By LARRY VAUGHT

Kentucky native Kevin  Jasper knew as soon as Tuesday’s game at Mississippi ended that he was going to wear his UK shirt to Germantown High School in Madison, Miss., Wednesday to let faculty and students know that his Wildcats won. His son, Noah, a freshman, did the same thing, too.

“It’s going to be a great day to represent the Cats in Mississippi and rub it in a little bit,” Jasper said immediately after the game.  “I see quite a few UK basketball fans at my high school since the national championship last year.  Good to be a Cat.

Jasper — @kevinjasper on Twitter — grew up in Harrodsburg and Danville. He graduated from Boyle County in 1989 and haslived and taught school in Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi and Kentucky.

“I taught at Grayson County Middle School before we moved to Madison.  We have lived in Mississippi for almost four years.  We moved for my wife’s job.  Terre is a Children’s Minister at Pinelake Church in Madison,” Jasper said. “I currently teach Special Education and coach track, cross country and bowling at a brand new high school.”

He says his son is also a huge UK fan.

“He was born in 1998 and as a 3-month-old I sat him in his baby car seat in front of the TV and we watched the 1998 national Cchampionship together,” he said.

Jasper said they seldom get a hard time from Ole Miss or Mississippi State fans during basketball “because since we have lived here we almost always beat MSU and OLE Miss.”

Football is another story.

“They liked to rub it in down here when they beat UK in football,” he said.

But for a life-long UK fan, the basketball win Tuesday night makes all the grief worthwhile.

“I have been a huge UK fan my entire life.  I even went to UK for a couple of years straight out of high school.  The last game my son and I saw live, in person, was the NIT game that we won at Memorial.  We had a blast even though it was the NIT and Billy G.  was still coach,” Jasper said.