Closing Arguments

[teamchemistry15]

Now that the draft has concluded, let's hear those closing arguments on why your team is the best. Remember their professional accomplishments do not factor into their effect on the school. Please limit yourself to one post in this thread so we can use it as a reference for the voting. Let's hear it!

[KCKUKFan]

My squad has a scoring point guard, one of the finest to ever play for the school, in Brandon Knight. He can score from anywhere on the floor, and is a great facilitator. He led his team to a Final Four as a freshman, and set a number of (then) freshman records. He's arguably the second best point guard in John Calipari's era at Kentucky. Backing him up is Cliff Hawkins, a scrappy, defensive-minded point guard who was the linchpin's in two of Tubby Smith's finest teams. A perfect ying to Brandon Knight's yang.

At shooting guard, we have Big Balls Aaron Harrison, whose three clutch threes in the 2014 NCAA tournament have made him an all-time legend at Kentucky. He was the starting shooting guard on the team that went 38-1, and showed that he could score inside and outside, with a solid finish at the rim. His midrange game developed into a very dangerous weapon. Backing him up, we have James Young, who, while streaky, showed out in huge performances for a National Runner-Up team. The scoring load would be easily picked up by these two guards.

At small forward, we have All-American Ron Mercer, whose freshman performance in the NCAA title game in 96 gave us a National Championship. He led the 1997 team to a National Runner-Up finish. His ability to score from all positions, finish at the rim, and defend makes him invaluable. He's one of the greatest forwards to ever play at Kentucky, and while at the school he won at a furious clip. Backing him up is DeAndre Liggins, whose defensive scrappiness and ability to get into the heads of opposing players make him extremely important. By the time he left Kentucky as a junior, he was a true winner -- a furious defender, a reliable rebounder, an efficient enough scorer, and most importantly, a bulldog trash-talker. He was the sort of player that every winning team HAS to have. Unafraid to do the dirty work and able to help the team in ways that may or may not show up on the stat sheet. The perfect backup to Mercer.

At power forward, we have The Warrior, Heshimu Evans, a fan-favorite and perhaps the most important piece to a National Championship 98 squad. He was a great defender, an explosive athlete and an all-around utility guy. A bit undersized at the position, but afraid of no one, Evans could be counted on night in and night out to give 100% effort and throw down some amazing dunks at the same time.

Finally, and most importantly, my team includes perhaps the greatest player in the history of Kentucky basketball. Mr. Unibrow himself, Anthony Davis. National Champion. National Player Of The Year. Freshman Of The Year. Defensive Player of the Year. US Olympic Gold Medalist. And he took the fifth most shots on his team, dunno if you heard. When the book is written on Kentucky basketball and everything is said and done, we will remember Anthony Davis for what he was -- a transcendental talent whose ability to completely alter the game just by being on the floor was unprecedented in the college game. Any team with Anthony Davis should be expected to be there at the very end.

The players on my team combine for eight Final Fours and two National Championships. It contains three first team All-Americans and three of the highest statistical leaders in school history. For these reasons, I expect my team to be able to do some major damage here. Bring it on.

Brandon Knight
Aaron Harrison
Ron Mercer
Heshimu Evans
Anthony Davis
DeAndre Liggins
Cliff Hawkins
James Young

Head coach: Rick Pitino

[Friendsofcoal]

Head Coach John Calipari
Asst Coach Bill Keightley

PG Travis Ford
SG Jodie Meeks
SF Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones
PF Chuck Hayes
C Karl Anthony-Towns

Bench
PG/SG Ramel Bradley
SF/PF Jared Prickett
PG/SF Isaiah Briscoe


I never have time to type a book of a post on here from my iPhone so my argument will be very short.

This team is solid from from top to bottom even with Ford at the point. If he were to struggle then I've got Bradley and Briscoe to come in and I still have Meeks and Wah Wah to fire away. Down low is about as good as you'll ever find in the history at UK...Hayes was amazing and KAT was KAT. I said this in a different thread but I'll say it again, I'll put Jodie Meeks up against any shooter we've ever had suit up.

I like my team....LET'S BALL!

[Blue Heaven]

Leading off my team at the most important position on the floor is Ralph Beard. Called by Bobby Knight as the Michael Jordan of his time, Beard was a fearless competitor.
Wah Wah Jones called him the best player he ever saw. He lead our Cats to Back-to back Titles in '48 and '49 and was the cornerstone of our famed "Fab Five".

My starting SG is none other than Keith Bogans. He seems to be a forgotten man in UK lore even though he is our #4 All Time scorer. He had a down Junior season, but came back with a vengeance in his Senior year. If not for that Junior slump, we could be talking about our All Time leading scorer. Bogans was fearless and could shoot with the best of them. Backing him up at SG is Frank Ramsey. He scored over 1300 points in only 3 seasons and he averaged 11+ rebounds a game.

At the PF spot I have fan favorite and All Time great Kenny Walker. Walker was fearless and is the heart and soul of this team. He didn't have the prettiest shot, but he was a tireless worker, a blue collar guy, and his stats bear that out. He's our #2 scorer and #6 rebounder. Kenny left it all out on the floor. Backing him up was a notable Unforgettable in Deron Feldhaus. Deron gave it all he had while here. He was a tireless worker who could battle with the bigger guys, or draw them out and shoot the trey. I will never forget him dunking on Shaquille O'Neal.

My small forward holds a place in all our hearts. John Pelphrey is a Kentucky born boy who could've went to much smaller schools but couldn't pass up his dream school even though we were drowning due to probation. He was a tough as nails, blue collar player. Sort of a poor mans Larry Bird. John Pelphrey was maybe the most competitive player I have seen wear the blue and white. I remember a game vs dUKE AT dUKe when we were still on probation. John refused to go quietly. We lost that game, but John was relentless and was draining long balls. Any Unforgettable holds a place in my heart and John was near the top of that list. Backing up Pelphrey is ANOTHER Kentucky bred boy in Darius Miller. We have a LONG history of great players and Mr. Miller is our # 34 All-Time scorer. Not too bad when you realize he never reached his full potential until Cal came along. Darius was a good shooter who could stretch the defense. He ran the floor extremely well and defended well his last few years. No telling how high he would be statistically if we had gotten ahold of Cal earlier.

At my Center spot, I chose a not-so-sexy-pick with the younger, hipster crowd in Cotton Nash. King Cotton owns a career 22.6 ppg scoring average as well as a 12.3 rpg average despite being 6'5". Rupp once said if he had one man to build a team around, it would be Nash. That wasn't a bold statement as Nash played all five poistions. He was an all around athlete who never tired.

My coach I would pick for my team would be none other than Rick Pitino. He's geting a ton of flack right now, and for good measure, but any UK fan who dismisses what he did here is just a plain ole hater. He would take this team of mine and put it over the top. These players are skilled athletes. A little undersized, but the Pitino we had at Kentucky? Well, we as fans would have been SUPREMELY proud of this team. This team has multiple All Americans as well as National Champions.

I don't have the "sexiest" team, but any fan of our guys really need to look back on the history of the program and not just what we have in front of us. Sure I got some of this info from other sources, but I already knew a lot of it as well. You have to take in consideration the skill of said player, which is why most in this draft "reached" ( a fantasy term) for Cal's guys because they automatically assume outside of he and Rick's guys that they are not worthy of a roster spot. Obviously I wasn't living during some of my picks. I went with hearing things my Dad or Grandpa said as well as just researching on my own.

I will leave the committee with a quote: "All I know is that people tend to forget how great the older great players were. It'll happen that way with me too."- Larry Bird

[J.Jennings]

Coach John Calipari

PG Ed Davender
SG M. Monk
SF J. Murray
PF D. Cousins
C WCS

Bench
SF/PF/C Alex Groza
C/PF Bam Adebeyo
SF/SG/PF D. Willis

Malik Monk 2nd team AA, Jerry West Award winner, Sec Freshman of the year, Uk record for points scored by a freshman of 754 pts passing J. Murray's 720, 4th most all time in a season by a UK player, 6 times he scored more than 20 points in a half, 251 FG most ever by a UK freshman, 104 3 pointers 3rd most ever in a season by a UK player,, a flat out electric scorer on the college level, would be the Hersey Hawkins or Chris Jackson of college basketball if not for the one and done era

Jamal Murray 3rd team aa, 113 3 pointers in a season, 2nd most and 4 shy of Jodie Meeks in a season, 9 shy of the NCAA record holder Steph Curry's 2006-2007 college season,, Broke Tony Delk's 3 point record of 36 straight games with a 3 pointer made, Delk had 34. Murray was UK's all time leading freshman scorer until Malik Monk came along.

Wcs Great team player, freakish athlete for his size who could literally guard 5 positions on the basketball court. As Will Lavender once mentioned, he watched WCS go off in a stretch of a game unlike nothing he had never saw before. Stein wasn't the best center of all time but he could change the game with his speed, and size. The main reason i took Stein is simply because he can guard and contain any of the great big men who have played at the University of Kentucky including Issell, Bowie,Towns, Cousins, and Anthony Davis. He may not stop them, but he will bother and harrass which bold wells for my team here.

Ed Davender Perhaps the most under appreciated Wildcat of all time. Known as a great defender, became a great scorer and assist leader. 4th all time in steals, 4 th all time in free throws, only player with 1500 points and 400 assists, overshadowed by Kenny Walker and then by Rex Chapman, 11th on the list of all time scorers, 8th on the list of all time assists,, Ed Davender did it all on both ends...

Demarcus Cousins What else is there to say? Perhaps the most misunderstood yet most talented big man to ever play at Kentucky. 2nd team AA, SEC POY, Standard Tendex Rating of 1.112 all time, second only to Karl Towns, it tracks the efficiency per minute played,, 20 double doubles in a season, tied by Davis, 5 th all time in a season
MOST IMPORTANt,,, Demarcus Cousins opended up the door for Anthony Davis, N. Noel, K. Towns,and all other bigs that have signed up to play for Kentucky. Unless we are speaking of Marcus Camby in the 90's, Cal had problems recruiting big men with his dribble drive system at Memphis, the knock was that it didn't work. Cousins to Kentucky proved it can and it will work for big men,, If not for D. Cousins, saying i do to Kentucky, who knows if we land guys like Davis, Towns, and others.....

Alex Groza 2 time NCAA Champion, NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR, 3 TIME All American, 5th all time in freethrows, 10th all time on the scoring list, was known as a great scorer, rebounder, and assist man, since they did not track rebounds and assist back then, who knows what his career totals would have been. Most importantly, Alex Groza was 112-8 during his time at Kentucky, he really never took a loss.......

Derek Willis 3 way player and scorer, at 6'9 can handle the basketball or can play inside. Had to fight his way into playing time at Kentucky with so many top notch one and done's in and out each and ever year but a big man who can handle the ball, score in bunches, and give you great quality off the bench. Racked up a lot of wins during his 4 years at Kentucky.

Bam Adebeyo Season didn't really get turned around until Bam got it going this past year. Started off slow then changed his diet and then went on a nice streak of Double Doubles and a team win streak. Very athletic big man who can guard 4 positions and good form on his jumpshot. Bam unfortunately played on a team without any other post help and it made his job much harder as he had to learn on the fly.....


Overall, i have the top two scoring freshman in UK history, arguably the best true center to ever play at Kentucky, a freakish 7 foot defender, and a two greats by the name of Davender and Groza. My lineup will change depending on the matchup because i am a firm believer in matchups game to game. Murray can play point if needed but yet big enough to play sf on the wing. Monk could also run point if needed and i can interchange a few positions with the player i have on my team. I chose John Calipari because even though i complain about Cal sometimes with his X's and O's yet praise Pitino for his, i still think Cal is the type of couch who will give the hot hand the ball and trust his players to make play, Demarcus Cousin aint running through a wall for Rick Pitino, may throw him into one, but not playing for someone like that...........

Let's matchup and roll the dice, see what happens............................

[KevinHall]

OK, here's mine. My team has three cumulative national championships between them. That equals what anyone else has. I believe I have a very "coachable" team so I am going with the man who started it all as my head coach, Adolph Rupp.

Kyle Macy
Three year player at UK. Consensus All American all three seasons. All SEC his Junior and senior seasons. SEC tiournement MVP his 2^nd season. SEC Player of the year in his third season. All Mid East Regional Most Outstanding player in 1978. Sixth in all time assist at UK. He was the leader when he graduated. 2nd all time in foul shooting at 89%. He is just .01% behind Meeks in that category. He also scored over 1400 points in the era before the three point line. He was the starting point guard on the 1978 NCAA Champion team.

Tony Delk
Delk was a four year player at UK. He currently ranks 5h on the all time scoring list at UK with over 1800 points. He was all SEC three seasons. All American his senior season and was the regional and Final Four most outstanding player in 1996. Delk is number one in three point field goal made in his career at 133. He ranks 13^th in percentage at 39%. He is also 2^nd all time in steals at UK with 201. He was a key member of the 1996 champions and made a crucial three pointer in the 2^nd half of the championship game to basically put the game away.

Rick Robey
Robey was a four year player at UK. He was All American his junior and senior seasons. He was All SEC three of his four seasons. Also on the All Final Four team in 1978. Robey scored 1395 points in his career(23^rd all time),shot 58% from the field(12^th all time),72% from the foul line and garnered 838 rebounds(9^th all time). He missed the 2^nd half of his sophomore season with a knee injury or these numbers would be much higher. He was a bruising big man who could play center or power forward. Also a key member of the 1978 national championship team.

Reggie Hanson
Hanson was a four year player at UK who spanned two different coaches, Sutton and Pitino. His career flourished under Pitino. In total he scored 1167 points. He shot 50% from the field and nearly 35% from the three point line. Also 73% from the foul line. So he could go inside or outside. He had to play center on the undermanned teams of Pitino and more than held his own against the big men of his time such as Shaquille O’Neal. He was All SEC his final two seasons at UK. Also 2^nd team All American his senior season. His biggest contribution was his dedication to the University of Kentucky basketball program. He could have transferred after the mess Sutton left behind but he stayed knowing he would never play in an NCAA tournament game. If not for him staying the road back to limelight for UK basketball would have been much tougher.

Bill Spivey
Spivey was one of the greatest big men of his time. He was a seven footer who played two seasons at UK. He was All American both seasons. National Player of the year in the 50-51 season and All SEC both seasons. In his only two seasons he scored 1213 points. No rebounding totals were kept then but you would think they were very high. Spivey was injured before his junior season and then was suspended by the NCAA because of the betting scandals of the time. He steadfastly said he was not involved for his entire life and was never convicted in a court of law for these things he was accused. But he never played NCAA or in the NBA again because of this. Spivey was one of the true greats that has been largely forgotten.

Winston Bennett
Four year play at UK. Bennett scored 1399 points(22^nd all time) and grabbed 799 rebounds (11^th all time) in his UK career. He was one of the few players to come to UK from the city of Louisville. He was All SEC junior and senior seasons. He made the all regional team in 1986 and was Academic All SEC his sophomore season. He had a severe knee injury before his senior season and was red shirted. He came back in 1988 and put up career numbers in points and rebounds. Bennett was an enforcer inside who never met a rebound he couldn’t get. He was considered one of the best defenders in his days at UK.

Dwight Anderson
Nicknamed “The Blur” by Cawood Ledford, Anderson was one of quickest and fastest players to ever put on a UK uniform. He was Wall and Fox nearly thirty years before them. His electricity on the court proved to be his key asset. He famously lead a huge comeback against Notre Dame during his freshman season in which Al McGuire proclaimed “A star is born”. Anderson only played a season and half at UK. He scored 505 points during that time and had 92 assists and 99 rebounds. He was All SEC his only full season at UK. If he could have just been a good citizen at UK he could have been one of most beloved Wildcats to ever have put on the uniform.

Joe Crawford
Crawford was a four year player at UK. He scored 1438 points in his four years. This places him 20^th on the all time scoring list at UK. He was all SEC his senior season. He was able to flourish while playing on three of UK”s worst teams in the last 30 years. A very underrated player because of that.

[Lighthouse]

I guess we're doing this in the same order as the draft. Right?

[teamchemistry15]

I guess we're doing this in the same order as the draft. Right?

I don't think that matters as long as everyone gives their arguments.

[KevinHall]

We should probably set a deadline for this and get on with the voting. This is starting to really linger. Maybe wrap up the closing arguments by Friday and start voting this weekend with that to end by next weekend. Just a suggestion as July 4th is approaching and there may be more than a few going away on vacation or just having a lot family outings coming up.

[Joneslab]

I believe the college game is about point guards. If you don't have a solid point guard you're going to be beaten most every night. It isn't like the NBA game; in the NBA game they'll sometimes just let their star bring it up. In college teams go through their point guard and you can't operate without them.

I have two of the finest point guards of the last 20 years with Ulis and Epps.

I also have Antoine Walker, a guy who I think is pound-for-pound one of the four or five most talented players in my lifetime. I like the idea of Walker and Daniels, two of the best passing big men Kentucky has had, playing off of one another.

I also have Devin Booker alongside Tyler Ulis--a combination I would have loved to have seen more of when they were both Cats.

Mike Casey is my sixth man; he's 14th all-time at UK in scoring. Chris Mills is my starter; he averaged over 14 a game as a freshman and went on to become a first-round draft pick.

My coach is Rick Pitino because I see a little scrappiness in my team I think he could tap into. Not a whole lot of five-star phenoms but more a collection of guys who maxed out their abilities. (Okay, 'Toine was a bit of a showboat who could be lazy. But still, he's 'Toine. Imagine Ulis and that guy running the break.)

[DA#23]

^ Not a lot of five star phenoms? Haha. Epps and Daniels are the only guys who weren't "five star studs" and they did OK in college.

[Joneslab]

Ulis and Booker were both four-stars for a long time.

I once saw somebody say of both of them that he was surprised Kentucky took them because they weren't "traditional UK recruits." Thought they were nice four-year players.

Pretty sure that was Jeff Eisenberg.

[Lighthouse]

When the draft order was posted and I was drafting 12th, I never dreamed I would be able to draft such a star studded and solid team. I select John Calipari as my Coach because with the overall size and consistent shooting my team has, he will be very comfortable with an eight man rotation. I really have 8 starters, but I have to pick 5, so my starters are;

Pos.......Name.............Ht....... PPG. FG% FT% REB.
PG-De'Aaron Fox......6'3"......16.7...45 ....82..... 4.6
SG- Rex Chapman.....6'4". ....19......50.1...79.....4 3
C- Nazr Mohammad..6'10"....7.9... 59.7...51......5.8
PF-Julius Randle........6'9".....15......50......71.....10.4
SF-Pat Riley...............6'3".....21.9.. 44.2...70......8.9

AVG FOR STARTERS 6'5". 80.5.. 49.8...72.5...6.54 or 32.7 per game

Ready Off the Bench;

SF-Tom Parker 6'7"...............18..... 47.3....79.2...10
C- LeRon Ellis 6'10"............ 16..... 51.9....67.7.. 5.5
PF-Trey Lyles 6'10".............. 8.7.... 48.8...74......5.2

AVG FOR TEAM..
PER PLAYER. 6'7"..............15.4....49.6...72.5....6.7 or 53.4 per game.
123 per game.


In addition to the very impressive stats above, my team's awards and accomplishments are outstanding. 2 National Championships. 4 Final Fours. 4 earned All American, Riley, Chapman, Randle and Fox. They pulled off 106 Double Doubles, and 1 Triple Double. Pat Riley's jersey was retired. Chapman was a Pan American Medal Winner. Riley is the #18 all time leading scorer with 1464 pts. Parker is #36 with 1238, and Chapman is #50 with 1073.

My team will score a bunch because they have very strong outside and mid range shooting. They hit FT's and are overall strong rebounders. Nazr and Ellis at 6'10" and 240 and 235 would hold their own inside. Against a man or zone defense, this team will present defensive problems everywhere. I'm very comfortable with my team, and the best part, they are all Wildcats.

Originally I only spoke of my players as a team and individually only posted their personal stats. I was able to draft one of the fastest and most athletic guard combinations in UK history. With Fox as my PG, his speed by itself will make transition BB an asset, and having Chapman, Riley, Parker, Randle, Lyles and even Ellis to fill the lanes, we will run the break.

[teamchemistry15]

We should probably set a deadline for this and get on with the voting. This is starting to really linger. Maybe wrap up the closing arguments by Friday and start voting this weekend with that to end by next weekend. Just a suggestion as July 4th is approaching and there may be more than a few going away on vacation or just having a lot family outings coming up.

Agreed. Friday at noon is the deadline to have your closing arguments in.

[uglyduckling]

Aight here we go....

My squad is headlined by my 3-headed monster of "Goose" Givens, Tayshaun Prince, and Mel Turpin.

Goose needs no introduction. One of the all time greats in the history of this program, he also is responsible for, arguably, the single greatest performance in the history of the NCAA Championship Game. 3rd all time leading scorer for the Cats and one of only 3 players to score over 2,000 points. Good rebounder at the 3 spot, evidenced by pulling in more rebounds than every player but 11 others. Consensus All American his senior year and a mainstay on the All SEC team. Guy could do it all: play D, pass, jam and rebound. I didn't include score the rock on that list because it's a given that Givens can put the ball through the net. Perfect small forward. Did I mention that he scored 41 POINTS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME on his way to earning Final Four MOP honors.

Mel Turpin gives me scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking down low. But most importantly, he gives me size and girth to bang with the biggest bigs that have banged in this program. 16th all time leading scorer, 21st in rebounding, and 3rd in blocked shots, Mel was one of the best bigs to ever play at this program.

This brings me to my favorite player, on this particular team. Tayshaun Prince at the 4 is a matchup nightmare, at least at the college level. There's not too many PF's that have played for this program that could keep up with Prince running off screens and picks. Paired with Goose, he gives me 2 guys that can do it all. Tayshaun's length gives the added bonus of having another great shot blocker on the wing and inside. What 21 gives up in weight playing the 4 at the defensive end, I think he more than makes up with his length and athleticism. All SEC and All American performer multiple years. If he could have won a ring, we probably would have been talking about him as a Final Four MOP as well. Prince ranked no lower, all time, than 33rd on all of these lists: points (8th), rebounds (19th), assists (33rd), steals (29th), blocks (10th), FTM (T-28th), and 3PM (3rd). Guy could play anything from the 2-4. Truly another one of the greatest ever to play here.

This brings me to my starting backcourt, which I think is the perfect compliment to the rest of my team.

I'll start with Eric Bledsoe. One of the most athletic guys to suit up in the blue and white. He was capable of absolutely EXPLODING on offense. I will take the inconsistency, given how steady the rest of my squad is. I didn't realize, until doing the research for this draft, that Bledsoe shot 38.28% from deep his lone season. I'll take that all day. Can play the point if need be. His athleticism and defense is where Bledsoe really shined. Dude was just a pitbull on defense and a bit of a trash talker, which I feel every team needs.

Marquis Teague may be the most underrated point guard to ever play at KY. He didn't dazzle like Wall. Or score like Knight. What he did do, in his one season at Kentucky, was be Wayne Turner. He was a steady force for the team. Ran the offense, played great defense, and never really shrank under the lights. Now you all may say, "But he played with the greatest to ever play here, AD." When Anthony couldn't get anything going in the title game, Teague stepped up and gave us some much needed offense on the biggest stage of them all. Had the 6th most assists in a season. Like Bledsoe, he was also a trash talker, which makes my backcourt filthy lol.

Jeff Sheppard gives me a perfect 6th man off the bench. Top 50 scorer all time coming off the bench. Sharpshooter and athleticism are a good combo. Could hold his own on defense, evidenced by his 125 steals. By the time Jeff got to his senior year, he was torching teams. 2x National Champion and a Final Four MOP, which makes me 1 of 2 teams with two different MOPs on the roster.

Alex Poythress gives me more athleticism and defense off the bench, probably the only two things that were consistent with him. But I will take that. I have enough scorers. Poythress gives me a pack-your-lunch-and-go-to-work guy. Gives me one of the ultimate blue collar guys. And, if need be, he can come up and absolutely CRAM on someone at the rim.

Bob Burrow is a pure stats pick for me. Played 2 years and secured the #10 spot on the all time rebounding list. He averaged 16.1 REBOUNDS PER GAME! That's impressive regardless of what era you played in. Also averaged over 20 points per game, so he gives me some down low scoring as well off the bench. Him and Poythress coming off the bench are just a couple of guys that are going to come in and do the dirty work, while Jeff runs around and drops 20-30 on fools lol.

My coach is John Calipari. This team features a bunch of athletes that are good defenders which is a staple of Cal's teams. But this team has more scorers than Cal has ever had so that is a bonus. All unselfish guys so they would all buy into Cal's system. I would love to see Tayshaun and Goose under Cal lol.