This is it, we’ve finally made it to the Top Ten of the Top 50 Player in UK History Fan Poll. In the words of the immortal Grateful Dead, “what a long strange trip it’s been,”. From players who probably didn’t warrant entry into the poll (Jorts at 35, Cameron Mills at 48) to players that were probably too low (Keith Bogans at 31) to players that were probably too high (Jeff Sheppard at 15), we’ve dissected and analyzed the list leading up to this point.
It should noted that despite all the craziness of the poll thus far, the top three players were always a constant. Throughout the entire polling process, these three men changed positions back and forth like most people chance their socks. One was the leader one minute, then another vote would come in and change the order again.
The Top 50 Players in UK History Fan Poll is a poll that was determined 100% by YOU, the Nationofblue.com readers. No outside influence was applied to the list (no matter how badly I wanted to). By the people, for the people.
Before we get on with the list, let’s recap one last time positions 50-11.
[i] 50. Mike Casey
49. Dicky Beal
48. Cameron Mills
47. Anthony Epps
46. Dirk Minniefield
45. Patrick Sparks
44. Alex Groza
43. Eric Bledsoe
42. Walter McCarty
41. Melvin Turpin
40. Frank Ramsey
39. Wayne Turner
38. Terrence Jones
37. DeAndre Liggins
36. Ron Mercer
35. Josh Harrellson
34. Scott Padgett
33. Wah Wah Jones
32. Travis Ford
31. Keith Bogans
30. Rick Robey
29. Cliff Hagan
28. Ralph Beard
27. Louie Dampier
26. Doron Lamb
25. Brandon Knight
24. Cotton Nash
23. Jodie Meeks
22. Pat Riley
21. Darius Miller
20. Derek Anderson
19. Antoine Walker
18. DeMarcus Cousins
17. Chuck Hayes
16. Sam Bowie
15. Jeff Sheppard
14. Kevin Grevey
13. Rajon Rondo
12. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
11. Patrick Patterson
Without further ado, let’s see who made it into YOUR Top Ten.
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10. Tayshaun Prince
(1999-2002)[/B][/CENTER]
Prince came to Kentucky as one of Tubby Smith’s first big recruits. He certainly didn’t disappoint, proving himself to be quite versatile on the floor, able to shoot, drive and defend well. He played for four seasons and became one of the teams’ most reliable players. He led the team in scoring in his sophomore and senior seasons and was named a two-time All-American and a SEC Player of the Year. He may be best known for his monster 31 point performance during a 79-59 win against North Carolina on December 8, 2001, where he score the Cats’ first 15 point by himself, all on consecutive three pointers. Don’t take my word for it, see it for yourself. I can’t remember a crowd being as on fire as it was that day. It gives you goosebumps.
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9. Tony Delk
(1993-1996)[/B][/CENTER]
Tony Delk may very well be one of the most impressive scorers in Kentucky basketball history. His 1,890 points put him 5[SUP]th[/SUP] on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list, his 39.8% three point percentage places him 12[SUP]th[/SUP] on the all-time Kentucky three point percentage, and his 17.8 points per game average in his senior season in 1996 topped a team that included the likes of Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Derek Anderson and Ron Mercer.
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8. Kyle Macy
(1978-1980)[/B][/CENTER]
Kyle Macy, a starter on the 1978 National Championship team, two-time SEC Player of the Year and three-time All-American lands at #8 on the list. Macy transferred to Kentucky after playing his freshman season at Purdue and went on to be one of the most successful Cats of all time. He was also an accomplished free throw shooter, who notably bent down to touch his socks before each shot. It must’ve worked, because Macy is second all-time of the Kentucky free-throw percentage list with 88.98% accuracy. (To note, that’s just .01% lower than the record holder, Jodie Meeks.)
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7. John Wall
(2010)[/B][/CENTER]
We could tell you about Wall’s numbers during his lone season at UK (16.7 ppg, 6.5 apg) or his playmaking ability, or his many, many highlight reel plays. But the one thing that sets Wall apart from his contemporaries is that he represented a changing of the guard at Kentucky. The 2008/09 season was a depressing one for Kentucky, who had fallen so far off the national stage that they actually missed the NCAA Tournament. Times were bad, real bad. Then John Calipari came long and brought to town the nation’s #1 recruit in Wall. It was as if Kentucky basketball was reborn all over again.
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6. Rex Chapman
(1987-1988)[/B][/CENTER]
For those of us who grew up in the 80’s, Rex Chapman was our generation’s answer to John Wall. Chapman was about as talented a player that ever played in Kentucky blue, averaging 16.0 ppg his freshman season and 19.0 ppg during his sophomore campaign. Despite playing only two seasons at Kentucky, the All-SEC and All-American guard is one of only sixty players in Kentucky’s history to score at least 1,000 points in his career.
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5. Jack Givens
(1975-1978)[/B][/CENTER]
The man known as “Goose” certainly built quite the resume during his Big Blue Career. Not only did he win a national championship in 1978 (as well as being its leading scorer with 18.1 ppg), he’s also a three time All-American, NCAA Final Four MVP and the 1978 National Player of the Year. He memorably scored 41 points against Duke in the NCAA Championship game, and any time you embarrass Duke, that’s a good thing. Givens sits third on the Kentucky all-time scorer’s list with 2,038 points, which is just 42 points shy of number two on that list…
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4. Kenny Walker
(1983-1986)[/B][/CENTER]
…Kenny “Sky” Walker. As athletic a big man that has ever competed in a Kentucky blue jersey, Walker went on to have one of the greatest careers in college basketball history. He led his team in scoring his junior and senior seasons (22.9 and 20.0 ppg, respectively) en route to becoming a four time All-SEC tam member, two time All-American and the 1986 SEC Player of the Year. He also sits sixth on the all-time Kentucky Rebounds list with 942.
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3. Dan Issel
(1968-1970)[/B][/CENTER]
Issel could very well be one of the greatest collegiate basketball players to play the game. While at Kentucky, he set almost every major record there is, some that still remain in place today. His 2,138 career points, 1,078 career rebounds haven’t even been close to being broken in decades. That’s especially impressive knowing that he only played THREE collegiate seasons! His 948 points in a season remains untouched, the closest anyone has come to matching the record was Jodie Meeks in 2009. One thing to consider though, Meeks scored his 854 points over the span of 36 games (23.7 ppg, for those scoring at home), while Issel scored his 948 points over only 28 games! (33.9 ppg).
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2. Anthony Davis
(2012)[/B][/CENTER]
It’s hard for a lot of people to put a one-and-done player this high on the list, but consider his gameplay over the course of the season. He played so fluidly, so well, so mistake free. It was almost as if you were watching a four year senior out there, the way he commanded the floor. Davis had the rare ability to affect the outcome of a game whether he was playing well or not. One only has to consider the 2012 NCAA Championship game, where he scored a scant 6 points on an abysmal 1-for-10 shooting performance, but managed to be the biggest defensive presence on the floor with six blocks and countless pressures, to go along with 16 huge rebounds. What’s also impressive is that despite playing only one season, he sits FIFTH on Kentucky’s career blocks list, as well as an overwhelming first on the single season blocks record with 186. (He surpassed the two closest on the list, Melvin Turpin and Andre Riddick, by a whopping 103 blocks!)
And your choice for the Best Kentucky Player of All Time….
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1. Jamal Mashburn
(1991-1993)[/B][/CENTER]
“Monster Mash” could very well be one of the best college players to ever lace up a pair of high tops. Not only that, but much like we discussed with John Wall, he was the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Kentucky was in dire straits when Rick Pitino was hired as coach in 1989. The program had just been levied with serious NCAA sanctions and the dismissal of not only coach Eddie Sutton, but Athletic Director Cliff Hagan. These sanctions made playing at Kentucky less than desirable for the big name recruits of the world. So when Pitino was able to wrestle Mashburn away from heavily-favored St. Johns, the college basketball landscape changed once again. Mashburn was such a force that he helped lead his team out of exile in 1992, leading them all the way to the 1992 regional final in their first year of eligibility to return to The Dance. Mashburn left for the draft after his junior season, ranking sixth on the career points list with 1,843. But Mashburn’s impact can’t be measured in statistics alone, but on the impact he had on the program and fanbase, leading them out of some pretty dark times to their return to their rightful place on the college basketball throne.
[I]
So how did your fellow voters do? Did they get it right? Get it wrong? Sound off on Twitter, our Facebook pages, or the comments section below. And thanks again for all your votes and feedback![/I]
