Who's Your One "What Could Have Been" UK Player?

[DA#23]

What could have been with Roderick Rhodes? Seriously. Guy should have been the best player on the '96 team had he developed as originally thought and had he stayed for the senior season.

[George]

Nope. He was supposed to be a good player. Many of us were thrilled to get him. I still remember that picture of him trying to dunk from near the free throw line but the ball was coming out of his hands....

I just hope ten years from now we aren't talking about what Wilgus could've been.

Hardly. We'll be talking about where he ranks among the all-time greats.

[TrueblueCATfan]

He was in the Cal era. The OP asked abbot players before Cal.

I read the original post and did not see anything about before Cal

Who is your one What could have been UK player

Sorry Lighthouse..I just clicked on the thread did not read all replys

[Spiritof96]

What could have been with Roderick Rhodes? Seriously. Guy should have been the best player on the '96 team had he developed as originally thought and had he stayed for the senior season.

I feel like Rod was always "about to be awesome" but never got there. This list is interesting in that with about half the players mentioned, I feel like we end up talking about what they were in comparison to what we thought they would be in stead of what they were compared to what they actually could have been. I think Rod got as good as he was ever going to be.

[George]

I read the original post and did not see anything about before Cal

Who is your one What could have been UK player

From the OP: "But here's the catch: it has to be someone before the one-and-done/Calipari era. All those guys are just too easy to choose from."

[George]

I feel like Rod was always "about to be awesome" but never got there. This list is interesting in that with about half the players mentioned, I feel like we end up talking about what they were in comparison to what we thought they would be in stead of what they were compared to what they actually could have been. I think Rod got as good as he was ever going to be.

Interesting, too, that so many different players have been mentioned. I expected people to agree on two or three names.

[DA#23]

I think Rod got as good as he was ever going to be.

So what obstacles would you consider impediments? Injuries only? Otherwise, as you point out, the person obviously didn't have the intangibles to fulfill the ceiling that their physical gifts might have helped to set...a la Poythress prior to the ACL tear.

[TrueblueCATfan]

From the OP: "But here's the catch: it has to be someone before the one-and-done/Calipari era. All those guys are just too easy to choose from."

Sorry .....I just clicked on the thread

[Spiritof96]

So what obstacles would you consider impediments? Injuries only? Otherwise, as you point out, the person obviously didn't have the intangibles to fulfill the ceiling that their physical gifts might have helped to set...a la Poythress prior to the ACL tear.

Injury, slow development, or distraction. We aren't talking about Cal players; but KAT as an example has been a revelation in the NBA. I would have liked to see some of that realized here. Prickett seemed to become sidetracked after his freshmen year (then injured) and never (IMO) reached his full potential.

[Lighthouse]

You guys might think I'm crazy but if not for his injury, Derek Anderson would have sealed another NC for Kentucky.

[Spiritof96]

You guys might think I'm crazy but if not for his injury, Derek Anderson would have sealed another NC for Kentucky.

I think that is the general consensus held by just about every uk fan.

[Lighthouse]

I think that is the general consensus held by just about every uk fan.

Derek gave us all he had, it just didn't last long enough.

[George]

I think that is the general consensus held by just about every uk fan.

This.

Will Poythress' injury be discussed in the same way in years to come? I'm a soft no on that one. Would've been nice if he'd been available against Dekker, but I'm still not sure Poythress was as integral to that team's success as Anderson was to his.

[Old School]

You guys might think I'm crazy but if not for his injury, Derek Anderson would have sealed another NC for Kentucky.

I'm in complete agreement. He was going to be a first team All American. I think he was named that on at least one mid-season All American team. Without him, they still went to the championship game, and lost it in overtime. I'm convinced they'd have won it had he not been injured.

I was there when it happened. I left with no idea it would be that bad.

[Catsrock]

Nazr was 0-6 ft's in 97 championship. He goes 1-6 there's no overtime. I'm confident a healthy DA would've been worth a point or 2.

To be fully honest I don't remember...maybe a ft or 2 of Mohammed's was actually in OT.

The "post reply" button is more red than I am comfortable with. Otherwise the site is looking great. Nice work mods.