Rating:

5.0 (26 votes)

If you want to know why Kentucky basketball is so special, look no further than Mark Krebs.

After being a walk-on for two different coaches at UK, John Calipari awarded him a scholarship this season. It wasn't just a pleasant surprise, it was truly a blessing.

Mark's mother has terminal breast cancer. Doctors gave her nine months to live. That was eight years ago. His mother, who Mark calls a fighter, has soldiered on to watch her kids grow. She welcomed her first grandchild into the world, and now her next milestone is making it to see her son's senior day at Kentucky.

Krebs, a sharp shooter out of Northern Kentucky, looked at several smaller schools to go to college. He went to Thomas Moore for a while, but had the urge to go to UK.

He made it as a walk-on with Tubby Smith. He stayed through Billy Gillispie's two seasons in Lexington and now watches from the bench as he roots on the second-ranked team in America. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"Not a chance," said Krebs.

"Right now I will sit on that bench and I will be the biggest fan of my teammates. I'm a part of it and I'll help them out however they want it. If i was playing 30 minutes a game right now, if I was doing good, that would be fine, but right now I'm having a blast."

It was something he originally didn't think was possible. Krebs grew up loving Kentucky and dreamed of playing for his beloved Cats.

"Even in high school I never realized that I could actually play here so it's like a dream that hasn't actually got into my mind and made sense yet, but it's happening and it's unbelievable," said Krebs.

Playing for Kentucky has been an escape for Krebs from the constant fear of his mother dying. So far, it's been his greatest joy. It's a blessing that hasn't been lost on him.

"I'm pretty lucky. Assistant coach (John) Robic always asks me 'Who's got it the best', and i'm like 'This guy, this guy's got it the best."