Your mt rushmore of UK basketball players

[South jones]

Wah wah jones
Dan issel
Anthony Davis
Jamal mashburn

honorable mention:
cliff Hagan
john wall

[Majoga]

Issel
Mashburn
Wayne Turner
Davis

I think we need a bigger mountain.

[South jones]

Issel
Mashburn
Wayne Turner
Davis

I think we need a bigger mountain.

Lol

[Pobilly]

I will just take the 5 all time leader in scoring. I know there are way more to it than that but I like the top 5 guys.

1. Dan Issel: 2,138 points
2. Kenny Walker: 2,080 points
3. Jack Givens: 2,038 points
4. Keith Bogans: 1,923 points
5. Tony Delk: 1890 points
6. Jamal Mashburn: 1843 points

Forgot about Delk. Now I have 6 not 4. Heck I am 1/2 Polish so you all can insert your favorite Polish joke here. lol

[bucsrule8872]

Wah wah jones
Dan issel
Anthony Davis
Jamal mashburn

This.

[blueheretic]

Issel
Riley
Mashburn
Walker/Bowie
A. Davis

I'm torn on Kenny and Sam. I think Walker had more real impact. Bowie had impact but he was injured so much.


Personally, I'd add

Cliff Hawkins
Bogans
Prince

You almost have to have John Wall.

This is way too difficult.

And Wah Wah.....freakin' dude was amazing.

Plus you have Cotton, Farmer, Beard, Spivey, Dampier, Jaracz....good GOD!

Can you forget Larry Conley?

What about Delk?

And now....Mark Pope. OH MY!

There are too many!!!

This is impossible.

[blueheretic]

Oh....god....

How do I forget Jeff Sheppard?

Who led the '98 team.

And gave us his son Reed.

And....jeez....I forgot Rex Chapman.

Chapman was IT!

He's a whiny SOB but he was a GREAT!

And would that '98 Championship have happened without Cam Mills?

This is way too difficult.

I think we need a Planet Rushmore.

Carve them in the side of Jupitor!

[blueheretic]

From ChatGPT:



Here’s a players-only Kentucky (UK) Mount Rushmore using your order of weight: 1) impact on the program, 2) statistics, 3) championships.


1) Dan Issel (1967–70)

• Impact: Set the gold standard for individual greatness; became the program’s measuring stick for bigs and scorers for half a century.
• Stats: UK’s all-time scoring leader (2,138) with no 3-point line; career 25.7 ppg, 12+ rpg; two-time consensus All-American.
• Championships: No NCAA title, but multiple deep runs and SEC crowns.

2) Jamal Mashburn (1990–93)

• Impact: Revived the program from probation into a national force; catalyst of the Pitino era’s return to dominance.
• Stats: 1,843 points; 21.0 ppg as a junior; SEC POY; consensus 1st-team All-American.
• Championships: 1993 Final Four (no title) — revival mattered more than the missing banner.

3) Anthony Davis (2011–12)

• Impact: Crowned Calipari’s vision; validated the one-and-done model with overwhelming two-way dominance.
• Stats: National POY, NABC DPOY, NCAA MOP; UK/SEC single-season blocks record; elite efficiency.
• Championships: 2012 NCAA Champion.

4) John Wall (2009–10)

• Impact: Re-ignited UK’s modern brand after the Gillispie crash; turned UK into the NBA pipeline destination and reset recruiting momentum.
• Stats: SEC POY, consensus All-American; UK single-season assist record; #1 NBA pick.
• Championships: Elite Eight (no title) — but the program reset is the reason he’s here.

---

First four out (if you want more title weight)

• Jack “Goose” Givens (’75–78) — 41 in the ’78 title game; iconic champion.
• Tony Delk (’92–96) — 1996 MOP; face of a juggernaut.
• Cliff Hagan (’50–54) — 1951 title team star; all-time great wing.
• Oscar Tshiebwe (’21–23) — National POY; historic rebounding impact.

[blueheretic]

I can't believe that I didn't mention the Goose that laid the Golden Egg! What the WHAT!!!

[JimBR]

No '78 title without Kyle Macy.

[Clevenger32]

Beginning with All American Basil Hayden in 1921 to today, there have been way too many great ones to realistically create a Mount Rushmore.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Dan Issel
Jack Givens
Jamal Masburn
Anthony Davis

[Jaxcat]

Davis only playing one year would move him down the list, imo. Took long enough for someone to mention Macy.

Issel is a no-brainer. Mashburn is, also, imo. After that, you've got Goose, Dampier, Riley, Grevey, Skywalker, et al.

It's gonna take a BIG mountain.

Now do UCLA. That's a whole mountain range (Duke, UNC would be, too).

[SportsFan]

Dan Issel
Jack Givens
Givens Masburn
Anthony Davis

Other than Jamal's name change, I kinda like this list. But like blueheretic said previously, this is just way too difficult. A big part of the problem is "one and done" versus long-term impact. Does a guy like Davis get more weight added for winning a championship over a 3 or 4 year player who may have won SEC POY awards and been an All-American? The only guy I feel 100% comfortable and confident with saying belongs up there is Dan Issel. After that you could make a really good argument for at least a dozen to two dozen more.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Other than Jamal's name change, I kinda like this list. But like blueheretic said previously, this is just way too difficult. A big part of the problem is "one and done" versus long-term impact. Does a guy like Davis get more weight added for winning a championship over a 3 or 4 year player who may have won SEC POY awards and been an All-American? The only guy I feel 100% comfortable and confident with saying belongs up there is Dan Issel. After that you could make a really good argument for at least a dozen to two dozen more.

Well honestly I needed a bigger mount Rushmore