Kentucky Basketball: 'Jorts' and the Top 10 Fan-Favorite Wildcats Ever

The Kentucky Wildcats have had many great players over the years. There have been league MVPs, Players of the Year and All-Americans. 

But a select few players have separated themselves from all the rest. They are the fan-favorites, the reason 24,000 people pack Rupp Arena for every home game.

It takes special qualities for a player to endear themselves to the Wildcat faithful. Often it’s a combination of skill, toughness and personality. But not always.

Among all the players that have come through Kentucky over the years, there are a few that have stuck out as the most beloved.

Here are the top 10.

Honorable Mention: Steve Masiello

Steve Masiello never scored more than 20 points in one season. But that didn’t stop him from winning over the hearts of the University of Kentucky Wildcats’ faithful.

Every time he touched the ball (often in garbage time of big wins), fans clamored for him to shoot. When Masiello scored, Rupp Arena would erupt. 

Masiello ended his UK career having won a national championship and serving as a team captain his senior year. Despite not getting much playing time, he made his mark on Kentucky basketball lore.

Honorable Mention: Enes Kanter

Enes Kanter never played for the Kentucky Wildcats. That did not stop fans from chanting his name every chance they got, making shirts advocating his freedom and adopting him as the most beloved Wildcat to never play a game. 

Kanter was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for his involvement with a Turkish professional basketball team. However, Kanter spent the entire season on Kentucky’s bench, serving as an assistant coach and practicing with the team.

That offseason, Kanter became the third pick in the NBA draft. He then acknowledged all the support Wildcat fans had given him, dedicating his first NBA season to Kentucky. His heartfelt speech cemented his place in Wildcat basketball history.

Honorable Mention: Rex Champman

Personal anecdote time.

I went to a basketball camp one summer and as a surprise guest, the organizers got Rex Chapman to come speak to us. I went home and told my dad that some tall guy had dunked for us.

When I relayed the story to my dad, barely remembering Chapman’s name, he reprimanded me for not knowing who the Kentucky Wildcats legend was. I was 10.

The fact that a 10-year-old was supposed to not only know, but appreciate the impact Chapman he had on Kentucky basketball shows just how revered the player was. 

Chapman went to Apollo High School in Owensboro, Kentucky. He shunned many other big-time colleges to stay at home and play for the Wildcats. That alone earned him the unwavering love of fans. 

The fact that he was a two-time All-SEC player and took Kentucky to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament was just icing on the cake.

Honorable Mention: Ashley Judd

I know, I know, Ashley Judd is not a basketball player. She is the most famous Kentucky Wildcats cheerleader, though.

Judd is not the typical celebrity sports fan. She can be found cheering for her cats, often in the eRUPPtion zone (the cleverly named student section) among her brethren. The actress paints her face, wears jerseys and in no way treats the game as a social gathering.

Judd is there to cheer. And cheer she does.

Josh Harrellson

When a player gets his nickname from a fashion faux pas, then has an entire day dedicated to him in which fans around Kentucky shred pairs of jeans to mimic his style, he is officially a fan favorite.

Josh Harrellson, aka Jorts, played center for the University of Kentucky Wildcats for three years. His first two years with the Cats were thoroughly unimpressive, but in his senior season, Jorts surprised everyone.

He became a force in the paint, defending opposing centers such as Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller and Festus Ezeli.

Gone were the days of bobbled passes, missed dunks and constant fouling. Harrellson established himself as one of the most important players on the team and earned the love of Kentucky fans for years to come.

Chuck Hayes

The ultimate warrior. Chuck Hayes epitomized tough, Kentucky Wildcats basketball. Standing at just 6’6” Hayes was often thought to have a sizeable (no pun intended) disadvantage when playing against taller big men.

What Hayes lacked in height, though, he made up for in determination. He grabbed rebounds that he had no business getting and almost always got his shots off, no matter the opponent. 

Hayes was another player who vastly improved throughout his time at Kentucky. His transformation into the team’s key player and the passion he played with on every play endeared him to fans forever.

Hayes also proved that his success as a Wildcat was no fluke. He has gone on to become an important player for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, playing with the same attitude that won him fans in college.

Derek Anderson

Derek Anderson had that smile. It was a look of dependability and confidence. Anderson could do no wrong—and not just because of his grin.

Anderson teamed up with Ron Mercer to form one of the most dynamic backcourts in Kentucky Wildcats’ history. The two slashed through defenses, proving too much to handle for almost any opponent.

When Anderson went down with a torn ACL halfway through his senior season, all of Kentucky fell silent. Of course he injured himself chasing down a lose ball. Hustle plays were his specialty.

Bad things should just not be allowed to happen to people like Anderson. He was the heart of that year’s Kentucky team and it hurt every fan to see him injured.

As a testament to Anderson’s character and what he meant to the team, he was allowed to shoot two free throws as a result of a technical foul in Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament game against Minnesota.

John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins

John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins (Big Cuz to Wildcat faithful) marked the resurgence of Kentucky Wildcat basketball. They were members of John Calipari’s first number one recruiting class in 2009.

It was no easy task, but Wall and Big Cuz gradually made Kentucky fans forget about the Billy Gillespie era.

Wall was the most dynamic point guard in Kentucky history. His speed and court awareness on the fast break is unmatched. He had at least three plays a game that made fans stop, stare at the television screen, and look around as if there were some magical force at work.

Cousins has a bad reputation elsewhere, but in Kentucky, he is just a big teddy bear. He joked around with the media, his teammates and his fans.

How could people ever say such things about one of the players who brought Kentucky back to its rightful place of basketball dominance?

Jeff Shepherd

Kentucky fans love southern players and Jeff Shepherd was most definitely that. He was born in Georgia and simply looked like a good guy. 

Shepherd played on two national championship teams for two different coaches. His deadly outside shot crushed opponents and lifted the team time and again.

Shepherd was a leader and a calming force from the minute he stepped on campus. Rarely does a sophomore have the command of his teammates the way Shepherd did. Fans breathed a sigh of relief whenever he touched the ball. 

Sam Bowie

Kentucky may be the one place in which Sam Bowie is not known as “the guy that was picked before Michael Jordan.”

The injuries weren’t Bowie’s fault. If his body had continued to let him perform the way he did in his few seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats, he would have been a star in the NBA. 

Bowie anchored the middle for a few great Kentucky teams, grabbing countless rebounds and doing his fair share of scoring when needed. 

His play was important, but what truly made him a fan-favorite was his personality. Bowie can challenge for the distinction of “nicest Wildcat ever.” He respected his coaches, fans, and teammates, and had a nice thing to say about everyone.

Ravi Moss

Ravi Moss began his career at Kentucky as an unheralded walk-on. Despite never gaining a scholarship, Moss received significant playing time.

Moss was a gritty player who was the definition of the word intangible. He was not an incredibly talented offensive player and was never a threat to go off for 40 points in a game. 

It was the other things he did.

Every time there was a lose ball, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Moss would come up with it.

When the team needed a key stop or a rebound at the end of a close game, Moss delivered.

Moss made the unglamorous plays that win games. He took charges, set solid picks and played defense.

Moss was never the first player mentioned after a big win, but he was the force behind almost every one.

Jamal Mashburn

Jamal Mashburn is one of the few players who is as beloved for his contributions after his basketball career as his impact during.

Mashburn was an electrifying player, as he was seemingly able to score at will. He was a first team All-American his junior year and subsequently declared for the NBA draft. 

Despite a successful professional career, Mashburn returned to his Kentucky roots (college roots, that is). He owns many restaurants in the area and is often spotted roaming around Lexington.

To have a player who had so much professional success return to Kentucky is a testament to the program and his character.

The Unforgettables

The 1991-92 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team was coming off of two years of being banned from the postseason. The four seniors on the team were beloved for sticking with the program despite the sanctions. 

It helped that three of the four seniors were born and raised in Kentucky. Ritchie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, and John Pelphrey were joined by Indiana-born Sean Woods.

The team went to the east regional final, losing a very important game to an unmentionable team that no Kentucky fan in their right minds can even bear to speak about.

The loyalty the seniors showed to the program and their success when they were finally allowed to participate in the NCAA tournament earned the team the name “The Unforgettables.”

Patrick Patterson

Like Sam Bowie before him, Patrick Patterson is in the running for one of the nicest people to put on UK blue 

Patterson stuck with the program during the dark ages of Billy Gillespie. He played his hardest even when the team went to the NIT instead of the NCAA tournament (remember, this is Kentucky. The NIT doesn’t even really count as a tournament).

Every single Wildcat fan wanted to see Patterson succeed. He gave all he could to the program and stuck with it even when some fans abandoned it. Seeing Patterson play in his first NCAA tournament his last season with Kentucky could bring a tear to even the most stoic fan.