Jan. 18, 2000
LEXINGTON, Kty. – The jerseys of Bill Spivey, Pat Riley and Jamal Mashburn — three former Kentucky basketball greats — will be retired in pregame ceremonies on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at Rupp Arena. UK plays Ole Miss in a Southeastern Conference matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Spivey, who died in 1995, was college basketball’s Player of the Year in 1951, leading the Wildcats to their third NCAA Championship in four seasons. The All-American center nicknamed “Grits,” “The Georgia Pine” and “Mr. Poison Ivy” hailed from Macon, Ga., stood 7-foot tall, 230 pounds and was widely considered the first “big man” who could run the floor. In two seasons, he scored 1,213 points, becoming only the seventh college player to top 1,000 points in his sophomore and junior years. Spivey, who wore jersey No. 77, set SEC scoring records with 578 points in 1950 and 635 points the following season. In rebounding, he grabbed a league record 567 during the 1951 season and his 34 rebounds against Xavier that season still tops the UK single-game list. Prior to his senior season, he suffered a knee injury, and before he could fully recover, he was accused in the point-shaving scandal that rocked college basketball. As a result, he was dismissed >from the squad with other teammates. He died denying he was ever involved.
Riley, a 6-4 forward from Schenectady, N.Y., was a member of UK’s famed Rupp’s Runts team of 1966. That season was his best, earning All-SEC and All-American honors while leading the Cats on a 23-game win streak and a berth in the national championship game against Texas Western. Legendary coach Adolph Rupp called Riley one of the most complete athletes he had ever coached. Riley averaged 22.0 ppg as a junior in ’66 and 17.4 ppg as a senior the following year, finishing his three-year career with 1,464 points, which still ranks 15th all-time at UK. Riley, who wore No. 42, is the current head coach of the Miami Heat, and is in his 18th season coaching in the NBA. He was named “Coach of the Decade” for the 1980s, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to four World Championships. “Riles,” arguably the most celebrated basketball coach in the world, wears his celebrity status as easily as he does his designer suits. In addition, he is one of the most highly sought-after motivational speakers in the nation. As an NBA player, he was a member of the Lakers’ 1972 championship squad.
Mashburn, who wore No. 24, has been credited for accelerating Coach Rick Pitino’s rebuilding effort of the UK basketball program in the 1990s. The 6-8 forward from New York City started every game of his three-year career (1991-93) and was a three-time All-SEC selection and a consensus All-American in 1993. He became the 15th sophomore in SEC history to score 1,000 points and ended his career with 1,843 points, fourth most in UK history at the time. Blessed with an accurate perimeter game, Mashburn shot 51.6 percent from the field during his career, and 37.6 percent from three-point range. In 1992, he averaged 21.3 ppg, and shot a school-record 43.9 percent outside the arc, to lead UK to an exciting Southeast Regional final against Duke. The following year, he led the Cats to the 1993 Final Four, the team’s first Final Four appearance in nine seasons. “The Monster Mash” entered the NBA Draft after his junior season and was selected fourth overall by the Dallas Mavericks.
The three jerseys will be hung next to 35 former players, coaches and contributors to UK basketball that are currently on display. The ceremony is slated to begin at approximately 7:15 p.m. ET.
