One might argue that it all started with "Pitino's Bombinos." Rick's early teams were obsessed with shooting beyond the arc. And while UK's use of long-range shots has waxed and waned over the years, it has certainly remained a fixture in Big Blue culture. We love the three. So it's unsurprising that the 'Cats would manage to leave another scratch in the record books by becoming the first team to hit a three in 1000 consecutive games. Truth be told, UNLV's streak started earlier. But once UK got going (and kept having successful seasons which allowed for more games played), they eventually passed everyone else.
How about some UK 3-point history?
PLAYERS
Most threes in a career:
TONY DELK - 283
KEITH BOGANS - 254
TAYSHAUN PRINCE - 204
Most threes in a season:
JODIE MEEKS (08-09) - 117
JAMAL MURRAY (15-16) - 113
TRAVIS FORD (92-93) - 101
(Malik Monk could make this list)
Most threes in a game:
JODIE MEEKS (1/13/09 at Tennesee) - 10
TONY DELK (1/20/96 vs. TCU) - 9
JODIE MEEKS (12/20/08 vs. Appalachian State) - 9
(we all remember Delk's 7 makes against Syracuse in '96)
Best 3P% (at least 100 made) in a career:
DORON LAMB - 47.5%
TRAVIS FORD - 44.5%
JAMAL MURRAY - 40.8%
(both Malik Monk and Derek Willis could make this list)
Best 3P% (at least 50 made) in a season:
TRAVIS FORD (92-93) - 52.9%
DORON LAMB (10-11) - 48.6%
DORON LAMB (11-12) - 46.6%
(Cameron Mills made 53.2% in a season but only made 42 shots)
TEAMS
Most threes made in a season:
1992-93: 340
1991-92: 317
1993-94: 301
1996-97: 287
2010-11: 281
1989-90: 281
1994-95: 276
1995-96: 266
2005-06: 265
1997-98: 250
Best 3P% in a season:
2010-11: 39.7%
1995-96: 39.7%
1992-93: 39.4%
2011-12: 37.8%
1994-95: 37.5%
1986-87: 37.2%
2007-08: 36.9%
1996-97: 36.9%
1997-98: 36.7%
2015-16: 36.6%
GAMES / MOMENTS
There are too many to count, but here are some that stand out for me, in chronological order.
4/1/96: Tony Delk falling into his own bench and getting mobbed by his teammates after being fouled on his SEVENTH made three of the National Championship game against Syracuse, about midway through the second half.
3/22/98: Cameron Mills made his only three of the game a big one, putting UK in the lead after trailing Duke by 17 midway through the second half. This was Elite 8 revenge for the Cats.
12/8/01: Tayshaun Prince scored the first 15 points of the game for Kentucky on 5 consecutive threes, the last just BARELY inside the UK logo at midcourt, to send a message to North Carolina. He ended up with 31 points and 7 made threes in a 20-point blowout.
3/27/05: Patrick Sparks made a frantic, buzzer-beating three against Michigan State to force overtime in a classic Elite 8 game. Not only did the shot barely fall in after hanging on the rim forever, but it had to be reviewed for several minutes because it was unclear whether Sparks was behind the line. It's sad that this memorable shot didn't lead to victory. UK wasted opportunities in the first OT and then ran out of gas in the second.
1/13/09: In a forgettable season, Jodie Meeks saving the day at Tennessee with a MAMMOTH 54-point performance, including 10 threes, will never be forgotten.
3/30/14: Aaron Harrison made a three with 2.3 seconds left to beat Michigan and send 8-seed Kentucky to the Final Four. Then...
4/5/14: Aaron Harrison does it AGAIN. He hits one with 5.7 seconds left, bringing UK from down 2 to up 1, defeating Wisconsin and sending them to the National Championship game. We won't talk about what happened there.
12/18/16: In an early-season heavyweight showdown, another UK star victimized UNC. This time it was freshman Malik Monk, scoring 47 and hitting 8 of 12 threes, including one to tie with 1:15 left and another to go ahead with 0:17 left. Wow. Final score: 103-100.
Showing posts with label tayshaun prince. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tayshaun prince. Show all posts
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
(When) will UK ever get a player on the NBA's Top 50 all-time scoring list?
One might call it a statistical oddity. Arguably (and certainly in my opinion) the most successful college program of all time hasn't produced a single top-50 NBA scorer.
Sure, there were Louie Dampier (#1 in the ABA at 13276 points) and Dan Issel (#2 in the ABA at 12823). But none of the UK products have come anywhere close to the current threshhold for the NBA's top 50. The line right now is 19202 points (Eddie Johnson), but will soon eclipse 20K as some stars like Kevin Durant fly past that mark.
The #1 UK-produced scorer in NBA history? That would be, believe it or not, ANTOINE WALKER. He's #116 on the NBA list with 15647 points.
Others of note, who at least fall in the top 200:
#138 Dan Issel (14659 points in the NBA for an impressive combined total of 27482 which places him 11th on the NBA/ABA composite list)
#177 Cliff Hagan (13447 points in the NBA, 14870 combined placing him 142nd on the composite list)
What about other notable scorers and stars in UK history? Why couldn't anyone else make the top 50? Let's consider a few examples...
1) Jamal Mashburn? A prolific scorer (19.1 ppg) and legitimate NBA star, but injury-plagued. Retired at age 31 and finished with 11644 points. Healthy, I'm sure he would be in or near the top 50.
2) Tayshaun Prince? He was capable of shooting the lights out, but was often more of a solid role player in the NBA than a true star (never averaging more than 14.7 ppg in a season) and finished with 11272 points. I'm a firm believer that he could've put up bigger numbers, but a combination of coaches, teammates and his lack of offensive selfishness held him back in this regard.
3) Rex Chapman? Injuries here, too. He finished with 9731 points because he wasn't healthy enough to last.
4) Kevin Grevey? He was on pace for solid numbers (although I highly doubt he ever would have reached 19-20K), but also was derailed by injury in the early '80s. Finished with 7364 points.
5) Ron Mercer? This is one of the most mysterious examples. His career at the pro level seemed promising, but after the Chicago-to-Indiana trade, he fell off the table and was out of the league by age 28, with only 5892 career points.
6) Sam Bowie? Infamous for being drafted ahead of Jordan and then struggling through injuries to a total of only 5564 points.
7) Kenny Walker? "Sky" also had significant injuries and finished with 3128 points.
8) Jack Givens? One would have thought that the "Goose" (after putting up 41 in the 1978 title game) was destined for a solid pro career. Not so. 1040 total points.
What about hope for the future? With John Calipari putting a handful of guys into the league every single year, the NBA has taken on more of a UK flavor than it's ever had before. Will any of the recent draftees reach 20K? Here are the active players with hope...
1) DeMarcus Cousins - he's already at 9293 points and averaging 29 per game in his 7th season. Can he stay healthy and keep putting up these ridiculous numbers?
2) John Wall - 8339 points and, like Boogie, averaging a career-high (23 per game) in his 7th season.
3) Anthony Davis - 6380 points in only his 5th season, and also at a career-high (28 per game).
4) Karl-Anthony Towns - 2235 points in his 2nd season. The 2016 ROY has a bright future.
5) Devin Booker - 1683 points in his 2nd season. He's scoring, but not efficiently. 33% on threes after hitting 41% for the Cats is puzzling.
My prediction? With health coming into play, you never can tell...but I believe that at least one of the group of awesome big men (Cousins, Davis and Towns) will cross the 20,000 point barrier.
Sure, there were Louie Dampier (#1 in the ABA at 13276 points) and Dan Issel (#2 in the ABA at 12823). But none of the UK products have come anywhere close to the current threshhold for the NBA's top 50. The line right now is 19202 points (Eddie Johnson), but will soon eclipse 20K as some stars like Kevin Durant fly past that mark.
The #1 UK-produced scorer in NBA history? That would be, believe it or not, ANTOINE WALKER. He's #116 on the NBA list with 15647 points.
Others of note, who at least fall in the top 200:
#138 Dan Issel (14659 points in the NBA for an impressive combined total of 27482 which places him 11th on the NBA/ABA composite list)
#177 Cliff Hagan (13447 points in the NBA, 14870 combined placing him 142nd on the composite list)
What about other notable scorers and stars in UK history? Why couldn't anyone else make the top 50? Let's consider a few examples...
1) Jamal Mashburn? A prolific scorer (19.1 ppg) and legitimate NBA star, but injury-plagued. Retired at age 31 and finished with 11644 points. Healthy, I'm sure he would be in or near the top 50.
2) Tayshaun Prince? He was capable of shooting the lights out, but was often more of a solid role player in the NBA than a true star (never averaging more than 14.7 ppg in a season) and finished with 11272 points. I'm a firm believer that he could've put up bigger numbers, but a combination of coaches, teammates and his lack of offensive selfishness held him back in this regard.
3) Rex Chapman? Injuries here, too. He finished with 9731 points because he wasn't healthy enough to last.
4) Kevin Grevey? He was on pace for solid numbers (although I highly doubt he ever would have reached 19-20K), but also was derailed by injury in the early '80s. Finished with 7364 points.
5) Ron Mercer? This is one of the most mysterious examples. His career at the pro level seemed promising, but after the Chicago-to-Indiana trade, he fell off the table and was out of the league by age 28, with only 5892 career points.
6) Sam Bowie? Infamous for being drafted ahead of Jordan and then struggling through injuries to a total of only 5564 points.
7) Kenny Walker? "Sky" also had significant injuries and finished with 3128 points.
8) Jack Givens? One would have thought that the "Goose" (after putting up 41 in the 1978 title game) was destined for a solid pro career. Not so. 1040 total points.
What about hope for the future? With John Calipari putting a handful of guys into the league every single year, the NBA has taken on more of a UK flavor than it's ever had before. Will any of the recent draftees reach 20K? Here are the active players with hope...
1) DeMarcus Cousins - he's already at 9293 points and averaging 29 per game in his 7th season. Can he stay healthy and keep putting up these ridiculous numbers?
2) John Wall - 8339 points and, like Boogie, averaging a career-high (23 per game) in his 7th season.
3) Anthony Davis - 6380 points in only his 5th season, and also at a career-high (28 per game).
4) Karl-Anthony Towns - 2235 points in his 2nd season. The 2016 ROY has a bright future.
5) Devin Booker - 1683 points in his 2nd season. He's scoring, but not efficiently. 33% on threes after hitting 41% for the Cats is puzzling.
My prediction? With health coming into play, you never can tell...but I believe that at least one of the group of awesome big men (Cousins, Davis and Towns) will cross the 20,000 point barrier.
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