Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Tennessee Tech
The history of Kentucky basketball cannot be told without mentioning the contributions of some legendary players from eastern Kentucky. One of those legends, John Pelphrey, returns to Rupp Arena on Wednesday night as he coaches against his alma mater (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Pelphrey came to Lexington after a storied high school career at Paintsville. After redshirting his first year, Pelphrey would go on to score 1,257 points and was a member of the group of Cats who became known as the Unforgettables.
On Tuesday, current Kentucky forward and Harlan County native Trent Noah was asked about Pelphrey.
“I’ve heard many stories about him,” Noah said. “Being one of the Unforgettables, jersey in the rafters. You know they will be a well-coached team. They’ll come in with an agenda to win.”
Noah was asked what it means to represent not only the University of Kentucky but also eastern Kentucky.
“A whole lot,” Noah said. “It’s every Kentucky kid’s dream to do it and to be able to take eastern Kentucky on the journey and the ride with me is really cool.”
Pelphrey and Noah are among a group of eastern Kentucky players who have made an impact on the program. One of Pelphrey’s teammates, and fellow Unforgettable Richie Farmer came to Lexington after being named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball at Clay County High School. Those two started their careers with Reggie Hanson from Pulaski County, who scored 1,167 points in his UK career.
Two names in UK basketball history immediately come to mind when thinking about players from eastern Kentucky. Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, who was also from Harlan, played three sports at Kentucky, including playing football for Paul “Bear” Bryant and basketball for Adolph Rupp. Jones was on UK’s championship teams in 1947 and 1948 and was an Olympic gold medalist at the 1948 Olympics.
Johnny Cox, a Hazard native, is 19th on Kentucky’s career scoring list with 1,461 points. Cox won a national title at UK in 1958 and was named All-American the following season.
On Wednesday night, a Kentucky legend will return to Rupp Arena again, where he will face the current eastern Kentucky native on the UK roster.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats defeated Loyola (Md.) last Friday, 88-46.
• Kentucky forced a season-high 16 turnovers and generated 11 steals, leading to a 24-2 advantage in points off turnovers
• The Cats held the Greyhounds to 46 points, the first time UK has held a team under 50 points since New Mexico State also scored 46 on Nov. 6, 2023
• It was Kentucky’s third win of the season by at least 40 points
• Kentucky held Loyola (Md.) to just 29 percent shooting. It is the second time this season UK has held an opponent to less than 30 percent from the field (Valparaiso)
• No Loyola (Md.) player scored more than seven points. It was the first time UK has not allowed any opposing player to score more than seven points since Nov. 23, 2014 against Montona State
• Kam Williams and Malchi Moreno both made their first starts of the season for the Wildcats
• Williams notched season highs in points (13), rebounds (9) and assists (4)
• Brandon Garrison had a career-high 11 rebounds
• Denzel Aberdeen had a career-high eight rebounds and matched his career best with six assists
Tennessee Tech at a Glance
Kentucky welcomes Tennessee Tech to Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center on Wednesday.
• UK is 5-0 all-time against Tennessee Tech, the last meeting coming in 2008, a 69-47 win for UK.
• The Golden Eagles are coached by John Pelphrey, who played at Kentucky from 1988-1992
• Pelphrey was an All-SEC selection in 1991 and an All-SEC Tourmament pick the following season in 1992
• Pelphrey played in 114 games at Kentucky and averaged 11 points per game
• He was a part of the 1992 senior class dubbed, “The Unforgettables” alongside Richie Famer, Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods.
• Mekhi Cameron leads Tennessee Tech in scoring with 14.2 points per game
