An 'absolutely amazing' day with Cauley-Stein

INDIANAPOLIS – David Upchurch and his 4-year-old son Caden just planned to drive some 50 miles from their home in New Castle, Ind., to see their beloved Kentucky Wildcats run through an open practice during Friday's Final Four events here at Lucas Oil Stadium.

What they got was an experience they won't forget.

At one point on Friday afternoon, Caden, who was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down, needed an elevator to get back to his family's seats. As a stadium employee helped the Upchurches through the hallway, they passed through the interview area where Kentucky's players were fielding questions from reporters.

They saw Andrew Harrison and Willie Cauley-Stein, Caden's favorite player, and David asked the usher if they could stop and watch.

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"Next thing I know, we're talking to Willie after the press conference," David Upchurch said. "I mean, this is the guy that Caden hollers, 'Willie's a beast! Willie's a beast!' about, and he's right there. He yells as loud as his daddy does. It was awesome."

It was an early birthday present for Caden, who turns 5 on the 15th, and it was the first experience of its kind for a kid who wears a No. 15 jersey in his power wheelchair soccer league, partly for his birthday, partly for Cauley-Stein.

This, David explained, was their Final Four. They don't have tickets to Saturday's game against Wisconsin or to the national title game should Kentucky make it. They'll watch their Cats on a big screen back home like they have all season.

But on Friday, they wanted to see their favorite team up close and personal.

Kentucky coach John Calipari smiled and waved at them during his team's open practice on the makeshirt court in the middle of this massive football venue. And Cauley-Stein, all 7 feet of him, sat down next to Caden after his interview session and chatted with the little guy.

Caden, in awe of Cauley-Stein, said, "Man, you're tall."

"If you had told me yesterday that my son would've had the opportunity to meet his hero, I'd say you were crazy," Upchurch said. "This day has been absolutely amazing for him."

On Saturday, Cauley-Stein will have another young friend pulling for him in the crowd. A group of 124 donors funded a trip to the Final Four for Blake Hundley, a 9-year-old cancer patient from Shelbyville, raising more than $6,000 through GoFundMe.com to send him to Indianapolis.

"It's cool because of how it happened -- it happened so fast," Cauley-Stein said. "I think they raised the money in, like, four hours."

Cauley-Stein said Friday that he met Hundley last year and again last month, developing a friendship with him. He gave Hundley his dog tags during an open practice two weekends ago at the KFC Yum! Center, and Hundley gave Cauley-Stein a blue #TeamBlake bracelet to wear for good luck.

"I'd like to think that he is a good luck charm," Cauley-Stein said. "It would be crazy if he was here and we won it all, and then he got to experience it all. It would be nutty for him."

And it would be nutty for the younger Upchurch, too, back home in New Castle, rooting for his Cats alongside his dad. It would be a thrilling way to end the first season he was old enough to grasp what's going on.

For now, the Upchurches are just reveling in their whirlwind Friday afternoon and a meeting they'll never forget.

"To do this," David said, "I couldn't have asked for a better day."

Reach staff writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).