BTI's Rants and Ramblings: The Curious Cases of Retired Jerseys

It is always an interesting topic on this site that we bring up often, especially during the summer months.  And that is the debate about the retiring of jerseys at Kentucky.  First of all, it goes without saying that it is about damn time to put Tony Delk up there.  He is clearly the obvious next choice, but has to get through the new rules of being in the UK Hall of Fame for X number of years and so on and so on.  But, as you look through the names of people with their names in the rafters at Rupp, it is a curious group of people.  What is curious is how exactly some of these guys ever got up there in the first place.  For instance: Layton Rouse (1938-1940) -Scored 353 total points in 3 seasons Gayle Rose (1952-1955) -Averaged 5.5 ppg in his 3 seasons (75 total games) -Was 6th on the team in scoring his senior season -Never was an All-American or All-SEC Phil Grawemeyer (1954-1956) -Averaged 8.8 ppg and 9.9 rpg in 3 seasons (71 total games) -Never won a national championship -Never was higher than 3rd on the team in scoring -Never was an All-American or All-SEC There are a total of 36 players currently in the rafters, along with Rupp, Hall, Pitino, Ledford, and Keightley.  But Kentucky has had 52 total All-Americans, and 124 players named All-SEC.  Yet Rose and Grawemeyer, along with Woods, Farmer, and Feldhaus were never named All-SEC and were put there.  Dirk Minnefield leads the school all-time in assists and stopped playing 28 years ago, was a 2-time All-SEC player, and he can't make it?  I just wonder if the current process for getting into the rafters is right at Kentucky.  I would never argue that names should be pulled down.  That would be insensitive and silly, especially considering those 3 guys above have all passed away now.  But, if those guys can get in, and The Unforgettables can get in, why can't some of the better players in modern times get up there?  Guys who had playing careers that far exceeded some but not the love affair with the fans.  Why is there not a system for automatic inclusion in the rafters? I hate to give North Carolina props for anything, but they have a PERFECT system for honoring their jersey.  Players must meet certain criteria or they just are not included.  Those criteria are: -MVP of a National Championship team -ACC Player of the Year -Consensus 1st or 2nd team All-American -NCAA Tournament MOP -Member of Gold Medal winning team (To have a jersey RETIRED, a player must be named national player of the year) There is no discussion.  To win those honors and awards above, you must be an elite player or at least a key player on a title team.  There is no grey area.  There should really be no debate.  Kentucky has never institued those rules until recently, when a player was forced to be in the UK Hall of Fame for a period of time before consideration for the rafters.  Which is fine.  Except we are now at around a decade since Mashburn was put in the rafters, and there have been a ton of great players SINCE then and many before Mashburn who still wait.  For instance, just on the career scoring list, guys who played before Mashburn and are not in the rafters: 11th: Ed Davender (of course his recent legal troubles may prevent that) 14th: Mike Casey 16th: Melvin Turpin 22nd: Winston Bennett 25th: Mike Phillips Right there are 5 guys who are in the Top 25 in scoring at Kentucky, played in the 1980's or sooner, and still sit without honor.  But Richie Farmer and Sean Woods are there for an Elite 8 run and sticking with the program during probation.  I know it's sacrilege to be critical of the Unforgettables, but if they can get there, it says to me that standards are loose for inclusion.  Essentially, they are there for being so loved by the UK fanbase.  But none of them except Pelphrey actually had individual careers that were worthy.  And that's fine if Kentucky allows that type of player up there.  Yet, it seems nobody can get there anymore.  Why? Is the current system for retiring jerseys sufficient for you?  I say institute the UNC plan, with 1 caveat: A player must play at least 2 seasons to qualify.  Sorry, but as great as Wall and Cousins were, 1 season does not earn anybody the honor in the rafters.  Besides that, I like the UNC plan.  What are your thoughts?