The Top 50 Players in UK History Fan Poll continues, as we reveal positions 20-11.
[B]Of course, the results of the poll were compiled from the votes of YOU, the Nation of Blue listeners and readers. No outside manipulation from me or anyone else, this is 100% pure fan opinion.[/B]
And with fan opinion comes… well… some odd selections thus far. As a reminder, let’s see the list so far…
[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[/I]
So who did the voters put in the Top 20? Let’s find out!
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20. Derek Anderson
(1996-1997)[/B][/CENTER]
Derek Anderson could arguably be named one of the best incoming transfers in Kentucky basketball history. Joining Rick Pitino’s squad out of Ohio State, Anderson quickly made his name as a shooter and scorer, and became one of the key cogs to the 1996 championship team. Unfortunately, during an SEC game against Auburn in 1997, Anderson tore his ACL and was done for the season. Or was he? Despite being unable to play, Pitino called on Anderson to shoot two technical free throws against Minnesota in the Final Four. (They both went in, by the way.) Some say that had Anderson been healthy in the finals again Arizona, they’d have easily won the Championship. And I’m inclined to believe it.
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19. Antoine Walker
(1995-1996)[/B][/CENTER]
Another key to that championship team from 1996 was Antoine Walker. Now, some people have very strong opinions on the guy. Some say he was too cocky, or not enough of a team player, or took ill-advised shots or too many of them. But regardless on your personal feelings on “The Wiggle”, he was still very much a big part of Championship #5. He led the team in rebounds during that season with 8.4 per game, and was the second leading scorer to Tony Delk at 15.2. He contributed another 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest in the NCAA tournament, en route to being named to the All-NCAA Regional Team. He’d leave school after that season to enter the NBA Draft, where he was selected #6 overall by the Boston Celtics.
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18. DeMarcus Cousins
(2010)[/B][/CENTER]
Much like Walker before, love him or hate him, you can’t deny that DeMarcus Cousins made every game interesting. Not since the days of Walker of Jamaal Magloire could a single player rile up the opposing team’s fans. Not to mention he was one of the most dominant centers in the NCAA that season, even as a freshman. But it wasn’t just his antics that drove other teams crazy. As a freshman, not only did he score 15.1 points per game, he led the team in rebounds per game (9.9) and blocked shots (1.8). And who could forget his buzzer-beating desperation shot off an Eric Bledsoe missed free throw in the SEC Tournament Finals against Mississippi State. That shot tied the game, forcing overtime and robbing the Bulldogs (who REALLY seemed to have it in for Big Cuz) of a sure victory.
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17. Chuck Hayes
(2002-2005)[/B][/CENTER]
It’s rare in college basketball to find a player who’s not only talented, but never says die and never gives up, regardless of what stands before him. Chuck Hayes was one of those players. Most teams passed him over due to his size, as most teams had no real need for a 6-foot-6 forward/center. Chuck was more than glad to prove the critics wrong with a gritty, blue-collar work ethic that drew praise from not only Kentuckians, but other teams’ coaches! Chuck stands 40[SUP]th[/SUP] on the all-time Kentucky scoring list as well as seventh on the rebounding list.
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16. Sam Bowie
(1980-1981, 1984)[/B][/CENTER]
Most people only remember Sam Bowie as the guy who was drafted before Michael Jordan, but the 7-foot-1 big man was one of the greatest centers to ever play for the Big Blue. He put the world on notice his freshman and sophomore seasons before having to redshirt for two seasons due to a serious shin injury. In 1984, the two-time All-American roared back to form, well enough that the Portland Trailblazers selected him #2 overall in the 1984 NBA Draft. Here’s a fun bonus NBA Draft fact for you. Also selected in the 1984 draft in the second round was Canadian Greg Wiltjer, whose son Kyle you may have heard of before.
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15. Jeff Sheppard
(1994-1996, 1998)[/B][/CENTER]
Not only was Sheppard a lights-out shooter (as his career 38.8% three point percentage would attest), he was also an incredible athlete. Despite standing a modest 6-foot-3, Sheppard had unheard-of leaping ability, which he parlayed into a SportsCenter episode’s worth of highlight reel dunks. He even managed to land himself on the cover of the Fox Sports College Hoops ’99 Video game. But the one thing that Sheppard did that made him a bonafide Kentucky legend was his unselfishness. This was best demonstrated during what should have been his Senior season in 1997. With a lot of the starters returning from the 96 Championship team, Sheppard decided to redshirt that should have been his swan song. This of course gave the 1998 team a scoring and emotional leader en route to another championship.
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14. Kevin Grevey
(1973-1975)[/B][/CENTER]
Kevin Grevey was one of Adolph Rupp’s last recruits before his retirement in 1972, and he went on to have a career that showed Rupp’s faith in the Ohio native was well-placed. Under Rupp’s successor, Joe B. Hall, he went on to become a member of the All-SEC team in all three years of his eligibility, as well being named an All-American twice. He left the school with 1,801 points, which is good for seventh on the all-time UK scoring list.
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13. Rajon Rondo
(2005-2006)[/B][/CENTER]
Rondo came into Kentucky as the cornerstone of Tubby Smith’s top recruiting class on 2004, which also included Randolph Morris, Joe Crawford, Ramel Bradley and Adam Williams (!!). He proved to be an outstanding athlete with a distinct knack for defense and rebounding. The 2006 season saw him land 11[SUP]th[/SUP] on Kentucky’s all-time list for assists in a season. Today, Rondo is probably best known for his NBA career, where he has asserted himself as one of the top point guards in the league.
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12. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
(2012)[/B][/CENTER]
MKG’s career at Kentucky may have been short, but it was certainly memorable. He etches his name alongside other Kentucky workhorses like Chuck Hayes and Jeff Sheppard, displaying not only unbelievable talent, but unselfishness and team spirit. Partnering with fellow freshmen Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, sophomores Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones and senior Darius Miller, MKG helped lead the team to the 2012 NCAA Championship. But MKG’s worth can’t be judged solely in numbers alone, but by his presence. He was as uplifting with his hustle plays and tough defense as he was with his rebounding or his jump shot.
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11. Patrick Patterson
(2008-2010)[/B][/CENTER]
Patrick Patterson, like Jodie Meeks, was one of the few bright spots during the Billy Gillispie era. Originally recruited by then-coach Tubby Smith, Kentucky seemed all but out of the Patterson sweepstakes when Smith left to coach at Minnesota. But new coach Gillispie pulled a major coup and lured Patterson away from Florida and Duke. As it turned out though, Patterson’s signing was one of the few things Gillispie did well. Patterson did well in those first two seasons, but never got the opportunity to play in an NCAA tournament game. (He missed the 2008 tournament game against Marquette due to injury, and of course they missed the tournament altogether in 2009.) The addition of coach John Calipari saw Patterson broaden his game further, as well as including a long-range game to his arsenal. Despite only playing for three seasons, Patterson ranks 13[SUP]th[/SUP] on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list as well as the rebounding list.
Well, how did the voters do this time? Did they get it right? Or did they get it wrong again? Let us know on our Facebook pages, on Twitter, or in the Comments section below. Thanks for reading!
