List of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball honorees explained

A number of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players have been honored with various Southeastern Conference and national awards.

Banner honorees

Forty-three former Kentucky men's basketball players, coaches, and contributors are honored in Rupp Arena with banners representing their numbers hung from the rafters. With the streamlining of jersey numbers by the NCAA, the jerseys are retired but the numbers remain active. To have a banner hung, the athlete must be elected to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame.^[1]

No.	Name	Years	Note	-	22	Cliff Barker	1947–49	1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five	-	12	Ralph Beard	1946–49	1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five	-	22	Jerry Bird	1954–56		-	50	Bob Burrow	1955–56	1956 Second Team All-America	-	56	Burgess Carey	1925–26		-	24	Johnny Cox	1957–59	1958 NCAA Champion, 1959 First Team All-America	-	10	Louie Dampier	1965–67	1967 Second Team All-America	-	7	John DeMoisey	1932–34		-	00	Tony Delk	1993–96	1996 NCAA Champion, 1996 First Team All-America, 1996 SEC Player of the Year, 1996 NCAA Tournament M.O.P.	-	42	Bill Evans	1952–55		-	32	Richie Farmer	1989–92	One of the Unforgettables	-	12	Deron Feldhaus	1989–92	One of the Unforgettables	-	21	Jack Givens	1975–78	1978 NCAA Champion, 1978 Second Team All-America, 1978 SEC Player of the Year, 1978 NCAA Tournament M.O.P.	-	44	Phil Grawemeyer	1954–56		-	15	Alex Groza	1945–49	1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five	-	35	Kevin Grevey	1973–75	1975 First Team All-America, 1973 and 1975 SEC Player of the Year	-	–	Joe B. Hall	1973–85	1978 National Championship Head Coach	-	6	Cliff Hagan	1951–54	1951 NCAA Champion, 1952 First Team All-America, 1954 First Team All-America	-	52	Vernon Hatton	1956–58	1958 NCAA Champion	-	–	Basil Hayden	1920–22		-	44	Dan Issel	1968–70	UK All-time leading scorer, 1970 First Team All-America	-	27	Wallace Jones	1946–49	1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five	-	–	Bill Keightley	1962–2008	Mr. Wildcat, Equipment Manager	-	–	Cawood Ledford	1953–92	Voice of the Wildcats	-	4	Kyle Macy	1978–80	1978 NCAA Champion, 1980 First Team All-America, 1980 SEC Player of the Year	-	44	Cotton Nash	1962–64	1964 First Team All-America	-	24	Jamal Mashburn	1991–93	1993 First Team All-America, 1993 SEC Player of the Year	-	34	John Pelphrey	1989–92	One of the Unforgettables
22	Mike Pratt	1967–70	1970 Second Team All-America
–	Rick Pitino	1990–97	1996 National Championship Head Coach	-	30	Frank Ramsey	1951–54	1951 NCAA Champion, 1954 Second Team All-America	-	26	Kenny Rollins	1943–48	1948 NCAA Champion	-	42	Pat Riley	1965–67	1966 First Team All-America, 1966 SEC Player of the Year	-	53	Rick Robey	1975–78	1978 NCAA Champion, 1978 Second Team All-America	-	4	Layton Rouse	1938–40		-	–	Adolph Rupp	1931–72	1948, 1949, 1951, 1958 National Championship Head Coach	-	–	Forest Sale	1931–33	Helms POY 1933, 2 time all American 1932 and 1933	-	–	Carey Spicer	1929–31		-	77	Bill Spivey	1950–51	1951 NCAA Champion, 1951 First Team All-America	-	20	Gayle Rose	1953–55		-	16	Lou Tsioropoulos	1951–54	1951 NCAA Champion	-	34	Kenny Walker	1983–86	1986 First Team All-America, 1985–86 SEC Player of the Year	-	11	Sean Woods	1990–92	One of the Unforgettables

National Players of the Year

The UK players listed here received at least one NCAA-recognized national player of the year award.

Year Player Award(s) 1933 Helms Athletic Foundation 1935 Helms Athletic Foundation 2010 Adolph Rupp Trophy^[2] 2012 Wooden Award^[3] Naismith Trophy^[4] Oscar Robertson Trophy^[5] AP Player of the Year^[6] 2022 Wooden Award^[7] Naismith Trophy^[8] AP Player of the Year^[9] NABC Player of the Year^[10] Sporting News Player of the Year^[11] Oscar Robertson Trophy^[12]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award

The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award has been presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 2015 to the top Division I center.

bgcolor=#00407a Year bgcolor=#00407a Player 2022 Oscar Tshiebwe

All-Americans

The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players that were named First or Second Team All-Americans:

Year Player Position 1921 Forward 1925 Burgess Carey Forward 1929 Carey Spicer Forward 1930 Paul McBrayer Forward 1931 Carey Spicer Forward 1932 Center 1933 Ellis Johnson Guard 1933 Center 1934 John DeMoisey Forward 1935 Center 1939 Guard 1941 Guard 1944 Forward 1946 Guard 1947 Guard 1947 Center 1948 Guard 1948 Center 1949 Guard 1949 Center 1949 Center 1951 Center 1952 Center 1952 Guard 1954 Center 1954 Guard 1956 Forward 1958 Vernon Hatton Guard 1959 Forward 1962 Forward 1963 Forward 1964 Forward 1966 Guard 1966 Forward 1967 Guard 1969 Forward 1970 Forward 1975 Guard 1974 Guard 1975 Guard 1976 Forward 1977 Forward 1977 Center 1978 Forward 1978 Center 1980 Guard 1981 Center 1984 Forward 1985 Forward 1986 Forward 1992 Forward 1993 Forward 1996 Guard 1997 Forward 1998 Forward 2001 Tayshaun Prince^[13] Forward 2002 Tayshaun Prince Forward 2003 Guard 2009 Jodie Meeks^[14] Guard 2010 DeMarcus Cousins^[15] Center 2010 Guard 2012 Center 2012 Forward 2015 Forward/Center 2015 Center 2016 Guard 2017 Guard 2022 Forward/Center 2023 Forward/Center

Wayman Tisdale Award

The Wayman Tisdale Award, known before the 2010–11 season as the USBWA National Freshman of the Year Award, has been presented by the United States Basketball Writers Association since 1989 to the top freshman in Division I men's basketball.

bgcolor=#00407a Year bgcolor=#00407a Player 2010 John Wall 2012 Anthony Davis 2024 Reed Sheppard

NABC Freshman of the Year

The National Association of Basketball Coaches, the trade organization for college men's basketball coaches, has presented its own Freshman of the Year award since the 2016–17 season.

bgcolor=#00407a Year bgcolor=#00407a Player 2024 Reed Sheppard

SEC Player of the Year (AP, UPI, Coaches)

See main article: article and Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year.

The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players who have been named SEC Player of the Year:

Year Player Position 1966 Forward 1972 Forward 1973 Guard 1975 Guard 1980 Guard 1985 Forward 1986 Forward 1993 Forward 1996 Guard 1997 Forward 2001 Forward 2003 Guard 2010 Guard 2012 Center 2016 Guard 2017 Guard 2020 Guard 2022 Center

SEC Freshmen of the Year (AP, Coaches)

See main article: article and Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year.

The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players who have been named either SEC Freshman of the Year (awarded by the league's head coaches, and open only to freshmen) or SEC Newcomer of the Year (awarded by the AP and open to any player in his first year at an SEC school, including transfers).

All listed players won both awards except for the following:

• Patrick Patterson, a freshman who won the 2008 coaches' award while Nick Calathes of Florida, also a freshman, won the AP award.
• Nerlens Noel, a freshman who won the 2013 coaches' award while junior college transfer Marshall Henderson of Ole Miss won the AP award.
• Reed Sheppard, a freshman who won the 2024 coaches' award while graduate transfer Dalton Knecht of Tennessee won the AP award (as well as both the coaches' and AP versions of the Player of the Year award).

Year Player Position 2008 Forward 2010 Center 2011 Forward 2012 Center 2013 Center 2014 Forward 2015 Center 2017 Guard 2024 Guard

Elite 90 Award

See main article: article and Elite 90 Award. One of the NCAA's main student-athlete awards is the Elite 90 Award (previously the Elite 88 and Elite 89), presented at the site of each of the NCAA's 90 annual championship finals. In Division I men's basketball, eligible individuals are those on the playing squads of all Final Four participants who have played at least two seasons at their current school. The recipient is the eligible player with the highest grade point average, with completed credit hours as a tiebreaker if needed.

NBA Draft Picks

See main article: article and List of Kentucky Wildcats in the NBA draft.

McDonald's All-Americans

The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players who have been named McDonald's All-Americans during their prep careers:

Year Player Position Hometown (High School) 1978 Dwight Anderson Forward Dayton, OH (Roth) 1978 Clarence Tillman Forward Philadelphia, PA (West Philadelphia) 1978 Forward Lincoln, IL (Lincoln) 1979 Center Lebanon, PA (Lebanon) 1979 Derrick Hord Guard Bristol, TN (Tennessee) 1979 Guard Lexington, KY (Lafayette) 1980 Bret Bearup Center Greenlawn, NY (Harborfields) 1980 Jim Master Guard Fort Wayne, IN (Paul Harding) 1982 Roger Harden Guard Valparaiso, IN (Valparaiso) 1982 Forward Roberta, GA (Crawford County Comprehensive) 1983 Forward Louisville, KY (Male) 1983 Guard Marion, IN (Marion) 1984 Guard Brooklyn, NY (Boys and Girls) 1984 Cedric Jenkins Center Dawson, GA (Terrell County) 1984 Richard Madison Forward Memphis, TN (Northside) 1985 Irving Thomas Forward Miami, FL (Carol City) 1986 Guard Owensboro, KY (Apollo) 1987 Guard Macon, GA (Southwest) 1988 Forward Los Angeles, CA (Fairfax) 1992 Guard Brownsville, TN (Haywood) 1992 Forward Jersey City, NJ (St. Anthony's) 1994 Forward Chicago, IL (Mt. Carmel) 1995 Forward Nashville, TN (Goodpasture School) 1995 Guard Boston, MA (Beaver Country Day) 1998 Forward Compton, CA (Dominguez) 1999 Guard Alexandria, VA (DeMatha) 1999 Center Huntsville, AL (Grissom) 2001 Rashad Carruth Guard College Park, GA (Oak Hill) 2004 Guard Detroit, MI (Renaissance) 2004 Center Atlanta, GA (Landmark Christian) 2004 Guard Louisville, KY (Oak Hill) 2007 Forward Huntington, WV (Huntington) 2009 Center Mobile, AL (LeFlore) 2010 Forward Portland, OR (Jefferson) 2010 Guard Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Pine Crest) 2010 Guard New York, NY (Oak Hill) 2011 Forward Chicago, IL (Perspectives Charter) 2011 Forward Elizabeth, NJ (St. Patrick) 2011 Guard Indianapolis, IN (Pike) 2011 Forward Portland, OR (Jesuit) 2012 Guard Sherwood, AR (Sylvan Hills) 2012 Forward Clarksville, TN (Northeast) 2013 Guard Richmond, TX (Travis) 2013 Guard Richmond, TX (Travis) 2013 Center New York, NY (Montverde) 2013 Forward Antioch, CA (Deer Valley) 2013 Forward Dallas, TX (Prestonwood) 2013 Guard Rochester, MI (Rochester) 2014 Guard Moss Point, MS (Moss Point) 2014 Forward Indianapolis, IN (Arsenal Tech) 2014 Forward Metuchen, NJ (St. Joseph) 2014 Forward Minneapolis, MN (De La Salle) 2014 Guard Chicago, IL (Roselle Catholic) 2015 Isaiah Briscoe Guard Union, NJ (Roselle Catholic) 2016 Forward Little Washington, NC (High Point Christian Academy) 2016 Guard Cypress, TX (Cypress Lakes) 2016 Forward Chapel Hill, NC (Virginia Episcopal) 2016 Guard Lepanto, AR (Bentonville) 2017 Guard Philadelphia, PA (Neumann–Goretti) 2017 Forward Tampa, FL (Tampa Catholic) 2017 Center Kingston, Jamaica (The Patrick School) 2017 Forward Missouri City, TX (Victory Prep) 2017 Forward Frisco, TX (Findlay Prep) 2018 Forward South Hill, VA (Oak Hill Academy) 2018 Forward Fort Pierce, FL (Joseph Wheeler) 2018 Guard Havre de Grace, MD (John Carroll School) 2019 Guard Garland, TX (South Garland) 2019 Center Lubumbashi, DR Congo (Kennedy Catholic) 2019 Forward Chicago, IL (Roselle Catholic) 2020 Guard Norcross, GA (Sierra Canyon) 2020 Guard Dorchester, MA (Brewster Academy) 2021 Forward Atlanta, TX (Atlanta) 2022 Forward Akron, OH (Oak Hill Academy) 2022 Guard Dallas, TX (Richardson) 2023 Guard Roselle, NJ (Camden) 2023 Forward Philadelphia, PA (Imhotep) 2023 Guard London, KY (North Laurel) 2023 Guard Camden, NJ (Camden)

Naismith Hall of Fame Members

The following Kentucky players, coaches, and contributors have been enshrined as individuals in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Year Inducted Name Position Years at Kentucky Enshrined as 1969 Adolph Rupp Head Coach 1930–1972 Coach 1978 Cliff Hagan Player, Administrator 1950–1954; 1975–1989 Player 1982 Frank Ramsey Player 1950–1953 Player 1993 Dan Issel Player 1967–1970 Player 2000 C.M. Newton Player, Administrator 1949–1951; 1989–2000 Contributor 2008 Pat Riley Player 1964–1967 Coach 2013 Rick Pitino Head Coach 1989–1997 Coach 2015 John Calipari Head Coach 2009–2024 Coach 2015 Louie Dampier Player 1964–1967 Player 2020 Eddie Sutton Head Coach 1985–1989 Coach UK Hall of Fame Members

In addition to these, Adrian Smith was a member of the 1960 US Olympic team that was inducted as a unit in 2010.

Olympians

The following Kentucky players and coaches have represented their country in basketball in the Summer Olympic Games:

Year Player/Coach Country Location Medal Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold Adolph Rupp (asst. coach) Gold Gold Gold Tubby Smith (asst. coach) Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold UK Olympians

External links

• Web site: Retired Jerseys . University of Kentucky Athletics . May 6, 2015 . 2015 . University of Kentucky Wildcats Athletic Department .

Notes and References

1. Web site: UK Creates Athletics Hall of Fame. April 27, 2005. UK Wildcats News. April 6, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170427113009/http://www.ukathletics.com/news/genrel_042705aaa_html. April 27, 2017. dead.
2. http://www.ruppawards.com/index_files/Page356.htm Adolph Rupp trophy winner: John Wall, Kentucky
3. Web site: Davis wins Wooden National Player of the Year Award. March 31, 2012. March 31, 2012. WKYT-TV. December 25, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141225081346/http://www.wkyt.com/sports/headlines/Davis_wins_Wooden_National_Player_of_the_Year_Award_145407795.html. dead.
4. Web site: Past Winners: College Awards . Atlanta Tipoff Club . March 19, 2022.
5. Web site: Oscar Robertson Trophy . United States Basketball Writers Association . March 19, 2022 . May 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120522003430/http://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/awards/oscar/index.html . dead .
6. Web site: Awards: AP Player of the Year Winner . Sports-Reference CBB . Sports Reference LLC . March 19, 2022.
7. Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe Wins 2022 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's Men's Player of the Year . Los Angeles Athletic Club . April 5, 2022 . April 5, 2022.
8. Cooley, SEC's Tshiebwe, Kessler Named 2022 Men's Naismith Awards Winners . Atlanta Tipoff Club . April 3, 2022 . April 3, 2022.
9. Web site: Kentucky's Tshiebwe named AP men's college player of year . Aaron . Beard . Associated Press . April 1, 2022 . April 1, 2022.
10. Arizona's Lloyd Headlines NABC Division I Major Award Winners . National Basketball Coaches Association . March 29, 2022 . March 29, 2022.
11. News: DeCourcy. Mike. Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe is Sporting News' College Basketball Player of the Year. March 9, 2022 . Sporting News. March 9, 2022.
12. Kentucky's Tshiebwe Wins 2021–22 Oscar Robertson Trophy . United States Basketball Writers Association . April 1, 2022 . April 1, 2022 . April 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220401211205/http://sportswriters.net/usbwa/news/2022/oscar220401.html . dead .
13. http://www.nabc.org/nabc_awards/nabc_awards-all-america-div1-2000s.html
14. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=4027698
15. Web site: Sporting News' College Basketball All-America Team - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News . March 14, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100412114748/http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2010-03-08/sporting-news-college-basketball-all-american-team . April 12, 2010 . Sporting News Retrieved on March 9, 2010