Kentucky Midnight Madness 2016: Recap and Twitter Reaction for Wildcats

Since arriving at Kentucky, John Calipari has made it clear all players are part of the Wildcats family—even if you only stick around for one season. That familial atmosphere was on full display Friday, as a number of notable UK basketball alumni made a grand appearance at Midnight Madness.

Calipari talked about the UK family, per Metz Camfield of the coach's official site:

"

The last seven years has brought us a national championship in 2012, four Final Fours, a bunch of SEC championships, and more wins than any other program. You know why? We’ve had some unbelievable players. Players who have gone on from here to do some remarkable things. Who better to talk to this team and future Wildcats than them?

"

John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein were atop of the marquee, welcoming the latest group of Cal-recruited stars to #LaFamilia. The raucous ceremony included all former and current Wildcats players coming together and joining Calipari on the stage.

"We’ve had some unbelievable players," Calipari said. "Players who have gone on from here to do some remarkable things."

Kyle Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provided a video of Cousins and Cauley-Stein arriving:

"This…is family. Not just words," Calipari said. "Our former stars and our current players, the Big Blue Nation, make up one big family."

Kentucky welcomed a handful of elite recruits to the family, highlighted by point guard De'Aaron Fox. The 6'4" guard was ranked sixth in the class of 2016 by Scout.com and could join a long list of Calipari-coached point guards who made the one-and-done leap. 

Wall spoke before the game about the special bond he and Fox already share, per Tyler Thompson of KSR:

Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones were also given their first opportunity to impress the Lexington crowd. Monk's electrifying athleticism brought the crowd to its feet on a few occasions, including a dunk captured by Tucker:

Fans in attendance were also impressed by Gabriel's leaping ability:

It wouldn't be a surprise to see all five freshmen get playing time this season; each were among the top 27 players judged by Scout.com. There's a potential NBA future for each of the players, which Cauley-Stein noted is a perk to playing for Coach Cal. 

"If you come here, you're probably going to be a pro," Cauley-Stein said.  

“Our latest journey together begins tonight,” Calipari said, according to Camfield. “This season, our 114th season, marks the next step for these 14 players all striving for team greatness as they also chase each of their lifelong dreams. This, my friends, is what family is all about.”

That said, there might still be some chemistry kinks to work out:

Not to be outdone, women's basketball coach Matthew Mitchell offered his latest in a series of entertaining Midnight Madness moments:

"

.@UKCoachMitchell brought the moves again. #juju #BBM16 https://t.co/WAwvOpZhnA

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) October 14, 2016"

Overall, it was a night filled with exactly what you'd expect from Kentucky: celebrity sightings, NBA superstars and some occasionally spectacular basketball. There was no Drake playing with the team in shootarounds this year, but there was quite a lot to behold as Kentucky embarks on what should be a national title-contending season.