The email arrived in Ottawa University head basketball coach Aaron Siebenthall’s inbox early this past summer.

Before getting too excited about its contents, an invitation to play against John Calipari’s Kentucky basketball team, Siebenthall did a little detective work.

“I have some pretty creative friends,” Siebenthall said.

He met many of them playing football and basketball at Lawrence High, where he also worked as assistant basketball coach for six seasons.

“I went online. I had to vet the person sending it to me, had to make sure DeWayne Peevy is a real person,” Siebenthall said.

Sure enough, Siebenthall discovered that Peevy, deputy athletic director at Kentucky, was a real person delivering a real invitation.

Peevy’s boss, Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart, 56, graduated from Ottawa, where as a student headed the sports information department and was editor of the student newspaper. Kentucky has played an exhibition vs. the alma maters of Calipari (Clarion University) and Peevy (University of Montevallo) in recent years.

The Braves lost Monday to Kentucky, 117-58, in front of 20,743 at Rupp Arena. Two days earlier, Ottawa had lost, 82-74, on its homecourt, Wilson Fieldhouse, in front of 225 spectators.

Asked if he scouted Kentucky to prepare for the game, Siebenthall smiled and said, “No. We just showed up. All I really cared about was that our guys got to enjoy the experience.”

All 15 Braves varsity players got into the game and all the players from both JV teams made the trip and were treated to grub at a Kentucky football team meal.

One of the highlights of the trip came when Calipari addressed the Ottawa team in the visiting locker room before the game. After the game, Calipari joined an Ottawa team photo and even posed for a picture with Siebenthall’s daughter, Berkley, who spent her first birthday driving in the car with her mother and grandparents to Lexington, Kentucky, for a basketball game.

Ottawa senior guard Marshon Norfleet of Grandview, Missouri, scored 20 points in 19 minutes, 16 points coming in the first half. Norfleet made 6 of 12 field goals and 4 of 8 three-pointers, shooting better vs. Kentucky than vs. Baker (6 of 19, 0 for 5 from three). Big crowds and famous foes bring out the best in some athletes.

Without embellishing, Norfleet forever can tell the world about the night he heard an inspirational speech from the famed coach Calipari in a Rupp Arena locker room and responded to it by scoring 20 points in 19 minutes. Not a bad memory.