Best 30 Players in UK History (List)

[MWes11]

Check out this list from a buddy of mine. He is a great writer. Whether you agree with the list is up to your personal preference. Anyone you would add? Take off? Too high/too low? What are your thoughts?



http://hoopshabit.com/2015/03/06/kentucky-wildcats-30-greatest-players-school-history/

 

[gjcollins79]

Love it.
I would add in Nazr Mohammed, Chuck Hayes and maybe Marquis Estill somehow or another.
That is a solid list though.

 

[CatFanInTheBathtub]

What an ad fest. I'm sure he meant well but a 30 page slideshow is too much especially on a phone. On a side note I made that Jodie Meeks bid (back then you couldn't always use the audio you wanted to) so I'll give him props for that.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[rememberkapp]

It would be nice if someone posted the list here so we all don't have to scroll thru all 30 of the pics.

 

[CatFanInTheBathtub]

*Jodie Meeks vid
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[wentzel25]

Originally posted by MWes11:
Check out this list from a buddy of mine. He is a great writer. Whether you agree with the list is up to your personal preference. Anyone you would add? Take off? Too high/too low? What are your thoughts?

Not to be a disrespectful whippersnapper, but the Issel thing always gets to me. Great for his era, absolutely, but greatest ever ... meh.
I look at it the same way as Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA. His numbers were ridiculous, but does anyone believe he'd average 50 and 20 in today's NBA?

 

[MWes11]

Originally posted by wentzel25:

Originally posted by MWes11:
Check out this list from a buddy of mine. He is a great writer. Whether you agree with the list is up to your personal preference. Anyone you would add? Take off? Too high/too low? What are your thoughts?

Not to be a disrespectful whippersnapper, but the Issel thing always gets to me. Great for his era, absolutely, but greatest ever ... meh.
I look at it the same way as Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA. His numbers were ridiculous, but does anyone believe he'd average 50 and 20 in today's NBA?

You're not disrespecting me, buddy! I didn't make the list, just shared it.

 

[BlueBomb]

Originally posted by wentzel25:

Originally posted by MWes11:
Check out this list from a buddy of mine. He is a great writer. Whether you agree with the list is up to your personal preference. Anyone you would add? Take off? Too high/too low? What are your thoughts?

Not to be a disrespectful whippersnapper, but the Issel thing always gets to me. Great for his era, absolutely, but greatest ever ... meh.
I look at it the same way as Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA. His numbers were ridiculous, but does anyone believe he'd average 50 and 20 in today's NBA?

Personally, I think it completely appropriate to judge athletes based on how they performed against other athletes of their time.

 

[fs-ripcord65]

I'm always amazed by the lists that are posted on this board by people who are obviously less than 40 years old. Instead of saying, "this list is a joke", I'll just say that I disagree with about one-third of the players on the list.

I'll also use this forum to once again protest that Dan Issel is nowhere close to the best player ever to play for Kentucky. Issel is the leading career scorer. Granted. Issel averaged 19 shots a game for his career ! Issel averaged 33 ppg as a senior. Granted. Issel averaged 24 shots a game during his senior season ! Never before or since in the history of U.K. basketball has any single player taken so many shots and/or taken such a high percentage of his team's shots. When you shoot the ball every time you get your hands on it, you're going to score a lot of points !

 

[jrpross_rivals]

I agree with most of those. The top 3, I'd leave the same. Even haven't having seen him, he was as dominant as anyone has ever been at kentucky. I've always had a special spot in my heart for Mashburn. I was a kid (8-10) when he played so he's kinda my first UK memory. And Davis.....well. He's.....you know......Davis

 

[brian5562]

I would have put Sheppard on the list. Final Four MOP and 2 titles. I enjoyed the list though. I also think that Jamal Mashburn if he is not greatest of all-time but he is probably the most important.

This post was edited on 3/6 3:20 PM by brian5562

 

[Swimcat20]

Way too top heavy of players of this generation. John Wall ahead of Jack Givens and Kenny Walker, SAY WHAT! This guy didn't do his homework. He obviously never saw Givens or Walker play. I would put Givens and Walker in the top five of any UK list, light years ahead of John Wall. No one from the National Championship 1958 team, and worst all of no Kevin Grevey.
This post was edited on 3/6 2:05 PM by Swimcat20

 

[EmCats3]

AD
Mash
Issel
^that would be my top 3.

 

[dreadpirate_rivals241225]

Originally posted by brian5562:
I also think that Jamal Mashburn may not be the greatest of all-time but he is probably the most important.

I've been watching since 1974, and he is the greatest in my lifetime.

 

[RoyKent]

Anthony Davis is #1 and no one else is close.

Otherwise, pretty solid list.

 

[far_away_fan]

This list isn't very good if if it is trying to identify the best 30 players who played at Kentucky, and it isn't very good if it is trying to identify the 30 players who had the best Kentucky careers, but interestingly, it isn't bad as some kind of weird amalgamation of the two.

 

[Chuckinden]

Originally posted by JFCats22:
Anthony Davis is #1 and no one else is close.

Otherwise, pretty solid list.

Another one that didn't see Issel play.

 

[KopiKat]

Doesn't include Bill Spivey. Horrible list. Ralph Beard at #14. Disgraceful.

 

[Anon1636470744]

Issel was the all time leading scorer and rebounder at UK. He also is the number 9 all time scorer in professional basketball history so right now it's really not a discussion. Now AD might end up being that good but he still has to do it before you can put him in front of Big Dan. As far as him taking a lot of shots of course he did he was a great player. I think Pratt averaged about 25 the same year Issel averaged 33 and that team averaged over 90 I believe so that was a more up tempo team so yes there were a lot of shots taken. Issel's shooting percentage was really high too so that comment about him shooting it every time he got his hands on it was laughable. Issel was one of the most unstoppable college players of all time. Most coaches would probably want a guy like that to shoot a lot don't you think.



This post was edited on 3/6 10:17 PM by Big Foot 275

 

[eddie3]

Is Dirk on the list?

 

[John Frusciante]

Originally posted by ednunn:
Is Dirk on the list?

No, but we've had a lot more than 30 great players and he was one of them.

 

[far_away_fan]

Originally posted by Big Foot 275:
Issel was the all time leading scorer and rebounder at UK. He also is the number 9 all time scorer in professional basketball history so right now it's really not a discussion. Now AD might end up being that good but he still has to do it before you can put him in front of Big Dan. As far as him taking a lot of shots of course he did he was a great player. I think Pratt averaged about 25 the same year Issel averaged 33 and that team averaged over 90 I believe so that was a more up tempo team so yes there were a lot of shots taken. Issel's shooting percentage was really high too so that comment about him shooting it every time he got his hands on it was laughable. Issel was one of the most unstoppable college players of all time. Most coaches would probably want a guy like that to shoot a lot don't you think.



This post was edited on 3/6 10:17 PM by Big Foot 275

Issel's #10. Dirk passed him this year. And the list is the NBA/ABA combined list, not professional basketball. Oscar Schmidt, for example, scored nearly 50,000 pts as a pro playing internationally.

 

[eddie3]

No Dirk,? No list. jim Andrews on list?

 

[stoneycat_20]

Any list of top 30 Cats without Ron Mercer is garbage

 

[Anon1636470744]

Faraway you might be the only on this board who would think a comment about professional basketball should include overseas players. Pro basketball history is the old ABA and the NBA not a bunch of jokers overseas.

 

[dbrice3]

30. Willie Cauley-Stein
29. Melvin Turpin
28. Julius Randle
27. Scott Padgett
26. Patrick Patterson
25. Brandon Knight
24. Jodie Meeks
23. Keith Bogans
22. Cliff Hagan
21. Louie Dampier
20. Sam Bowie
19. DeMarcus Cousins
18. Wayne Turner
17. Derek Anderson
16. Antoine Walker
15. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
14. Ralph Beard
13. Cotton Nash
12. Alex Groza
11. Tayshaun Prince
10. Jack 'Goose' Givens
9. Kenny Walker
8. Wah Wah Jones
7. Kyle Macy
6. Tony Delk
5. John Wall
4. Rex Chapman
3. Jamal Mashburn
2. Anthony Davis
1. Dan Issel

 

[yabbadabbadoo_rivals213851]

Any list that has John Wall and Kyle Macy above players like Kenny Walker and Jack Givens is

well, ……..VOID !!!!!!

 

[Xception]

I'd put Davis at #1 because he led his team to a title while sweeping every major award , nobody has accomplished what he did . Scoring a lot of points is great but attaining individual success while accomplishing the ultimate team goal is superior .

 

[Lob2Davis]

Originally posted by MWes11:
Check out this list from a buddy of mine. He is a great writer. Whether you agree with the list is up to your personal preference. Anyone you would add? Take off? Too high/too low? What are your thoughts?

I'm only up to 27 and already in shock. Scott Padgett and Brandon Knight make the list but Pat Riley, Frank Ramsey, Bill Spivey, Kevin Grevey and Rick Robey don't. Geesh
This post was edited on 3/7 8:21 AM by Lob2Davis

 

[krazykats]

If you were only here 1 year and you didnt win a championship, you get no "all time" consideration from me.

I don't care what these guys do in the NBA when we are talking about best UK players.

Any top 30 list with no Pelphrey, Feldhaus, Farmer or Woods recognition is also lame in my book. No they weren't great individually but what they went thru, overcome, and in the end succeeded at puts at least 1 of them in as recognition of what they did here.

Anyone who has an issue with our historical figures as leaders on these list is just clueless really. I bet they are the first to pump up 2000 wins though, ironic.

 

[kentuckyrld]

Originally posted by krazykats:
If you were only here 1 year and you didnt win a championship, you get no "all time" consideration from me.

I don't care what these guys do in the NBA when we are talking about best UK players.

Any top 30 list with no Pelphrey, Feldhaus, Farmer or Woods recognition is also lame in my book. No they weren't great individually but what they went thru, overcome, and in the end succeeded at puts at least 1 of them in as recognition of what they did here.

Anyone who has an issue with our historical figures as leaders on these list is just clueless really. I bet they are the first to pump up 2000 wins though, ironic.

If you are making a list of the truly top 30 players it is you who are clueless. If you want to make a list with the most emotional attachment that is fine, but don't confuse emotional attachment with the top players. Pelphrey, Feldhaus, Farmer and Woods earned our respect but they have no place on the list of top 30 best players.

 

[brianpoe]

Wayne Turner? Seriously? Ahead of all those guys?

The Unforgettables should be no where near a top 30. IMO

 

[jimlowe7]

Originally posted by wentzel25:

I look at it the same way as Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA. His numbers were ridiculous, but does anyone believe he'd average 50 and 20 in today's NBA?

It's pretty obvious you never saw Wilt play (at least do a little research and watch a few YouTube vids). He was one of the greatest ATHLETES of ALL-TIME, not just a basketball player. In his pre-teen years Chamberlain was not interested in basketball, because he thought it was "a game for sissies". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_Chamberlain#cite_note-donpierce-12

 

[far_away_fan]

Originally posted by Big Foot 275:
Faraway you might be the only on this board who would think a comment about professional basketball should include overseas players. Pro basketball history is the old ABA and the NBA not a bunch of jokers overseas.

It's OK to be wrong and have Dan at number 9 instead of number 10. It's ok to write professional basketball when you mean ABA/NBA. But when someone is willing the time to correct you, you really should just say, "Thanks for straightening that out." You don't need to pretend like you weren't wrong. It's ok to be wrong! We've all done it. No one will hold it against you - especially for something as trivial as this.

 

[Anon1636470744]

I wasn't pretending that I wasn't wrong. Dirk passing Issel to move him to number 10 on the all time list was just an oversight. The real point of the post was to point out to you that when someone on this board makes a reference to professional basketball history they are talking about the ABA and the NBA and not players overseas. You even made reference to it
yourself when you said that was from the ABA/NBA combined list. That is why that list exists because that's what most people view ( except you ) as the history of professional basketball so the reference to that being professional basketball history is very accurate as far as I am concerned. I live in the USA. I could care less about who is playing overseas.
This post was edited on 3/7 12:19 PM by Big Foot 275

 

[far_away_fan]

Originally posted by Big Foot 275:
The real point of the post was to point out to you that when someone on this board makes a reference to professional basketball history they are talking about the ABA and the NBA and not players overseas. You even made reference to it yourself when you said that was from the ABA/NBA combined list. That is why that list exists because that's what most people view ( except you ) as the history of professional basketball so the reference to that being professional basketball history is very accurate as far as I am concerned. I live in the USA. I could care less about who is playing overseas.

If you know what the word professional means, why do you continue to insist on using it incorrectly? In my original post, I pointed out that Issel is not 10th on the scoring list of professional basketball but rather is 10th on the ABA/NBA combined list. I also pointed out that there have been several outstanding basketball players who didn't play in the ABA or NBA. I don't think they would have made the top 10 ABA/NBA list or anything like that, but that doesn't diminish their accomplishments.

To pretend like Brazilian star Oscar Schmidt didn't exist would be to ignore one of the most important basketball players to ever live. He's in the Hall of Fame (both Naismith and FIBA). He's probably more responsible than any other single person for the fact that, right now, one in five NBA players is not an American. I realize it's not like he is as important as Bill Russell or Wilt or MJ or any of the other truly great NBA players, but pretending like he didn't exist is just reveling in ignorance.

Contrary to what you seem to imply, I don't think that most Kentucky fans pride themselves on remaining ignorant of the history of the game. For the most part, Kentucky fans are more knowledgeable than anyone about the game of basketball. I hope someday you'll decide that it's ok to join the rest of us.

 

[Anon1636470744]

Faraway I think you are getting pretty far away from what my original post was about which was Dan Issel was the greatest player to ever play at UK. If you think that the majority of UK fans consider foreign players as part of the discussion when discussing pro basketball history you are the one who is ignorant. As far as knowledge of basketball I played basketball and coached basketball and I have been a UK fan since the early sixties. Based on your name I guess you must live overseas and maybe that is why you would make your ridiculous argument. So now you can go faraway.

 

[KingOfBBN]

Originally posted by Chuckinden:

Originally posted by JFCats22:
Anthony Davis is #1 and no one else is close.

Otherwise, pretty solid list.

Another one that didn't see Issel play.

Issel didn't even get us to a Final Four nor did he win POTY. Anthony Davis is already better than Issel ever was in his NBA/ABA days.

This post was edited on 3/8 8:42 AM by HeismanWildcat85

 

[Anon1636470744]

No matter how you measure the best 30 basketball players in UK history Dan Issel has to be at the top of the list. OP didn't say best 30 teams in UK history. Based strictly on individual accomplishment if a player is the all time leading scorer and rebounder then he has to be the best player to ever play at UK. If you want to talk about what they did as a professional player then that is also Dan Issel. Now AD is obviously a great player but he didn't stay here long enough to break either of Dan's records and maybe he will become one of the all time greats in pro basketball history like Dan but he hasn't done it yet. I will go on to say that I love AD for what he did here in bringing UK it's eight national title but let's not ever diminish the accomplishments of the greatest player to ever play for the Cats.

 

[KingOfBBN]

Originally posted by Big Foot 275:
No matter how you measure the best 30 basketball players in UK history Dan Issel has to be at the top of the list. OP didn't say best 30 teams in UK history. Based strictly on individual accomplishment if a player is the all time leading scorer and rebounder then he has to be the best player to ever play at UK. If you want to talk about what they did as a professional player then that is also Dan Issel. Now AD is obviously a great player but he didn't stay here long enough to break either of Dan's records and maybe he will become one of the all time greats in pro basketball history like Dan but he hasn't done it yet. I will go on to say that I love AD for what he did here in bringing UK it's eight national title but let's not ever diminish the accomplishments of the greatest player to ever play for the Cats.

AD also did in one year what Issel was never able to do in four years. Won POTY, Final Four MOP, and a national championship.