Jan. 10, 2003
South Carolina Gamecocks (7-4, 1-0 SEC)
vs.
No. 18/19 Kentucky Wildcats (10-3, 1-0 SEC)
The South Carolina Game
Rupp Arena (23,000)
Lexington, Ky.
Jan. 11, 2003
7:06 p.m. ET
RADIO
UK Radio Network (80+ stations): Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker.
Listen Live
TELEVISION
Fox Sports South (Live): Dave Neal and Barry Booker.
Vs. South Carolina
Nickname: Gamecocks
Web site: uscsports.com
Series Record: UK leads 29-5
In Lexington: UK leads 15-1
Last Meeting: March 8, 2002 – USC 70, UK 57 (SEC Tourney)
Coaching Comparisons
Tubby Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall: 266-108 (.711) (12th)
at UK: 142-46 (.755) (6th)
vs. South Carolina: 15-3
Dave Odom (Guilford ’65)
Overall: 307-193 (.614) (17th)
at USC: 29-19 (.604) (2nd)
vs. Kentucky: 1-4
Did you know that UK coach Tubby Smith was an assistant coach at South Carolina for three years? Smith coached under George Felton, later a UK assistant under Smith, from 1986-89. USC was 53-35 during that time.
Probable Starters
KentuckyNo. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown '03 Note44 Chuck Hayes F 6-6 247 So. 8.9 5.8 Modesto, Calif. Shooting 80.0% from FT line14 Erik Daniels F 6-8 214 Jr. 9.2 5.9 Cincinnati, Ohio Career high 32 mins. vs. UT50 Marquis Estill C 6-9 236 Sr. 10.8 5.5 Richmond, Ky. Fifth in SEC in blocks33 Antwain Barbour G 6-5 195 Jr. 5.9 1.9 Elizabethtown, Ky. Has started four games 4 Gerald Fitch G 6-3 188 Jr. 12.0 2.8 Macon, Ga. Perfect 8-8 from FT line vs. UT
South Carolina
15 Carlos Powell F 6-7 220 So. 16.2 5.4 Florence, S.C. Team’s leading scorer55 Rolando Howell F-C 6-9 220 Jr. 10.4 6.3 Columbia, S.C. Sustained head injury vs. Miss.50 Tony Kitchings C 6-10 260 Sr. 6.7 5.0 Aiken, S.C. Returned to lineup vs. Ole Miss21 Tarence Kinsey G 6-6 180 Fr. 0.9 0.6 Tampa, Fla. First career start vs.Ole Miss31 Chuck Eidson F 6-7 205 Sr. 11.2 6.8 Summerville, S.C. 9th all-time at USC in assts.
Team Comparison
cats cocksRecord 10-3 7-4Scoring Offense 80.5 66.7Scoring Defense 71.5 63.0Scoring Margin +9.1 +3.7FG % 48.7 41.9FG % Defense 43.9 42.43FG % 36.1 31.23FG % Defense 38.2 30.1Free Throw % 70.7 67.3Rebound Average 37.0 35.2Opponent Reb. Avg. 32.7 34.5Rebound Margin +4.3 +0.7TO Average 14.7 14.9Opponent TO 16.8 17.9TO Margin +2.1 +3.0Blocks Average 5.4 2.6Steals Average 8.0 10.5
Wildcats to Play 2,400th Game Against South Carolina
The Wildcats face South Carolina in their first Southeastern Conference game in Rupp Arena this season. UK rides a four-game win streak into the game, which is the 2,400th in the program’s 100-year history. The Cats are coming off a thrilling 74-71 win over Tennessee in Knoxville to open league play.
South Carolina enters the game with a 7-4 overall record and earned its first SEC win by beating Ole Miss in Columbia this week. The Gamecocks, however, have battled the injury bug early and often this season. USC will be without the services of senior forward Chris Warren, who is out with a broken ankle bone, and Marius Petravicius, who partially tore his ACL on Jan. 2.
USC center Tony Kitchings returned to the lineup for the Ole Miss game for the first time since Nov. 29 when he broke his hand against South Carolina State. Center Rolando Howell’s status for the game is questionable after the junior was kicked in the head during the Ole Miss game.
The Cats will play three of its next four games in Rupp Arena after playing at home just three times in December and four times all season.
Series Information
This marks the 35th meeting between the two teams. Kentucky leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 29-5. After sweeping the Gamecocks last year in the regular season for the fifth year in a row, USC shocked the Cats with a 70-57 upset in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. The loss snapped UK’s 12-game win streak over Carolina, dating back to the 1996-97 season.
The game is the 26th meeting in the series since South Carolina joined the league in 1992. UK owns a 21-4 mark against the Gamecocks since that time.
Dave Odom is in his second season at the helm of the Carolina program, but coached against UK twice while at Wake Forest. Overall, he’s 1-4 against the Wildcats with losses to Kentucky in the 1993 NCAA Southeast Regional semifinals, 103-69, the 1996 Midwest Region Finals, 83-63, and twice last season. This is Odom’s fourth game as a head coach in Rupp Arena. His 1994 Wake Forest team played its first- and second-round games in the Southeast Regional at Rupp, beating College of Charleston, 68-58, in the opener, before losing to Kansas, 69-58, in the next round. Last year, Odom was handed a 91-74 loss by the Cats in Rupp.
Tubby Smith, a former Gamecock assistant coach (1986-89), is 15-3 against South Carolina and has lost only one game to the Gamecocks while at UK, a 70-57 loss in last year’s SEC Tournament. He’s 12-1 against USC while at UK.
SEC Domination
UK is a charter member of the SEC and since the league’s inception in 1932-33, the Cats have been the most dominant team in the league, recording a 781-212 mark (78.7%). No other team has won more than 648 regular-season SEC games (Alabama) and no other team has a better winning percentage. UK has averaged 11.3 wins and 3.1 losses per season during its SEC tenure.
The Wildcats have won 41 SEC titles and 23 SEC Tournament Championships, more titles than the other teams combined.
Kentucky has won eight of the last 11 SEC Tournament titles.
Tubby Smith has coached seven seasons in the SEC, two at Georgia and five at Kentucky. In SEC regular-season play, he’s 79-34 (69.9%). He’s captured three SEC Championships and four SEC Eastern Division crowns in five seasons in the Bluegrass. He also owns a 13-4 record in seven SEC Tournament appearances, winning three titles.
Big Blue Hoops Weekend
The Kentucky-USC game in Rupp Arena on Saturday evening tips off a very special weekend for Kentucky basketball.
On Sunday, UK will retire the jersey of its all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Valerie Still. The ceremony will take place at halftime of the UK-Alabama women’s game at Memorial Coliseum, which will be broadcast live on Fox Sports South at 3 p.m.
The star of the UK women’s program will become the first female athlete at UK to have her jersey retired. Still, who lettered from 1979-83, finished her career with 2,763 points and 1,525 rebounds, the most by any hoops star, male or female, at UK.
Still and her husband, former UK letterwinner Rob Lock (1985-88), are expected to attend the UK-South Carolina game on Saturday.
Bird Lovers
Keith Bogans has enjoyed success against South Carolina in his career. He averages 13.6 ppg in eight contests against the Gamecocks with his best outing coming in the 2001 SEC Tournament when he had 23 points. He’s topped the 20-point mark three times vs. USC.
Teammate Gerald Fitch has scored in double figures in three of his five games against South Carolina, including a then career-high 17 points against USC last February in Lexington. He averages 9.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg against the Gamecocks.
Bogans Off the Bench
In his 112 career games at UK, Keith Bogans has played a reserve role just 13 times. But he’s played the role well. The senior averages 10.8 ppg off the bench and has scored in double digits eight times.
Bogans’ most recent outing as a reserve came against Tennessee where he led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds. He’s started 12 of 13 games this year and 99 games in his career.
FREE for All
Kentucky is enjoying much success at the free-throw line this season, shooting 70.7%, the best since the 1996 championship season.
That stat got a boost on Wednesday against Tennessee, as UK hit 82.4% from the charity stripe. It was the second-best performance of the year, led by Gerald Fitch’s perfect 8-for-8 performance.
The Cats were shooting 69.2% entering the game against UT, while the Vols were hitting a league-leading 75.8%. UT was 19-of-26 (.731) from the line.
Inside the Numbers
The Wildcats are 10-3 but have played just four home games… Ten Wildcats average 10 minutes or more per game and Keith Bogans leads all Cats with 30.4 mpg… UK’s 48.7% FG shooting is the highest since the 1986 season, the last without the three-pointer… The Cats are shooting 70.7% from the foul line, the best since the ’96 champs… Kentucky has topped 50% shooting seven times this season, after achieving the mark only six times all of last season… UK has used four starting lineups… Cliff Hawkins is fourth on the team in total assists despite missing the first seven games.
Rupp Arena
Kentucky is in its 27th season at Rupp Arena, where the Wildcats own a 343-40 (89.6%) record.
The Cats have won the national attendance title the past seven seasons. Overall, the Wildcats have won 15 national attendance titles in the building.
Once again this season, the arena debuts new upgrades, including all blue seats in the lower level, a new concourse, a standing-room only “eRUPP-tion Zone” for the student body and a media press box, all totaling $5.1 million. The new purple concourse is two levels, replacing the old one-level boxed concession stand. It features greater concession stand access and more restrooms. The “eRUPPtion Zone” moved 400 season ticket holders to other seats in lower arena and moves the band and nearly 700 students into the end zone nearest UK’s bench. It also gives students access to floor-level seating, er, standing. A UK junior from Lincolnton, N.C., Andy Acker, named the area in a contest among the student body. His entry was picked from nearly 200 submissions.
Thru 2,400
UK will play its 2,400th game against the Gamecocks on Saturday… The Cats have accumulated 1,827 wins, the most in college hoops… UK has won 896 home games during that time while playing at Alumni Gym, Memorial Coliseum and Rupp Arena… One legendary coach, Adolph Rupp, accounts for 36.5% of UK’s all-time wins.
Road Warriors
UK has opened the season with a 3-1 record on the road with wins over North Carolina, Tulane and Tennessee. The only loss on an opponent’s court this year came to Louisville on Dec. 28, an 83-61 decision. UK has won four straight games since that loss.
ESPN Classic Announces UK Day
In honor of the Wildcats’ 100 years of basketball, ESPN Classic has scheduled replays of five Kentucky basketball games back-to-back on the network on Sunday, Feb. 2. Cable or dish subscribers should check with their local cable companies to subscribe to ESPN Classic. The lineup includes:
10 a.m. – UK at LSU (2-15-94)
UK rallied from 31 points down with 15 minutes to play for the 99-95 victory.
Noon – UK vs. Duke – ’78 NCAA Final
UK captured its fifth NCAA crown behind Jack Givens’ 41 points.
2 p.m. – UK vs. Arkansas – ’95 SEC Tourn.
UK was down 19 in the first half, 12 in the second half, and nine in overtime before rallying for the 95-93 win.
4 p.m. – UK vs. Syracuse – ’96 NCAA Final
The Cats captured their first title in 18 years, their sixth overall.
6 p.m. – UK vs. Utah – ’98 NCAA Final
Down 10 points at the half, the “Comeback Cats” rallied for the 78-69 victory, their second in three years.
New Year’s Cats
Throughout the 100-season history of the basketball program, Kentucky has enjoyed success in the month of January. UK owns a 513-176 overall record in the year’s first month for a .745 winning percentage.
UK is 3-0 to start the month in 2003. Last year the Cats were 6-3 in January with all three losses coming at the hands of ranked SEC opponents.
Looking Good!
UK assistant coach Reggie Hanson aims to dress for success, and apparently, people are taking notice. Collegeinsider.com’s Angela Lento annually tracks the nation’s best dressed head and assistant coaches. In the most recent Fashion Power Index (FPI), Hanson is ranked the top dresser among assistants this season.
Lento’s Runway to the Fashionable Four is in its sixth year.
ASSISTance
Cliff Hawkins, who returned to the court on Dec. 21 after missing the fall semester with academic troubles, has made a solid return as a reserve point guard.
In the six games since, the junior has totaled 27 assists, a career-best 4.5 apg, with just eight turnovers. “The Hawk” averaged 4.3 assists per game in 2002, starting 29 of 32 games at the point.
Milestones
Keith Bogans’ 21 points against Ohio moved him past Louie Dampier into 11th place on UK’s all-time scoring list. He now has 1,597 points and needs 40 more to crack the top 10.
Bogans’ has 207 career threes and sits in second place on UK’s all-time list of made threes. Tony Delk is the school leader with 283.
After recording a season-high four blocks against Alcorn State, Jules Camara advanced to sixth place on the Wildcats’ all-time blocked-shots list, trailing No. 5 Tayshaun Prince by five blocks. He has 139 rejections in his career.
Swat Team
Marquis Estill and Jules Camara, the Wildcats’ tandem at center, have totaled 46 blocked shots this season. Against Ohio on Saturday, Estill had four rejections while Camara added two. Estill is fourth and Camara ranks sixth in the SEC in blocked shots.
Cats in Stats
In the updated SEC stats, Keith Bogans ranks third in scoring, second in threes made per game and 10th in 3FG percentage.
Marquis Estill ranks fifth in blocks, while teammate Jules Camara is sixth.
As a team, UK is second in the league in scoring, third in FG percentage, fourth in 3FG percentage, third in blocks and third in assist-to-turnover ratio.
In the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 6), UK ranks 28th in the nation in scoring, 19th in FG%, 30th in assists per game and 18th in blocks per game.
Estill Holds Record Mark
Senior Marquis Estill owns the minimum 200 made field goals in his UK career to take the all-time lead in FG percentage. So far this year, he’s 58-of-95 from the field (61.1%). For his career he’s shooting 61.4%.
Estill ranks ahead of the school’s previous record holder, Charles Hurt (1980-83), who shot 59.3 percent. Estill will own the school record should he maintain the pace throughout the season. The 6-9 center can earn a fourth year of eligibility should he graduate by the start of the fall semester of 2003.
Career FG Percentage (Min. 200 made)
61.4 Marquis Estill (254-414) – 2001-03
59.3 Charles Hurt (303-511) – 1980-83
59.1 M. Turpin (626-1059) – 1981-84
58.1 Rick Robey (533-917) – 1975-78
57.1 Kenny Walker (765-1339) – 1983-86
Vs. Ranked Opponents
The Wildcats own a 3-1 record this season against ranked opponents with wins over No. 20 Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational, at No. 12 North Carolina and vs. No. 6 Indiana. The Cats’ only loss to a ranked opponent was a 71-67 drop to No. 21 Michigan State on Dec. 14. The Cats also lost at Louisville, a team unranked at the time that currently has moved into the top 25.
Later this month, UK will battle another top-10 team in Notre Dame and this week’s No. 1 team, Alabama. The SEC is loaded, with three other ranked opponents in this week’s polls — Florida, Mississippi State and LSU.
Double-Doubles
Kentucky got its third double-double performance of the season after a 11-point, 12-rebound performance by Chuck Hayes in the win over Ohio. It was his second career double-double. On Dec. 30, Marquis Estill had a 15-point, 11-rebound effort against Tennessee State. It also was Estill’s second career double-double.
Earlier this year, Jules Camara totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds in relief against Virginia, his fifth career double-double.
Cats in the Polls
The Wildcats were ranked 17th in both preseason polls. They rose to No. 12 in both polls following their win at North Carolina, their highest ranking of the season.
UK is currently 18th in the AP poll and 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25.
Next Opponent
UK returns to the road when it travels to Nashville, Tenn., for an ESPN Super Tuesday showdown with Vanderbilt. The game tips at 9 p.m. EST, 8 p.m. CT in Nashville.
Last Time Out
Despite a 41.7% shooting performance, the Wildcats were able to top Tennessee, 74-71, in Knoxville to earn its 15th win in its last 16 SEC openers. Keith Bogans, in a rare reserve role, led the Cats with 20 points, while Gerald Fitch was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe to lead an 82.4% UK performance.
Three Mania
Kentucky ranks third nationally in consecutive games with a made three-pointer. The Wildcats have hit a three-pointer in 486 consecutive games, which trails UNLV and Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came 14 seasons ago against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.
National Exposure
Kentucky has already appeared on national television in eight of the 13 games this season. The Cats will appear on national TV 16 times during the 2002-03 regular season, including 10 ESPN appearances and six games on CBS.
SEASON NOTES
100th Season
The Cats are playing their 100th season of basketball this year. The Cats have a number of events planned throughout the season, including fan balloting, which concluded at the end of December, for the program’s greatest players, games and moments. The celebration includes replays of the top 10 games on radio, a 25-year reunion of the 1978 NCAA Champs, and four special-edition bobble-head dolls that fans can collect. The celebration concludes with an all-letterman reunion on Feb. 23 at the MSU game.
Kentucky celebrates unparalleled tradition, including seven NCAA titles, the most wins in college basketball, the best winning percentage in college hoops, the most consensus All-Americans, the most AP top-10 finishes, the most SEC Championships and tournament crowns and 15 national attendance titles.
Its first bobble-head promotion was held at the home opener when 500 lucky students received a Kyle Macy bobble-head. The second bobble-head was Adolph Rupp, which debuted against Michigan State. A third made its way out of the bag before the Indiana game — Tubby Smith. The last of the series will be unveiled for the Notre Dame game on Jan. 18.
SEC Openers
With the win over Tennessee on Jan. 8, Kentucky is 54-16 all-time in SEC openers and has won 15 of its last 16 league debuts. Its only loss during the stretch came last year at Mississippi State, a 74-69 decision in overtime.
GOOD-bye 2002!
Kentucky ended the 2002 calender year with a bang, earning a 115-87 win over Tennessee State on Monday. The victory included many season highs, including: points (115), three-pointers (11), rebounds (52), rebounding margin (+31), steals (12) and margin of victory (+32).
The Wildcats were 21-11 overall in 2002.
December Embers
The Wildcats completed a rugged December schedule, which included three road games and games against three ranked opponents, with a 5-2 record.
All-time, UK holds a 431-103 mark (.807) in the month of December. Last season, the Cats went 5-1 in the year’s final month with their only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 1 Duke in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Hawk Returns
Point guard Cliff Hawkins returned to the court against IU on Dec. 21 after missing the Cats’ first seven games. The junior was ineligible for the fall semester after academic troubles.
Hawkins showed he hadn’t missed a beat when he entered the game mid-way through the first half. The Dumfries, Va., native totaled four points, five rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.
The highlight of his return came late in the game when he timed an alley-oop pass to Jules Camara for a dunk.
Fitch Named SEC and TSN’s POW
Gerald Fitch recorded back-to-back career highs – 18 points against High Point, 25 against No. 12 North Carolina – in early December to lead the Wildcats to consecutive wins, earning SEC Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. He also was recognized nationally as The Sporting News’ Player of the Week.
Fitch shot 68.2% from the field for the week and 75.0% from three-point range against the two teams. Against High Point, he totaled a career-high six assists as well. Against UNC, he scored 16 of his 25 in the decisive second half as UK rallied from a 43-40 halftime deficit. Fitch, normally a two-guard, was playing at point guard in the absence of 2002 starter Cliff Hawkins. He averaged 21.5 ppg and 4.0 apg for the week.
Triple Trouble
Three Wildcats topped the 20-point mark in UK’s win over UNC on Dec. 7, making it the first time in 13 seasons that three players scored 20 points in the same game. Gerald Fitch led the team with a career-high 25 points, while Keith Bogans and Marquis Estill each added 20. All of Estill’s points came in the decisive second half.
The last group to accomplish the feat included current UK assistant coach Reggie Hanson. With Tubby Smith on the sidelines as an assistant coach, Hanson combined his 20 points with 21 by Deron Feldhaus and a 40-point burst from Derrick Miller for a 100-73 win over Vanderbilt on Feb. 7, 1990.
Long-Range Love
UK was 10-of-16 from treyville against UNC, connecting on 62.5% of its shots, which would be a school record had the Cats made the minimum 20 threes needed.
It was the highest three-point percentage since UK hit 63.6% of its shots against Wake Forest during its 1996 march to the national title. UK was 7-of-11 from outside in that game.
Daniels’ Solid Return
Junior Erik Daniels, who was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating NCAA rules governing summer league play, had a stellar return against North Carolina on Dec. 7. Daniels shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including 1-of-1 from three-point land, for nine points, while grabbing five rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
His productive start was reminiscent of his freshman season when the Cincinnati native missed the opener after having his knee scoped in the preseason. He returned against UCLA and over the course of the next three games was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field.
Home Openers
With the win over High Point, Kentucky is now 85-15 all-time in home openers. Nine of those losses occurred before Adolph Rupp began coaching in 1930. The Cats are 66-6 since 1930, losing the home opener in 1955 to Temple, 1962 to Va. Tech, 1972 to Iowa, 1988 to Northwestern State, 2000 to Penn State and last season to Western Kentucky.
UK now stands at 24-3 in home openers at Rupp Arena.
Maui Invitational Results
Kentucky finished in third place at the 19th annual Maui Invitational. Kentucky beat Arizona State in the first round before getting upset by Virginia in the semifinals. The Wildcats then beat No. 20 Gonzaga in the consolation game. It was the third appearance for UK in the Maui Invitational. The Cats are now 7-2 all-time in the tournament, earning a championship in 1993 and a third-place finish in 1997 in their two previous appearances.
Keith Bogans averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game to earn All-Tournament team honors. UK rival Indiana beat Virginia to claim the 2002 title.
Well more than 500 Kentucky fans made the trip to the Maui Invitational to cheer on the Wildcats. UK chartered an L1011, and along with an official traveling party of 55 team and school personnel, an additional 300 fans were aboard the plane. Also, another 150 fans purchased the trip through Commonwealth Travel in Lexington and flew commercially. Others made the trip via additional travel agencies or on their own to help give the Wildcats the largest cheering section among the eight participating teams.
PRESEASON NOTES
Returning Production
UK lost just one starter off its 2002 Sweet 16 team (Tayshaun Prince), but returned just 67.1% of its scoring from a year ago. Here’s the complete breakdown:
Points 67.1%
Rebounds 76.6%
Assists 81.7%
Blocks 67.3%
Steals 77.4%
SEC Preseason Poll
The Wildcats were picked to finish third in the SEC Eastern Division in a preseason poll of media members. UK, which has not finished lower than second since the league split into divisions in 1992, was also predicted to finish fourth in the race for the SEC regular-season crown.
Keith Bogans was the only Wildcat picked as either first- or second-team preseason All-SEC poll. The first team included Erwin Dudley (Alabama), Mario Austin (Miss. State), Jarvis Hayes (Georgia), Maurice Williams (Alabama), and Brett Nelson (Florida). The second team included Bogans, Ronald Dupree (LSU), Matt Bonner (Florida), Ezra Williams (Georgia) and Derrick Zimmerman (Miss. State).
BIG BLUE MANIA
Keightley’s Seen Half of UK’s Games Incredible.
Bill Keightley is in his 42nd season as equipment manager of the UK basketball team. The beloved “Mr. Wildcat” began assisting in the equipment room during the 1961-62 season and since then, UK has played 1,273 games, owning a 972-301 record.
The Wildcats, who are celebrating their 100th season of basketball, have played 2,395 games, meaning Keightley has played a role in 53.2% of the games.
The Lawrenceburg, Ky., native, who has a jersey retired in the rafters of Rupp Arena, has worked under five different head coaches at UK — Rupp, Hall, Sutton, Pitino and Smith. The current cats have a modern nickname for the 75-year-old Keightley — “Smooth.”
Wiggins In 50th Season
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins continued his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. He’s starting his 50th season watching Kentucky play in person and through his own record-keeping, has attended 1,231 UK games.
Wiggins, who is retired and lives in Falmouth, Ky., saw 615 consecutive games — home and away — from 1977 until he suffered a heart attack just before the 1996 Great Alaska Shootout. It’s the second-longest streak on record at UK. The longest record is the late Steve Reardon’s 626 games.
The illness forced Wiggins to miss four games, but he has since returned to see every contest in person, a streak of 217 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 42 years, a streak spanning 591 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 524-67.
UK’s NBA Players
To start the 2002-03 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek Anderson – Portland
Tony Delk – Boston
Jamaal Magloire – New Orleans
Jamal Mashburn – New Orleans
Walter McCarty – Boston
Ron Mercer – Indiana
Nazr Mohammed – Atlanta
Scott Padgett – Utah
Mark Pope – New York
Tayshaun Prince – Detroit
Antoine Walker – Boston
In addition, former UK assistant coach Jim O’Brien is the head coach of the Boston Celtics while former UK All-American Pat Riley coaches the Miami Heat.
Other Wildcats participating in professional basketball include Heshimu Evans, Jared Prickett, Andre Riddick and Wayne Turner, who are all playing overseas, and Saul Smith, who plays for Columbus of the NBDL.
UKathletics com 100-Year Catalog and Online Store
UK Athletics has released an official catalog and online store with products celebrating the 100 years of UK hoops. The product line includes memorabilia, Tubby Smith autographed items, videos, DVDs and the full-line of Nike apparel. The catalog is a special 100-year basketball that features UK’s national champions, All-Americans, great coaches and 100-year logo. Fans may call 888-234-9350 or log on to ukauthentic.com to purchase items.
— Go Cats —
