Kentucky Basketball: Picking an All-Time Team of Wildcats

Few programs in all of college basketball can boast the kind of winning tradition and historical significance that is seemingly the norm at the University of Kentucky.

With seven national championships and the winningest program of all time, the Wildcats have had a hand in so many important moments that have defined the sport, from "Rupp's Runts" and the "Fabulous Five" to the loss to Texas Western in 1966 and Christian Laettner's shot in 1992.

Throughout that time, Big Blue's success has been driven by Hall-of-Fame coaches and, perhaps even more so, tremendously talented players, many of whose jerseys currently hang in the rafters at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

As such, coming with a definitive all-time team is a daunting task to say the least, as it requires a fine-toothed comb that can withstand the wear and tear of decades of monumental moments and program-defining performances.

Not to mention the fact that John Calipari keeps adding tremendously talented players to the mix year after year.

Nonetheless, here's an attempt, humble as it may be, to put together a 12-man team of Kentucky greats.

Please feel free to express your opinions, dissenting or agreeing, but remember to do so respectfully.

Guard: John Wall

Chris Chambers/Getty Images

SYRACUSE, NY - MARCH 27: John Wall #11 of the Kentucky Wildcats stands on court against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the east regional final of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Carrier Dome on March 27, 2010 in Syracuse, New York

We begin with the most recent, and perhaps most controversial, addition to this list—John Wall.

It's certainly difficult to include on a list whose jurisdiction extends so far back in history a one-and-done player who took Kentucky to the Elite Eight and promptly bounced to the NBA Draft, wherein he was the first overall pick of the Washington Wizards.

Then again, Wall really was that good in his limited time in Lexington. Wall averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals during the 2009-10 season while leading a Big Blue revival in John Calipari's first year at the helm.

So while Wall's impact on and significance to the Kentucky program might not be historically solidified for at least another few years, his greatness as a player for the Wildcats is difficult to ignore.

Guard: Wayne Turner

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Wayne Turner #5 of the Kentucky Wildcats shoots as Jeff Boschee #13 of the Kansas Jayhawks blocks at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Kentucky defeated Kansas 63-45.

Step back about a decade and your foot will land right in the midst of the peak years of the Rick Pitino-Tubby Smith era, during which the Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament Championship Game three years in a row, winning in 1996 and 1998.

Wayne Turner was a star point guard on those teams that brought Kentucky basketball all the way back from a dark period of player defections and NCAA investigations. Turner was featured twice on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and rightfully so.

Turner was never a prolific scorer for Big Blue, peaking at 10.5 points per game as a senior, but was a steady leader and a terrific on-ball defender on two national championship teams who held the all-time NCAA record for most games played when he graduated.

The fact that current coach John Calipari brought Turner on to be a part of his staff is a testament to Turner's importance to the Kentucky program as a bridge between the Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith regimes.

Guard: Tony Delk

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Tony Delk (right) of Kentucky shoots over John Wallace of Syracuse during the 1996 NCAA Men''s Basketball Championship at the Continental Air Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Turner's time at Kentucky overlapped with that of Tony Delk, who was one of the darlings of the Rick Pitino era.

Delk came to Lexington in 1992 as a highly-decorated high school recruit and didn't waste much time establishing himself as a key figure in the Bluegrass Revival of the mid-1990s.

Delk culminated his career with a national championship in 1996—the school's first since 1978—while earning All-American honors and the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award.

As a player, "00" was as accurate a sharpshooter as the Wildcats program has ever seen, as he nailed 283 three-pointers during his four years with Big Blue.

Guard: Rex Chapman

As great a shooter as Delk was, no all-time Wildcats team would be complete without at least a mention of Rex Chapman.

Chapman didn't stay long in Lexington after arriving as a highly-touted recruit from Owensboro, but his two years at Kentucky were remarkably prolific.

Chapman piled up 1,073 points in those two seasons and was one of the few bright spots of the Eddie Sutton era, which ended in disgrace in 1989 when the NCAA came down hard on the program for a series of recruiting violations. They slapped Big Blue with three years of probation, two years of postseason ineligibility and a ban from playing on live television during the 1989-90 season.

Guard: Jack "Goose" Givens

The next guard on the honor comes from the Joe B. Hall era at Kentucky, during which the Wildcats won the school's fifth national championship in 1978.

Leading that team was Jack "Goose" Givens, a 6'5" shooting guard who grew up in Lexington and was Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky prior to attending UK.

Givens was a four-year varsity letterman at Kentucky, helping the Wildcats finish as runners-up to UCLA in the 1975 NCAA Tournament as a freshman and finally leading Big Blue back to the national title in 1978.  As a senior, Givens scored 41 points in a victory over Duke in the tournament final.

Goose finished his career in Lexington with 2,038 points, placing him third on the school's all-time scoring list, and earned consensus All-American honors as a senior in 1978 along with the distinction as that year's NCAA Final Four MVP.

Givens, who was also a three-time first-team All-SEC performer, has since had his No. 21 hung in the rafters at Rupp Arena. 

Guard: Ralph Beard

Admittedly, the crop of guards mentioned so far has been a bit skewed toward the more recent stars to come through Kentucky's backcourt, not that any of them are necessarily undeserving.

However, this list would be remiss without including Ralph Beard.

Beard was a member of Adolph Rupp's famed "Fabulous Five" teams that took home national titles in 1948 and 1949, all the while asserting his own merits as a three-time consensus first-team All-American.

Unfortunatley, Beard's budding professional career was cut short when, in 1951, NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff banned him and Kentucky teammate Alex Groza from the league after the two admitted to participating in point-shaving scandals while playing for Big Blue.

Forward: Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones

Playing the forward position on those "Fabulous Five" teams with Ralph Beard (despite being only 6'4"), was Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones.

Jones was a star basketball and football player at Kentucky, where he was an All-American under two separate legends—Adolph Rupp and Paul "Bear" Bryant.

"Wah Wah" was also a three-time All-American and four-time All-SEC performer, along with being a two-time NCAA champion and the only person in Kentucky history to have his jersey retired in both football and basketball.

Forward: Charles "Cotton" Nash

Charles "Cotton" Nash often gets lost in the annals of Kentucky basketball history, though his accomplishments as a Wildcat certainly place him firmly within the realm of consideration for a place on the school's all-time team.

Cotton averaged nearly 23 points per game during his three years in Lexington, during which he established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the paint and on the boards, as best indicated by his All-SEC and All-America selections in each of his seasons with Big Blue.

Nash still stands as the school's ninth-most prolific scorer and fifth-best rebounder, making the retirement of his No. 44 more of a formality in the end.

Forward: Kenny "Sky" Walker

Bridging the gap between the Joe B. Hall era and the disaster of the Eddie Sutton regime was Kenny "Sky" Walker.

Walker's nickname was well-deserved, as the 6'8" forward regularly electrified crowds in Lexington with his high-flying antics and thunderous dunks.

As far as his actual merits are concerned, Walker enjoyed a highly-decorated career at UK, as he was four times an All-SEC performer, twice an All-American and twice the SEC Player of the Year, amidst which he led the Wildcats to the 1984 Final Four.

Walker's legacy is still written all over Big Blue's record books, as he still ranks second in school history in total points, sixth in rebounds and 13th in blocked shots.

Arguably Walker's most impressive feat came in 1986, when he went a perfect 11-for-11 from the field in an NCAA Tournament game. 

Forward: Jamal Mashburn

Getty Images/Getty Images

Mar 1993: Head coach Rick Pitino of the University of Kentucky gesticulates from the sidelines, with player Jamal Mashburn next to him, during the Wildcats game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 1993 NCAA Final Four tournament. Mandatory Credit: Allspo

Jamal Mashburn is perhaps the most important player in modern Kentucky basketball history, not because he necessarily won anything but rather because of what he meant as a precursor to the Wildcat dynasty of the mid-to-late 1990s.

Mashburn came to Lexington as a Parade All-American and Mr. Basketball in the state of New York, finding there a program that was still rebuilding from the devastation left behind by the recklessness of Eddie Sutton and his coaching staff.

"Monster Mash" helped to revive Big Blue basketball as a member of Rick Pitino's "Unforgettables," who led Kentucky to the 1993 Final Four—the school's first appearance since 1984.

For his efforts, Mashburn was recognized as an All-American during his junior year in 1993. He subsequently jumped to the NBA, but not before setting the stage for the talent-rich teams that would bring two national championships to Kentucky later that decade.

Center: Alex Groza

Back in the day, when the tallest centers were only 6'7", Alex Groza was "the man."

The big man from Martins Ferry, Ohio was the captain of the famed "Fabulous Five" teams that won back-to-back NCAA championships in 1948 and 1949, earning the distinction as the Final Four Most Outstanding Player each time.

All told, Groza was three times an All-SEC performer and thrice an All-American, though he was also banned from the NBA in 1951 with Ralph Beard for his part in the point shaving scandal.

Center: Dan Issel

Regardless of whether you think Dan Issel is better characterized as a forward or a center, one thing still rings true—he is the greatest player to ever don a Kentucky uniform.

Issel stands as the school's all-time leading scorer, with 2,138 points during his three-year varsity career, more than four decades after his graduation, a total which averages out to an impressive 25.7 points per game.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Issel never brought home a national championship, as his collegiate career came smack in the middle of UCLA's record seven consecutive titles in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

However, Issel still played his way onto two All-American teams and set the school's single-game scoring record with 53 points against Mississippi in 1970—a record that stood until 2009, when Jodie Meeks scored 54 in a win over Tennessee.

Coach: Adolph Rupp

There's no doubt as to who would coach this team of Kentucky All-Stars...John Calipari.

Just kidding! Of course, it's Adolph Rupp.

The "Baron of the Bluegrass," who played alongside Phog Allen at Kansas under James Naismith, piled up 876 victories and won 82.2 percent of his games, placing him fourth and second, respectively, in the history of college basketball.

Rupp spent 41 years as the head man in Lexington, during which he guided the WIldcats to 27 SEC titles, six Final Fours, an NIT championship and four NCAA Tournament championships.

And the four-time National Coach of the Year would have done even more had he not been forced into retirement at the 70, which was the mandatory retirement age for all employees of the University of Kentucky at the time.