The first call came for Barry Rohrssen while Kentucky’s charter jet sat on the tarmac in Cleveland in the wee hours of April 29. The Wildcats had just outlasted Notre Dame to advance to the Final Four in men’s basketball. Text messages poured into his phone like rain pelting a sidewalk. More than 120 still sit there today, unread, tiny red tokens reminding Rohrssen, a Kentucky assistant coach, of the feeling of being on top of the college basketball world.
But this call — this call — was not one he could ignore. Rohrssen answered immediately.
“You got time to talk?