspeople gather at the local country club to watch Kentucky. Others do the same at the Sestinas’ church, St. Mark. A fund-raiser brought in almost $1,000 so people could watch UK games on a new 75-inch television in the church basement.
“We could buy a TV and the popcorn machine,” said Father Paul Siebert, the priest at St. Mark. “As soon as he gets in the game, we’re all revved up.”
Now, those moments are nearing an end.
“Moving into my final home game is a little surreal … ,” Sestina said. “I’ve been reflecting a lot. A lot of great memories have been popping up.
“I love college basketball. If I had another year, I’d stay, for sure.”
Tuesday
Tennessee at No. 6 Kentucky
When: 9 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Tennessee 16-13 (8-8 SEC), Kentucky 24-5 (14-2)
Series: Kentucky leads 156-73
Last meeting: Kentucky won 77-64 on Feb. 8, 2020, at Knoxville, Tenn.
