Jan. 7, 2000
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Vanderbilt Commodores (10-1)
vs.
Kentucky Wildcats (9-4)
Jan. 8, 2000, 5:07 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000), Lexington, Ky.
CATS ON THE AIR
UK Radio Network — 3:30 p.m. ET
Ralph Hacker, Sam Bowie, Dave Baker
Fox Sports South
Dave Neal, Mike Pratt
To follow the Wildcats in cyberspace, log onto www.ukathletics.com. Live stats, notes andinformation on this year’s team is available.
Host Cats Open SEC Slate Against Vanderbilt
- Kentucky, on a five-game win streak, begins Southeastern Conference play against the resurgent Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy, which upset No. 6 Florida on Wednesday in Nashville, enters the game with new coach Kevin Stallings, who has guided the ‘Dores to a 10-1 start. Vanderbilt will be looking for its first win in Rupp Arena (0-23) and its first in Lexington since Jan. 28, 1974, a streak of 25 straight losses.
- The Wildcats open their 67th season of SEC basketball. The league kingpin has won 39 SEC Championships and 22 SEC Tournament titles, more titles in each category than all the other league teams combined. Kentucky is 746-198 (.790) in regular-season conference play. Last season, the Cats finished second in the SEC Eastern Division with an 11-5 record, but rebounded to win its seventh SEC Tournament in the last eight years.
- CollegeRPI.com rates UK’s strength of schedule the toughest in the nation. The website service also ranks UK fifth nationally overall. The College Basketball News RPI ranking rates UK third nationally behind Arizona and Cincinnati and second nationally in schedule strength.
- As UK begins league play, it has one non-conference game remaining on its schedule, a Jan. 29 visit to Miami (Fla.). Kentucky survived a rugged pre-conference schedule that included six Top-25 opponents in a nine-game stretch and eight of its first 10 games against 1999 NCAA Tournament teams. UK is currently 3-3 against ranked opponents. The rest of the SEC is 2-7 against ranked opponents outside the league this season.
- The 12 Div. I opponents UK has played this season have a combined 100-47 record, which includes UNC Asheville’s 1-11 start.
- After a three-week absence, Kentucky reappeared in the AP poll at No. 25 this week. Last week, UK jumped back into the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll where it ranks No. 24 this week. Vanderbilt is unranked in both polls.
- As of Monday, Kentucky is ranked 12th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 56.8 ppg. Five opponents have been held to 50 points or less and only three teams have scored more than 70 points against the Wildcats.
- Vanderbilt and Kentucky both claim long streaks of three-pointers made in consecutive games. The Commodores have hit three-point shots in 423 straight games, one of only three teams to convert in every game since the rule was implemented in 1986-87. Kentucky’s streak has reached 386 games, the fourth longest nationally behind UNLV, Princeton and Vandy.
- Kentucky’s next game will be at Auburn on Jan. 11.
KENTUCKY
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown21 Tayshaun Prince G/F 6-9 215 So. 14.3 6.4 Compton, Calif.32 Desmond Allison G/F 6-5 214 So. 6.1 2.9 Tampa, Fla.42 Jamaal Magloire C 6-10 260 Sr. 11.9 7.9 Toronto, Ontario11 Saul Smith G 6-2 175 Jr. 7.2 *3.1 Athens, Ga.10 Keith Bogans G 6-5 205 Fr. 9.2 3.0 Alexandria, Va.
Key Cats Off The Bench
3 J.P. Blevins G 6-2 181 So. 4.0 *0.9 Edmonton, Ky.40 Jules Camara F 6-11 223 So. 7.3 3.8 Dakar, Senegal24 Marvin Stone F/C 6-10 256 Fr. 5.6 5.3 Huntsville, Ala.
VANDERBILT
32 Anthony Williams F 6-7 235 Jr. 10.9 7.2 Waverly, Ala.42 Dan Langhi F 6-11 215 Sr. 23.5 5.0 Benton, Ky.52 Greg LaPointe C 6-10 235 Jr. 5.8 3.4 Mt. Pleasant, Mich.5 Atiba Prater G 6-1 180 Sr. 7.8 3.2 Stone Mtn., Ga.13 James Strong G 6-3 195 Sr. 11.0 4.3 Huntsville, Ala.
* Assists per game
Televised Action
The Kentucky-Vanderbilt game will appear on Fox Sports Net South at 5 p.m. ET. Since a large area of Kentucky is not served by the cable network, WKYT-TV in Lexington and WAVE-TV in Lousville will carry the broadcast live. Fans not served by FSNS or the two stations listed above should check their local listings.
The Skinny on Vandy
- Vanderbilt is off to a 10-1 start under first-year head coach Kevin Stallings. The new coach arrived from Illinois State, and now boasts a career record of 133-64 in seven seasons. The ‘Dores started with eight-straight victories, including an 87-85 overtime win at Notre Dame. Florida State snapped the streak with a 70-65 win in Tallahassee.
- Kentucky native Dan Langhi leads the SEC in scoring, averaging 23.5 ppg. Langhi, who played at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky., ranks sixth nationally in scoring and tallied 31 points in the upset of Florida. Langhi is one of two Kentuckians on the VU roster. The other is Rick Jones of Georgetown, who was named the state’s Mr. Basketball last spring after his senior season at Scott County.
- UK visits Vandy in two weeks, Jan. 22, in Nashville.
- The teams have not played a common opponent.
Series Facts
Overall Record: UK leads 118-35
In Lexington: UK leads 62-13
In Nashville: UK leads 50-19
At Neutral Sites: UK leads 6-3
At Rupp Arena: UK leads 23-0
- Kentucky has won 13 straight games in the series. Vanderbilt’s last win over the Cats came in 1993, when host VU rolled to a 101-86 win over a Jamal Mashburn-led UK in Nashville.
- Last season, UK won 73-57 in Nashville and 88-63 in Lexington.
- Tubby Smith is 6-2 against Vanderbilt, including a 4-0 mark against the Commodores while coaching at UK. Kevin Stallings has never coached against the Wildcats.
Team Comparisons
UK VU Record 9-4 10-1 Scoring Off. 67.4 82.7 Scoring Def. 57.9 64.7 Scoring Margin +9.5 +18.0 FG % 41.8 50.2 Def. FG % 38.6 39.7 3FG % 28.3 40.5 Def. 3FG % 31.8 30.7 FT Pct. 69.8 73.8 Reb. Avg. 39.6 36.0 Opp. Reb. Avg. 33.5 34.4 Rebound Margin +6.2 +1.6 TO Avg. 15.6 13.5 Opp. TO 16.9 17.1 TO Margin +1.3 +3.6 Blocks Avg. 6.3 3.3 Steals Avg. 7.4 7.4
Coaching Comparisons
Orlando “Tubby” Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall (9th year) 196-79 (71.3%) at UK (3rd year) 72-17 (80.9%) SEC Tournament (4 yrs.) 10-2 (83.3%) NCAA Tournament (6 yrs.) 15-5 (75.0%) vs. Vanderbilt 6-2
Kevin Stallings (Purdue ’82)
Overall (7th year) 133-64 (67.5%) at Vanderbilt (1st year) 10-1 (90.9%) vs. Kentucky 0-0
Rupp Arena
- The Kentucky Wildcats, in their 24th season of basketball at Rupp Arena, are 309-35 (89.8%) in the facility. UK has recorded seven perfect home seasons and four years with only one defeat since Rupp Arena opened in 1976-77. The Big Blue earned its 300th victory in the 23,000-seat gymnasium on Jan. 30, 1999, an 86-62 win over LSU. Kentucky was 12-1 in the facility last year.
- With a 6-0 record at Rupp this season, the Wildcats have won 12 straight games in the facility. Ole Miss is the only other team to visit Rupp Arena this month, Jan. 19.
- With Kentucky’s win over Alaska-Anchorage, the Cats finished the ’90s with a 54-2 record at home against non-conference opponents.
SEC Mark
UK has won 68 of its last 80 (86.1%) regular-season SEC games. The Cats were 14-2 in 1995, tallied the league’s first perfect record, 16-0, in 1996, and went 13-3 and 11-5 the last two seasons.
Magloire Named SEC Player of the Week
On Monday, University of Kentucky center Jamaal Magloire was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week after leading the Wildcats to wins over Louisville, then-No. 5-ranked Michigan State, Alaska-Anchorage and Missouri.
Magloire averaged 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game over the holidays, tallying four double-doubles in five games and becoming the first Wildcat since 1990 to string together three double-doubles in a row. The Toronto native had 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. U of L, 18 points and 11 boards against Michigan State, 10 points and three rebounds vs. Alaska-Anchorage and a career-high 21 points and 13 rebounds against Missouri. He shot 52.5 percent from the field and 86.4 percent from the foul line while becoming the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots.
For the season, the 6-10, 260-pounder is second on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and first in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg).
It’s Magloire’s first SEC Player of the Week honor and UK’s first since Wayne Turner and Heshimu Evans won back-to-back awards in December ,98.
Bogans, Coincidence
Instant offense? The Alexandria, Va. freshman has been a scoring force for the Cats over the past eight games. Keith Bogans has averaged 11.3 ppg during the eight-game stretch, moving into the starting lineup the last five games, all victories.
The Blevins Factor
J.P. Blevins received his first starting assignment last week against Missouri and promptly tallied a career-high 13 points and three assists in 31 minutes as UK won, 70-53.
In the last four games, the sophomore guard has averaged 8.0 points and 22 minutes per game. His chief weapon? The three-point shot, where he’s hit seven of his last 13 attempts (.538).
He’s the team’s top threat from outside the arc, hitting 36.7 percent this season.
Cats at the Line
Kentucky is shooting 69.8 percent from the foul line this season, the highest mark since a season-ending 71.3 percent accuracy in 1996. Jamaal Magloire has hit 29 of his last 34 (85.3%), and for the season, is averaging 6.2 attempts per game while converting 4.2 times per game (67.9%).
Six Wildcats are shooting better than 70 percent from the stripe led by Saul Smith’s 87.5 percent.
Power Rankings
Poll Ranking Schedule Strength CollegeRPI.com 5th 1st CBN RPI 3rd 2nd Sagarin 14th 5th
According to Sagarin’s poll, UK has played six teams in its top 30. No other team in America has played more than five — Cincinnati, Michigan State and Wisc.-Milwaukee.
Vanderbilt is ranked 21st by Sagarin with a schedule strength of 278.
Y2UK Trends
No team has come back to win against Kentucky when the Cats entered the final five minutes of the contest with the lead, a mark that has occurred in nine of the 13 games. In addition, UK is 7-1 when leading at halftime and 2-3 when trailing at halftime. The Wildcats have rallied from their last two halftime deficits for victories against Michigan State and Georgia Tech.
The only glitch has been offensively, where UK has shot better than 50 percent from the field only once this season — 59.6% vs. Louisville.
UK vs. Top 25
Kentucky is 3-3 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season. UK has wins over No. 16 Utah, No. 24 Maryland in the Preseason NIT, and No. 5 Michigan State. The Cats have lost to No. 8 Arizona, No. 23 Indiana and at No. 21 Maryland (Dec. 11). AP rankings were current at the time of the game.
While Kentucky has played six teams ranked in the Top 25 prior to its conference slate, all the other Southeastern Conference teams combined to play nine. Auburn lost to No. 2 Stanford, Florida lost to No. 24 Purdue in Maui, Georgia fell to No. 8 Kansas and beat No. 25 Wake Forest, and South Carolina has lost to both No. 5 Michigan State and No. 19 DePaul. Arkansas lost to No. 23 Wake Forest, Mississippi State played No. 1 Stanford and LSU beat No.11 Oklahoma State. Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt did not face a ranked opponent prior to the league schedule. In the nine games the SEC teams have played against ranked opponents, they have a combined record of 2-7.
Back in the Top 25
The Wildcats resurfaced Monday in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after a three-week absence. On Dec. 13, UK was out of the AP poll for the first time since Dec. 4, 1990. The streak ended at 164 consecutive weeks in the rankings, the fifth-longest streak on record. UCLA owns the most consecutive weeks in the poll with 221 between 1966-80, followed by North Carolina’s 171 (1972-82), North Carolina’s current streak of 170 and Marquette’s mark of 166 weeks (1969-79).
The Wildcats, who bounced back into the Coaches, poll last week after a two-week absence, currently rank 24th.
Lineup Changes
Three times this season Coach Tubby Smith has altered the starting lineup. Against Louisville, he went small, inserting freshman Keith Bogans at shooting guard, moved Desmond Allison to small forward and Tayshaun Prince to power forward, and brought Jules Camara off the bench. The move earned wins over Louisville, No. 5 Michigan State and Alaska Anchorage.
Against Indiana on Dec. 4, Nate Knight earned the start at power forward and J.P. Blevins got his first start against Missouri. Both moves were in response to disciplinary measures.
Youthful Contributions
Sophomore Tayshaun Prince is the Wildcats, leading scorer, averaging 14.3 ppg. If Prince finishes the season as the top scorer, he’ll become the fourth UK sophomore in the last decade to accomplish that feat, joining Jamal Mashburn, Tony Delk and Ron Mercer. He’s led UK in scoring in six games and twice tallied at least 20 points this season.
Freshman Keith Bogans is third on the team in scoring averaging 9.2 ppg. The 6-2 guard could become the first frosh since Jamal Mashburn to finish in the top three in scoring at UK. Mashburn averaged 12.9 ppg during his first season in 1991, good for third on the team.
Consecutive Threes
The Cats have hit three-pointers in 386 consecutive games. The last time UK was held without a three-point field goal was Nov. 26, 1988, a ‘three-point” loss to Seton Hall in the Great Alaska Shootout (63-60). UK’s current streak ranks fourth nationally. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton have had a three-pointer in every game since the rule was implemented in 1986-87.
1999-2000 Trends
7-1 When leading at halftime0-0 When tied at halftime2-3 When trailing at halftime9-2 When UK scores first0-2 When opponent scores first9-0 When leading with 5 minutes to play0-3 When trailing with 5 minutes to play0-1 When score tied with 5 minutes to play9-0 When leading with 2 minutes to play0-4 When trailing with 2 minutes to play0-0 When score tied with 2 minutes to play2-1 In games decided by three points or less2-2 In games decided by 4-10 points0-0 When UK shoots 60% or better FG1-0 When UK shoots 50% or better FG8-4 When UK shoots less than 50% FG2-2 When UK shoots less than 40% FG2-1 When UK makes more 3FG6-1 When opponent makes more 3FG1-2 When 3FG made are the same6-3 When UK outrebounds opponent3-1 When opponent outrebounds UK0-0 When rebounds are the same7-4 When playing on national TV0-0 When playing on regional TV1-2 When playing on the weekend8-2 When playing on a weekday0-0 When starting after 10 p.m. ET1-2 When starting after 9 p.m. ET7-1 When game starts between 7-9 p.m.1-1 With an afternoon start0-0 In overtime games3-2 In November5-2 In December1-0 In January0-0 In February0-0 In March9-2 In home white uniforms0-2 In away blue uniforms
Wildcats vs. Conferences
0-1 vs. Atlantic 102-1 vs. Atlantic Coast1-0 vs. Big 121-0 vs. Big South1-1 vs. Big Ten1-0 vs. Conference USA1-0 vs. Ivy1-0 vs. Mountain West0-1 vs. Pac-101-0 vs. Pacific West
Record vs. Lineup
4-3 Prince, Camara, Magloire, Smith, Allison0-1 Prince, Knight, Magloire, Smith, Allison4-0 Prince, Allison, Magloire, Smith, Bogans1-0 Prince, Allison, Magloire, Blevins, Bogans
Tradition
The Wildcats own an unparalleled tradition of success. Since 1903, the University of Kentucky has fielded 97 basketball teams. The first national championship was an NIT title in 1946. The first NCAA Championship came in 1948 and the latest, No. 7, occurred in 1998. No other program can claim the unparalleled success that matches the Wildcats, efforts throughout the century.
Highlights include:
- Seven NCAA titles (1948, ’49, ’51, ’58, ’78, ’96, ’98),
- The all-time winningest team in college basketball.
- 1. Kentucky 1,757
- 2. North Carolina 1,743
- 3. Kansas 1,699
The highest all-time winning percentage in college basketball — 76.4% (1,757-542-1),
Three NCAA runner-up trophies,
13 Final Four appearances,
A national-record 40 NCAA tournament appearances,
39 SEC Championships,
22 SEC Tournament titles,
10 30-win seasons,
37 players chosen All-American 54 times,
86 Wildcats drafted by the NBA.
Double-Doubles
The following Wildcats have recorded double-figure points and rebounds in the same game this season:
Opponent Date Pts.-Rebs. Maryland 12/11/99 12-16 Louisville 12/18/99 12-10 Michigan St. 12/23/99 18-11 Missouri 12/30/99 21-13 (Career Total: 9)
Opponent Date Pts.-Rebs. Georgia Tech 1/5/00 21-10 (Career Total: 1)
Opponent Date Pts.-Rebs. UNC Asheville 12/7/99 12-10 (Career Total: 1)
Coach Tubby Smith
SEC Record
As an SEC coach, Tubby Smith has a 44-19 regular-season mark against league opponents. It’s the best winning percentage of any active league coach (69.8%) and ranks third among current SEC coaches for total wins. Smith has coached two years at Georgia and two years at Kentucky.
SEC Coach Years Record (Pct.) Nolan Richardson (9th) 87-42 (.674) Eddie Fogler (11th) 84-80 (.512) Tubby Smith (5th) 44-19 (.698) Cliff Ellis (6th) 40-40 (.500) Jerry Green (3rd) 22-11 (.667)
No. 275 in the Books
Tubby Smith coached his 275th career game against Georgia Tech on Wednesday. It was recorded as win No. 196 in the UK record book in the Wildcats, 2,300th game.
Smith Thru 89
Through his first 89 games at Kentucky, Tubby Smith has the second-best record of any Wildcat coach since 1930. Smith is 72-17 which trails only Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp, who was 79-10 through his first 89 games spanning 4-plus seasons.
Thru 89 games:
Adolph Rupp 79-10 Tubby Smith 72-17 Eddie Sutton 69-20 Rick Pitino 62-27 J.B. Hall 61-28
Smith’s Overtime Success
With an exciting 92-88 victory over Kansas in the second round of the 1999 NCAA tourney, the Wildcats won all three overtime games last season. UK also defeated host Georgia, 91-83, and Indiana, 70-61.
The Cats are 5-0 in overtime games since Tubby Smith took over as coach. In ’98, the Wildcats earned overtime victories over Arkansas, 80-77, and Stanford, 86-85. The Cats had lost seven of their last eight overtime games prior to the five-game win streak.
Overall, UK is 42-33 in overtime games, dating back to Feb. 12, 1907.
Smith is 13-3 in overtime games during his eight-year coaching career. He’s 5-0 at UK, 2-1 at Georgia and 6-2 at Tulsa, which includes a 2-1 mark in double overtime. His one overtime loss at Georgia was an 83-81 defeat to Syracuse in the 1996 NCAA Tournament and one of his OT defeats at Tulsa came at the hands of top-ranked Arkansas in 1994.
SEASON REVIEW
Cats in the ’90s
While Kentucky completed the decade with 282 wins (NCAA recognizes 1989-90 thru 1998-99), the Wildcats were 285-62 (82.1%) between Jan. 1, 1990 and Dec. 31, 1999.
Knight Leaves UK Program
University of Kentucky junior Nate Knight left the Wildcats, basketball program on Jan. 4.
Knight, a 6-9 forward from Sandy, Utah, had transferred to Kentucky last summer >from Utah Valley State (Junior) College after a one-year Mormon mission and one season at Oregon State.
For the Cats, Knight appeared in nine games, averaging 8.8 minutes per game. He scored 15 points (1.7 ppg) and grabbed 20 rebounds (2.2 rpg).
“We want to wish Nate the best,” Coach Smith said. “I think that a lot of things have been going on in his mind, and I hope he can get his life together. I know he’ll be successful in whatever he decides to do.”
Three Straight Doubles
Jamaal Magloire’s three consecutive double-doubles in December was a rarity. Not since Reggie Hanson accomplished the feat 10 years ago has another Wildcat had at least three straight in a season. Hanson had 24 points and 14 rebounds vs. Ohio, 13 and 11 vs. Indiana, 19 and 10 against Mississippi State and 18 and 10 against Tennessee Tech to start the 1989-90 season, reeling off four consecutive double-doubles.
Magloire followed up with a 21-point, 13-rebound performance vs. Missouri in the Sugar Bowl Classic to run his streak of double-doubles to four in five games.
“Show Me” Magloire
After UK beat Missouri last week, Jamaal Magloire said, ,Maybe they should join the SEC.” The senior had just tallied a career-high 21 points and 13 rebounds in UK’s 17-point victory. Two years ago, at the start of his sophomore season, Magloire tallied a then career-high 18 points and 17 rebounds against the Tigers in Maui. His two-game Missouri totals: 19.5 ppg and 9.3 rpg.
Preseason NIT Final Four Results
Kentucky earned wins over Penn, Utah and Maryland before losing in the championship of the Preseason NIT to Arizona. It was the “western” Wildcats third straight win over UK, dating back to an overtime win in the 1997 NCAA Championship game. UK finished second in the 16-team tournament field that included Ohio State, Notre Dame and Tulane. The final four results from New York’s Madison Square Garden:
Nov. 24
Arizona 76, Notre Dame 60 Kentucky 61, Maryland 58
Nov. 26
Maryland 72, ND 67 Arizona 63, Kentucky 51
Prince Makes All-Tourney
Tayshaun Prince, UK’s leading scorer and rebounder, had a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds in the Cats, win over Maryland in the semifinals and followed up with an 18-point, five-rebound performance against Arizona to earn All-Tournament team honors at the Preseason NIT.
Joining Prince on the All-Tournament team were Notre Dame’s Troy Murphy, Maryland’s Lonny Baxter and Arizona’s Jason Gardner and Richard Jefferson. The MVP was Arizona’s Gilbert Arenas.
America’s Team Wins #1,750
The Wildcats became the first team to record 1,750 wins with their victory over Utah on Nov. 19.
UK is in its 97th season of college basketball, and its record number of victories include seven NCAA Championships, two (postseason) NIT titles, a record 84 NCAA Tournament victories and 39 Southeastern Conference Championships, more than all the other league teams combined.
November Blues
For the fifth consecutive year, UK lost a game in the month of November. In 1995, UK lost to UMass in the Great Eight. In ’96, the Cats fell to Clemson in the BCA Classic. In ’97, Arizona knocked UK into the loser’s bracket of the Maui Invitational. Last season, Pittsburgh sent the Cats to the third-place game of the Puerto Rico Shootout. This November, Arizona earned a win over UK in the Preseason NIT final before the Cats fell to Dayton.
For the 11th time in the last 12 seasons, the Cats lost one of their first five games of the season. The dubious streak began in 1988-89 with a loss to Duke in the Tip-Off Classic.
Home In November
Since 1980, Kentucky has only lost two home games in November, establishing a mark of 18-1 during the past two decades, including its victories over Penn and Utah. The only defeat? To Pittsburgh in the second round of the Preseason NIT in Nov. 1991.
All-time in November, UK is 45-10, including a 28-1 mark at home, a 3-0 record on the road and a 14-9 slate at neutral sites.
December Results
At home in December, the Wildcats were 4-0 this season and 271-37 all-time, a winning percentage of 88.0 percent. Overall — home, away and neutral — UK is 418-98 (81.0%).
Season Openers
With the Penn win, Kentucky has now won 10 of its last 11 season openers. UK’s one defeat came at the hands of Clemson, a 79-71 overtime loss in the BCA Classic double-header at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis on Nov. 15, 1996.
UK has not lost a home opener since Northwestern State upset the Cats in 1988-89, a streak of 11 consecutive victories.
PRESEASON CAT SCRATCHES
Cats Short on Experience, Long on Talent
Seven of the 11 Wildcats on the ’99-2000 roster are freshmen or sophomores. UK lost its top four scorers, its top three rebounders and its top three assists men. The Cats, leading returning scorer and rebounder is senior Jamaal Magloire, who averaged 7.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg, while the leading returning assist man is Saul Smith, who averaged 1.6 apg last season. The only returning starter is Desmond Allison.
Returning production includes:
Points: 35.8% Rebounds: 38.9% Assists: 33.1% Blocks 63.8% Steals: 37.8%
The NBA Connection
Kentucky led all Southeastern Conference teams with 10 Wildcats on 1999-2000 opening day NBA rosters. No other SEC team had more than six former players in the league. For UK, the Cats had Derek Anderson (Clippers), Tony Delk (Kings), Rex Chapman (Suns), Jamal Mashburn (Heat), Ron Mercer (Nuggets), Nazr Mohammed (76ers), Walter McCarty, Antoine Walker and Wayne Turner (Celtics) and Scott Padgett (Jazz). Turner has since been waived.
Magloire Earns Preseason All-SEC Honor
In early November, media members at the Southeastern Conference Media Days in Birmingham picked the Wildcats to finish second in the Eastern Division behind Florida and selected Jamaal Magloire to the preseason All-SEC team. Auburn, which returns Chris Porter and Doc Robinson from last year’s Sweet 16 team, was chosen to win the regular-season crown.
SEC Media Day Predictions
Champion (Votes) Auburn 29 Florida 10 Kentucky 5
Eastern Division Western Division Florida (30) 227 Auburn (40) 240 Kentucky (3) 188 Arkansas 177 Tennessee (7) 181 Alabama 142 Vanderbilt 100 Miss. State 121 Georgia 85 LSU 67 South Carolina 56 Ole Miss 58
All-SEC
G – Tony Harris, Tennessee 27
G – Doc Robinson, Auburn 41
F – Chris Porter, Auburn 49
F – Mike Miller, Florida 37
C – Jamaal Magloire, Kentucky 17
SEC Player of the Year
Chris Porter, Auburn 45 Doc Robinson, Auburn 1 Mike Miller, Florida 1
Team of the Decade
Kentucky staked its claim for the title of ‘team of the Decade” during the 1990s. Only two NCAA Division I schools can claim two national titles during the last 10 years, UK and Duke.
NCAA Championships 2Final Four Appearances 4NCAA Runner-up 1NCAA Tourney Record (App.) 31-6 (8)NCAA Tourney Winning % 83.8%Decade Wins (Pct.) 282 (81.7%)30-Win Seasons 4Losing Seasons 0AP Top-10 Finishes 9All-Americans 3NBA Draft Picks (1st Rd.) 10 (8)SEC Championships 3SEC Tournament Titles 7
News from the Summer Drought
- The ’99-2000 schedule includes 17 teams that played in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, including Final-Four qualifier Michigan State. There will be 14 home dates during the regular season since Kentucky advanced in the Preseason NIT. The Cats will appear on national TV 18 times, including 12 times on ESPN or espn2 and five games on CBS. SEC games televised on ‘super Tuesdays” by ESPN will begin at 9 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m.
- Tubby Smith spent nearly all of July as an assistant coach for the 1999 USA Senior National Team. After winning the Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico, the squad qualified for the 2000 Olympics next September in Sydney, Australia. Smith will continue to serve on that staff as well, coaching such NBA greats as Tim Hardaway, Kevin Garnett, Steve Smith and Gary Peyton.
- Point guard Saul Smith competed for the SEC All-Stars, which toured Japan in August. Smith helped the team to a 4-1 record against the Japan National Team.
- Steve Masiello was awarded a scholarship for his senior season. The former walk-on from White Plains, N.Y. has been a member of UK’s ’97 NCAA runner-up squad, its ’98 NCAA Championship team and the Elite-Eight qualifier last season.
- Jamaal Magloire declared his intentions for the NBA Draft in May, but withdrew one week before the event and decided to return to UK for his senior season.
- Scott Padgett became the seventh Wildcat in the last four years to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when he was taken 28th by the Utah Jazz. Padgett was one of 11 Wildcats on NBA rosters as of opening day. In addition, seven other Cats are playing professionally, including Heshimu Evans, who is participating in a French league this winter. (See pages 154-157 of the 2000 UK Media Guide.)
Fall Signees
Cliff Hawkins, a 6-1, 180-pound guard at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., and Michael Southall, a 6-10, 225-pound forward/center from West Salem, Wis., have both signed national letters-of-intent during the fall signing period to play their college basketball at the University of Kentucky.
Hawkins, a native of Dumfries, Va., helped the Warriors to a perfect 32-0 record last season and a final No. 1 ranking by USA Today, ESPN and The Associated Press, earning the crown of national champions.
As a junior, Hawkins averaged 11.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game last season while starting every contest. The southpaw, who his coach called the ,best on-the-ball defender he’s ever coached,” also led the team in steals, averaging 3.9 per game. He shot 50.0 percent from the field, 62.5 percent from the foul line and 30.0 percent from three-point range during the ,99 season.
Hawkins played his sophomore season at Potomac High School, leading the squad to a state runner-up finish. In the state semifinals, he held Ronald Curry, the 1998 National Player of the Year, to six points, while tallying 31 in the winning effort. He earned first-team Class AAA All-State honors before transferring to Oak Hill.
Hawkins, who chose UK over New Mexico, played on the 1998 DC Team Assault summer AAU squad with current Wildcat Keith Bogans.
Southall, who plays at West Salem High School, was the Coulee Conference and Region Player of the Year last season, averaging 20.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and earned third team All-State honors from the Lacrosse Tribune after leading his squad to a 14-8 record. He shot 65.0 percent from the field, 66.0 percent from the foul.
Southall also was named team MVP during his sophomore year, averaging 13.7 points and 12.0 rebounds a game while leading West Salem to the sectional final.
He chose UK over Utah, Georgia Tech, Michigan and Ohio State.
