Laura McDonald

Vaught’s note: Laura McDonald is a Kentucky fan who lives and works in New York. She watched Kentucky win the national championship in New Orleans in April and Thursday was in Newark, N.J., for the NBA draft.

By LAURA MCDONALD

Thursday night I had the opportunity to attend my very first NBA Draft.  Not only was it an exciting night where Big Blue history was made, but it was an opportunity to see young men realize their dreams.  It was moving to see the emotions from the players and their families as one-by-one their names were called and they were given the new city that they would call home.

When they walked across that stage we also had a chance to see what type of fashion sense these young men have. It is a big decision as to what a future millionaire should wear on the night when he receives a new job offer. The theme for the up-and-comers seemed to feature three-piece suits and checkered shirts.  There was not any crazy colored pants or those outrageous glasses that some players wear. It was a night where the dominant suit color was gray with a splash of color in the pocket-square or shirt.

However, I would not be called the ProfessionalH8er if I did not break down the best and worst dressed players of the night.  Let’s start with the worst of course … that honor goes to Damian Lillard from Weber State. It is one of my pet peeves when men do not wear the same color suit jacket and slacks.  He gets a little credit for the black accents on his jacket, but come on, all the rest of them managed to match their suit why couldn’t he?  Honorable mention goes to Meyers Leonard from Illinois.  I really did not care for his overall look.  I know you are tall with a long torso, but come on son, your tie needed a couple more inches like your vertical at the combine.

Best-dressed goes to Terrence Jones’s former high school teammate Terrence Ross. He wore a tan suit with a blue-checkered shirt and a green bow tie.  He was the only one to sport the bow tie, but I thought he brought it with his look!  Honorable mention in this category goes to our guy MKG as he looked rather dapper in his dark suit with the blue tie.  I loved the brown shoes he paired with it as well.

Kentucky and North Carolina were compared throughout the night as the two schools combined to have 10 players drafted.  In the fashion category, the contest was tight.  The big men represented their schools well in the bling category as Davis sported square diamond earrings, and the diamond-encrusted face on John Henson’s watch could been from any section of the Prudential Center.

At the end of the night, I had to give Kentucky the slight edge once again. Poor North Carolina, they lost by one point to Kentucky in the regular season, they were one win away from the Final Four, and now they lose the fashion battle to Kentucky because Harrison Barnes literally came up short in the pants category.  We should not be getting a glimpse into the sock category when you walk around on draft night!