Vaught continues formula for success

On February 28, 1970, eighth grader Jamie Vaught attended his first professional basketball game. Watching former members of his beloved Kentucky Wildcats rip up and down the court in their new American Basketball Association uniforms was a thrill. He loved the ABA’s unique red, white and blue basketball, and the innovative 3-point line that had yet to make its way to the rival National Basketball Association or the collegiate level. 

After the final buzzer sounded on a 115-111 Colonels victory over the visiting Miami Floridians, Vaught hung around to get autographs from Louis Dampier, Jim “Goose” Ligon and Wayne Chapman while his parents waited outside in the car. It was late, and the Vaught family had a two-plus hour drive back to their home in Science Hill, but young Jamie was too excited to be tired.

“I was definitely on cloud nine,” Vaught says, more than five decades later. 

Vaught’s introduction to the Colonels makes up one section of his newest book, Unforgettable Journey with the Cats: Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness ($18.95; online or at local booksellers). The book, Vaught’s seventh, is a literary quilt, stitching together pieces of Kentucky Wildcat lore. Other chapters include profiles of Tim Couch, Paul Andrews, Reed Sheppard, Leigh Ann Pope, Kenny Brooks and Trent Noah.

The format works, both for Vaught and his readers. “Since my other volumes, especially the first one which came out in 1991, have done very well, I thought, ‘Well, why not?’ and continued to use the same road map or format in writing the book,” he says.

Vaught’s continued output is fueled by his passion for his alma mater, the game of basketball and the state of Kentucky. He says his newest book won’t be his last.

“I love writing. I love sports,” he says. “That is a nice combination.”