I saw a story on another site and couldn’t help but repost this article I put out earlier in the year. Jamal Mashburn is the most recent Kentucky Wildcat to have his jersey retired in the rafters of Rupp Arena. Since it has been 15 years since Mashburn last donned the blue and white, I can’t help but think there are several players who deserve to have their name hanging with the legends at Rupp. Before I offer my suggestions, let’s take a quick look back at the 41 people already honored with this distinguished event.
PLAYERS
Basil Hayden, Carey Spicer, Forest “Aggie” Sale, John “Frenchy” DeMoisey, Layton “Michey” Rouse, Ken Rollins, Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, Cliff Barker, Bill Spivey, Frank Ramsey, Cliff Hagan, Lou Tsioropoulos, Billy Evans, Gayle Rose, Jerry Bird, Phil Grawemeyer, Bob Burrow, Vernon Hatton, Johnny Cox, Cotton Nash, Louie Dampier, Pat Riley, Dan Issel, Kevin Grevey, Jack Givens, Rick Robey, Kyle Macy, Sam Bowie, Kenny Walker, Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey, Richie Farmer, Sean Woods, Jamal Mashburn
HEAD COACHES
Adolph Rupp
Joe B. Hall
Rick Pitino
IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
Cawood Ledford
Bill Keightley
WHO GOES NEXT?
Here are some suggestions for Mr. Barnhart. He does a great job but sometimes he needs a little help. These are merely suggestions and deserve to be tossed around by Kentucky Officials.
TRAVIS FORD (1992-1994)– Ford was one of the smallest players to ever wear the blue and white. He first played in the 1991-92 season when the Cats advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to… well, you know who. The next season the Cats advanced to the Final Four. During their run, Ford was named NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player, 1st Team All-SEC, and SEC Tournament MVP. In his senior season, Ford led the Cats to the Elite Eight again before losing to Marquette. He was again named SEC Tournament MVP and 2nd Team All-SEC. In his three years in Lexington, he was named Academic All-SEC each year. He is now the head coach of Oklahoma State, replacing Sean Sutton in April.
TONY DELK (1993-1996) – This is without a doubt the easiest selection of any in this article. Delk came to Kentucky as a heralded shooter from Tennessee and did not disappoint. In his four years at UK, his teams went to two Elite Eight games, losing to Marquette in 1994 and North Carolina in 1995, went to two Final Fours, 1993 &1996, including the 1996 National Championship in which he led his team in scoring. At UK, Delk was named to the All-SEC Tournament team, 1st Team All-SEC twice, Consensus All-American, NCAA Regional and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and SEC Player of the Year. At Kentucky he finished 5th on the All-Time Scoring List with 1890 points. He also holds the record for most three point shots made in one game with 9 and in a career with 283. He went on to play in the NBA until his retirement in 2006.
JEFF SHEPPARD (1994-1998) – Sheppard is one of only a few Kentucky players to win two NCAA National Championships (1996 & 1998). As a junior on the ‘96 team he played in 34 games and averaged six points a game. He sat out the 1997 season but returned with a vengeance in 1998. As one of three seniors on the team, Sheppard averaged 14 points a game while leading his team to the National Championship under first year coach Tubby Smith. He was named both NCAA Regional and Final Four Most Outstanding Player. He is a member of the 1,000 point club, ranking 45th on the All-Time Scoring list.
WAYNE TURNER (1996-1999)– Like Sheppard, Wayne Turner was a member of both National Championship winning teams but was also a pivotal player on the 1997 team that lost in overtime in the Championship game. In his sophomore season, Turner was named to the All-NCAA Regional team. As a junior, he averaged nine points a game and was named SEC Tournament MVP and NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player. During his senior year, he averaged 10 points a game and was named to the SEC All-Tournament team. He ranks 38th on the All-Time Scoring list.
SCOTT PADGETT (1995-1999) – Scott Padgett struggled with academics early in his career at UK but came on strong in the end. He sat out the 1996 Championship season and half of the 1997 season but contributed big in the tournament. He was named to the All-NCAA Final Four team as a sophomore. During his junior season, Padgett was an All-American, named to the All-NCAA Final Four team, All-SEC Tournament team, and the All-SEC Academic Team. As a senior, he was a member of the All-NCAA Regional team, named 1st Team All-SEC, SEC Tournament MVP, and Academic SEC. He scored 1252 points at Kentucky, putting him 30th All-Time in scoring. Padgett is now the co-host of a morning sports talk show in Louisville.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE(1998-2002) – Prince is one of the only Wildcats of the past ten years to have tremendous success in the NBA. He left UK in 2002 and was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the draft with the 23rd pick. At Kentucky, Tayshaun was an All-American during his junior and senior seasons. During his junior season,Tay averaged 17 points per game. He was named SEC Player of the Year, All-SEC First Team, and SEC Tournament MVP. The Cats advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing to USC. Many thought Tayshaun would take his game to the next level after that season but he was committed to Kentucky and came back for his senior campaign. As a senior, he averaged 17.5 points per game. Tay was again an All-American, named to the NCAA All-Regional Team,and the SEC All-SEC First Team. The Cats fell to eventual Champion Maryland in the Sweet 16. It took a lot for him to come back to UK for his senior season, but it just shows how much he loved this university and this state.
KEITH BOGANS (1999-2003)- Bogans was a highly touted high school player out of perennial power Dematha Catholic in Alexandria, Virginia. As a freshman at Kentucky, he made the All-SEC Freshman Team and averaged 12.45 points a game. As a sophomore, he was 2nd Team All-SEC and made the All-SEC Tournament team. The Cats received a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament but bowed out in the Sweet 16 to USC. Bogans averaged almost 17 points a game. As a junior, his scoring average dropped to under 12 a game. The Cats advanced to the Sweet 16 as a #4 seed and lost to eventual Champion Maryland. As a result of the down year and lack of chemistry, Bogans elected to enter his name into the NBA Draft but withdrew it and returned to Lexington for his senior season. As a senior, Bogans returned to his high scoring ways, averaging nearly 16 points a game. He was named an All-American and SEC Player of the Year. He made the All-SEC First Team and the All-NCAA Regional Team as well as being named the MVP of the SEC Tournament. During the season, behind the leadership of Bogans, the Cats won 26 consecutive games. They went 19-0 in SEC play, going undefeated in regular season play and winning the conference tournament. They were the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the Sweet 16 game against Wisconsin, Bogans injured his ankle and as a result, the Cats were defeated by a Dwayne Wade led Marquette team in the Elite Eight. Bogans finished his career with 1923 points, ranking him 4th all-time at Kentucky in scoring. Bogans is currently a member of the NBA
’s Orlando Magic and starts for the team.
GERALD FITCH (2000-2004) – I know this will be one of the long shots but he needs to be considered. Fitch was Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia in 2000. As a freshman at Kentucky, he was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. He had a solid sophomore season and began to become a scoring threat as a junior. He was a major part of the team that won 26 games in a row and received the #1 ranking in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 12 points a game on that team and started every game. As a senior, he led the Cats in scoring, averaging 16 points a game. He was named to the First Team All-SEC and SEC Tournament MVP. Again, the Cats were a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but lost in the second round to hot shooting UAB. Gerald finished his career at Kentucky with 1391 points, 22nd on the all-time scoring list.
CHUCK HAYES (2002-2005) – In my opinion, there has been no one player to come through the University of Kentucky basketball program with more heart and love for the name on the front of the uniform more than this guy. In a day when guys go to college to simply play ball and then move on, Chuck broke the mold. He came from Modesto, California and didn’t know a lot about the program except for