neroshops.blogg.se

It was a clutch shot by a clutch player, an unforgettable moment in UK history. But let’s also give special credit to him for the CLUTCH 3-point shot he made against Duke in the 1998 Elite Eight game, a crucial shot from the top of the key. Padgett had a tremendous career, no doubt about it. He is ranked 3rd all-time in UK history for scoring in the NCAA Tournament. He scored over 1,200 points in his UK career, ranking him 32nd all-time in program history. He again earned All-SEC honors, SEC Tournament MVP, and NCAA All-Regional team. He averaged 12.6 points per game, along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. but still a tremendous season on his part. Padgett’s senior season ended with an Elite Eight loss to Michigan St. Padgett was 1 of 3 All-Americans in the Tubby Smith era at UK. Padgett was NCAA Championship Player of the Game as well. Padgett’s junior season was highlighted by earning Wooden 1st Team All-American honors, along with All-SEC honors and SEC All-tournament honors as well. Stanford, Padgett had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists.Īgainst Utah in the National Championship, Padgett’s 17 points and 5 rebounds helped UK win the title. The 97-98 season was terrific for Padgett: averaging 11 points per game, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. In 2020, Wayne Turner was deservedly inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame.Īnother 2-year player for Tubby Smith, Padgett helped lead Tubby’s team to the 1998 National Championship, most notably the dagger 3-pooint shot he drilled against Duke from the top of the key (along with 6 rebs). In 3 of his 4 seasons at UK, his season totals in assists rank top 50 in program history. He is ranked 7th all-time in UK history for NCAA Tournament scoring. Turner finished as the all-time steals leader in program history, still to this day holding the record. He scored over 1,000 career points, ranking 42nd in program history. In those same 2 seasons, he has 2 of the top 30 single-season steals totals as well.Īt the conclusion of his career, he was the all-time leader in program history for games played with 151 total games. In his 2 seasons with Tubby, Turner has 2 of the top 30 best single-season assists totals.

He earned All-SEC honors, along with SEC All-Tournament Team honors. In his senior season, he averaged 10.5 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Each game on the way to the title, Turner could be counted on for at least 8 points, 2 steals, 4 assists, 4 rebounds. Check out this stat line from the comeback thriller against Duke in 1998 NCAAT: 16 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. On his way to the national title, he earned the NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player award. He led the SEC in assists during this season and won the SEC Tournament MVP award. Leading UK to the 1998 National Championship, Turner averaged just under 10 points, along with 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Yes, recruited and brought to UK by Rick Pitino, but was a 2-year starter for Tubby Smith and the starting PG on Tubby’s national title team.

And secondly, I am only taking into consideration their accomplishments at Kentucky, there will NOT be consideration put into NBA careers, only what was accomplished while playing for Tubby. And for the record, it does NOT matter whether players were recruited by Tubby or Pitino, just that they played in the Tubby era. Any time we talk about top players or best players, it gets personal, and it can get heated!Īs objectively as possible, here are the top five players of the Tubby Smith era:įull disclosure: It was VERY challenging to make a list of five - which is why I chose to list a couple of honorable-mention selections. In this edition of “Talkin’ Tubby”, we look at the top five players of the Tubby era.