Kentucky fans are familiar with the story: grandparents to parents; mother and father to son and daughter. A shared love of the Wildcats is as generational as a last name, and the Studers have passed it down well.
Ben and Kelsey Studer taught their son, Boone, to love the Cats from a young age. While he was born into Big Blue Nation, he was also born with a rare medical condition that makes day-to-day life challenging. His mom, Kelsey, told us: "Boone has to wear bandages on pretty much his entire body just to protect it from certain frictions and to protect his wounds and prevent infection in his wounds."
Around those bandages, 4-year-old Boone has found joy in his Kentucky basketball jersey. His parents bought it for him during his first-ever visit to Rupp Arena, and he's barely taken it off since.
They did manage to take it off him once. Briefly. Just long enough for this year's wearer of the No. 1, Lamont Butler, to autograph it.
"It’s something he hasn’t forgotten," Boone's dad, Ben, told us. "It’s something I’ll never forget."
For more on that unforgettable connection between Butler and his #1 fan, watch the full story below:
Story by Maggie Davis for BBN Tonight. Click here to watch the rest of this year's senior series.
For more on the Kentucky basketball team, watch BBN Tonight weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.
