[I][SIZE=1]Someone in this picture is underappreciated.[/SIZE][/I]
A couple days ago, I was at work, minding my own business and not working, when [URL=”http://twitter.com/#!/TChrisLee/status/149522793728450561″]this[/URL] came across my Twitter feed:
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][COLOR=#999999]Christopher Lee[/COLOR][/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Georgia][URL=”http://twitter.com/#!/ThaBurner”]@[B]ThaBurner[/B][/URL] don’t worry about ksr every true Cat fan knows what a joke of a site it truly is btw you are my favorite Cat of all time.[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][URL=”http://twitter.com/#!/TChrisLee/status/149522793728450561″]21 Dec [/URL][COLOR=#999999]via web[/COLOR] [URL=”http://twitter.com/#”][B]Favorite[/B][/URL] [URL=”http://twitter.com/#”][B]Retweet[/B][/URL] [URL=”http://twitter.com/#”][B]Reply[/B][/URL][/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]Of course, seeing Wayne Turner RT a dig against Kentucky Sports Radio piqued my curiousity, so I checked it out. What I found was a harmless list of one writer’s 12 favorite UK players. Simple enough, right? Well, she had Wayne at #2 on her list, and the puppets in the [URL=”http://kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=103341#comments”]comments section [/URL]over there went bananas. (I hate to link to that site, but the backlash is absurd. Thank you guys for keeping it somewhat simple when you call me an idiot.)[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]Now, I’m not stupid enough to think a comment section is gonna be tasteful all the time. But, for starters, these folks didn’t get that a) it was HER list, and b) getting pissy on a message board doesn’t make a difference. [/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]Still, it was surprising to see all the vitriol over Wayne Turner being #2 on a RANDOM FAN’S LIST. Close to 1 out of every 6 comments said that Wayne didn’t deserve to be on the list, let alone at #2. Again, this is someone’s list of favorite UK players. Nothing official, just mere opinion.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]But that got me wondering: why the hate for Wayne Turner? Maybe it’s because I’m of a younger generation (I’m 31), but I remember him as one of the best of my lifetime, at least from a sense of what he meant to the program.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]One of the big themes in that post’s comments was how much more valuable Anthony Epps was to his team. So, let’s take a look, shall we? (And before I start throwing stats around, let’s give a HUGE tip of the hat to Jon Scott at [URL=”http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/statistics.html”]Big Blue History[/URL]. I could play on that site all day.)[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]Here are some quick (and possibly boring) numbers for you:[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]Anthony Epps (1993-1997): 141 games played, 881 points, 544 assists, 184 steals, 193 turnovers. 6.2ppg, 3.8apg, 1.3spg, 1.4tpg. Career record was 123-18. Played in 2 Final Fours, with one title.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]Wayne Turner (1995-1999): 151 games played, 1170 points, 494 assists, 238 steals, 293 turnovers. 7.7ppg, 3.8apg, 1.6spg, 1.9tpg. Career record was 131-20. Played in 3 Final Fours, with two titles. [/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]The only real stat difference is the 1.5ppg, and that’s not enough to worry about. Everything else is nearly dead even, so we might as well throw overall stats out the window. Instead, let’s look at their roles on their respective teams.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][B]Freshman seasons:[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333]Epps averaged nearly 8 minutes a game for a 27-win team, averaging 2ppg and just over 1apg. Turner averaged 13 minutes (behind Epps) for a 34-win national champion, averaging about 4.5ppg and 1.6apg. He also averaged over 1 turnover per, compared to Epps’ 1/2 turnover per. [/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][B]Sophomore seasons:[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333]Epps got about 20 minutes a game for a 28-win team, getting the bulk of the minutes at point after Travis Ford graduated. His scoring went to 6.7ppg, to go with 4.1apg and 1.8tpg.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333]Turner logged 10 minutes per for a 35-win national runner-up. His averages were 6.6ppg, 3apg, and 1.8tpg.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][B]Junior seasons:[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333]Epps got 22.7 minutes starting for the 1996 title team. He managed 6.7ppg, 4.9apg, and 1.5tpg.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333]Turner played 9.2 minutes for the 1998 champions, who won 35 games. He had averages of 9.3ppg, 4.4apg, and 2.4tpg.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][B]Senior seasons:[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333]Epps played 27 minutes a game for the 1997 team that lost in overtime to Arizona in the championship game. He averaged 8.9ppg, 4.8apg, and 1.5tpg. Turner played 29 minutes for a 28-win team, averaging 10.5 points, 3.9apg, and 2.4tpg.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]There’s still not a huge difference. Turner scored a little more, but had a slightly higher turnover count as well. It does seem that Turner did more in the minutes he played, however. [/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]So what does it all mean? To me, it means Wayne Turner contributed more right away than Epps did, but didn’t really break out until his senior year. Epps didn’t do as much right away, but was more consistent his last three years. [/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]It means that it isn’t as easy to frame Turner as an all-timer as I thought it would be. For that matter, how damn underrated is Anthony Epps? Still, Turner played in 3 Final Fours and won 2 rings. If he hadn’t made Steve Wojciechowski his toy (he had 16 points and 8 assists, with only 1 turnover) en route to the title in 1998, I don’t think he would have quite the standing he does. [/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]It also means the old-timers need to shut the hell up as well. It’s apparent that the filter of time tends to distort how we look at things, as is the case with me and Wayne Turner. I know that, for the older folks, the guys like Ralph Beard are "the best ever", but there’s not true way to compare players from different eras. The game changed too much from the 1940’s to the 1990’s. Want proof? Beard has two rings and a career scoring average of just 10.9, and he was a frigging [I]3-time All-American.[/I] Wayne Turner also has two rings, and a career average of 7.7, and he never even made first team All-SEC.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]If nothing else, we should just all agree to disagree, and be glad Kentucky basketball has enough history to allow these arguments to happen in the first place.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#333333]Have a wonderful Christmas, and I’ll see you in a few days.[/COLOR][/LEFT]
