Antoine Walker goes into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend

[bthaunert]

Strange one for me. I love Toine, loved his swagger and what he did with the 96 squad, just not sure how a guy with his credentials gets in to the Hall of Fame. Not sure if there was discussion over the summer when this was announced.

 

[mebeblue2]

glad he is getting in
IMHO he was the most talented player on our 96 team

 

[kentucky_wildcat_#1]

Gotta agree with Walker being the most talented on that squad. I guess I shouldn't be as surprised of him making it in. After thinking about, I guess being the best on such a loaded roster should mean something.

 

[UK2KC-A-T-S]

Anyone know who else will be inducted?

 

[bthaunert]

Anyone know who else will be inducted?

Here is a link to the 2015 class

http://www.ukathletics.com/news/genrel_062615aaa_html

 

[c1doc]

Walker should have his jersey retired asap!!!

 

[trueblujr2]

I wish Cal would give him some kind of a role on the staff. If for nothing more than to serve as a mentor to these young players about to be millionaires. Hopefully they could learn some hard life lessons from him. Walker is trying to turn his misfortunes around taking a role like that in the program would be good. I'm not sure if he ever went back for his degree but he seems like the ideal candidate for that position that Cal has on his bench for guys like that. Not sure what kind of coach walker would make, but it seems like that coaching would be a way for him to gain employment.

 

[Wall2Boogie]

What's the over/under he gets in. Poor joke no pun intended I hate it that he's basically broke he was such a great player and I hate seeking UK player have issues like he's had

 

[mj2k10]

glad he is getting in
IMHO he was the most talented player on our 96 team

I actually think he was not only that, but the most talented player UK had (with the exception of Shawn Kemp, who doesn't really count) in the entire time span between Sam Bowie and John Wall. And yes, that means more talented than Jamal Mashburn. Mash was a far, far better college player, but in terms of raw talent, I think Walker had him beat. Walker was probably too gifted for his own good, as his blase' attitude towards the game is probably what kept him out of the (Naismith) HOF.

 

[SosaUK]

Walker 100 percent deserves this honor. Anyone saying otherwise is too young(I'm only 28) to comment on the subject.

Dude was a beast.

 

[bthaunert]

Walker 100 percent deserves this honor. Anyone saying otherwise is too young(I'm only 28) to comment on the subject.

Dude was a beast.

The talent was there, no doubt about that. I believe that you should also have the accolades to acompany the talent to be in the HOF. I don't think Antoine has the second part.

 

[SosaUK]

The talent was there, no doubt about that. I believe that you should also have the accolades to acompany the talent to be in the HOF. I don't think Antoine has the second part.

Care to expand? What would you like for him to have?

 

[bthaunert]

Care to expand? What would you like for him to have?

No problem. Here are the accolades from Antoine's career:

1994-95 - SEC Tournament MVP
1995-96 - 1st team all SEC, All SEC Tournament Team, All-NCAA Regional team

IMO, for a guy to be considered for HOF induction, he should have more than that. Again, nothing against the talent, just think there should be more to his profile to be in the HOF. That should be held for the most decorated players in program history and I don't feel like Antoine is one of them.

 

[BillionthUKFan]

Walker is definitely one of my all-time favorite Cats. Here's his speech in case anyone missed it.

http://www.ukathletics.com/video/5605f469e4b0f197185e6600

 

[Kycatspaws]

Congrats to the big guy.

 

[brianpoe]

No problem. Here are the accolades from Antoine's career:

1994-95 - SEC Tournament MVP
1995-96 - 1st team all SEC, All SEC Tournament Team, All-NCAA Regional team

IMO, for a guy to be considered for HOF induction, he should have more than that. Again, nothing against the talent, just think there should be more to his profile to be in the HOF. That should be held for the most decorated players in program history and I don't feel like Antoine is one of them.

Well..he was the best player on one of the best teams ever in college basketball.

He was a national champion.

ALL SEC like you said..


The 1996 All American team was pretty stout that year:

Tim Duncan
Marcus Camby
Allen Iverson
Tony Delk
Kerry Kittles

3 seniors and a junior, with AI being the only sophomore like AW.

 

[SosaUK]

No problem. Here are the accolades from Antoine's career:

1994-95 - SEC Tournament MVP
1995-96 - 1st team all SEC, All SEC Tournament Team, All-NCAA Regional team

IMO, for a guy to be considered for HOF induction, he should have more than that. Again, nothing against the talent, just think there should be more to his profile to be in the HOF. That should be held for the most decorated players in program history and I don't feel like Antoine is one of them.

Thanks. Like the poster said below me, best player on a Natty winning team. Deserves it IMO.

 

[Hoskins91]

I don't know the base line for somebody getting into the hall. I would definitely say no to putting his jersey in the rafters.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

I don't know the base line for somebody getting into the hall. I would definitely say no to putting his jersey in the rafters.

Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods all have their jerseys in the rafters. Why are they more deserving than Antoine Walker?

 

[Hoskins91]

Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods all have their jerseys in the rafters. Why are they more deserving than Antoine Walker?

If it were up to me, none of them would be up there. We had a discussion about this not that long ago. The "Unforgettables" being up there completely ruins the significance of the honor. You can't take them down, because it would be a huge insult, but they shouldn't be up there.

 

[bthaunert]

Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods all have their jerseys in the rafters. Why are they more deserving than Antoine Walker?

The biggest difference for me is that they changed the rules in 2005 so that quick, emotional decisions like that never happen again. They are not more deserving, hence the reason they made the rule change. Antoine should not have his jersey retired.

 

[Hoskins91]

Everyone who played before 1997 who should be up there is up there. There are some, including those already mentioned, who probably shouldn't be as well. The only people I would consider that played after that championship year would be Mercer, Prince, Wall, and Davis.

 

[bthaunert]

Everyone who played before 1997 who should be up there is up there. There are some, including those already mentioned, who probably shouldn't be as well. The only people I would consider that played after that championship year would be Mercer, Prince, Wall, and Davis.

The one player I think belongs in the UK HOF prior to 1997 is Mel Turpin. He always gets overshadowed by Bowie, but Turpin also had a great UK career. Consider all of this:

3 time All-SEC (3rd team, 1st team twice)
2 time All-American (Consensus 2nd team senior year)
2 time NCAA All-Regional team

16th all time in scoring - 9th all time when he left
21st all time in rebounding - 13th all time when he left
3rd all time in blocked shots - 1st all time when he left
8th all time in FG% - 2nd all time when he left

 

[CatsIndy2010]

Turpin has some respectable numbers...I agree with you.

I also think Antoine Walker is a very good basketball player. I mean, we won a championship that year with him playing...

 

[wcc31]

I don't know the base line for somebody getting into the hall. I would definitely say no to putting his jersey in the rafters.

Would tend to agree, and I love 'Toine.

 

[wcc31]

Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods all have their jerseys in the rafters. Why are they more deserving than Antoine Walker?

Because they're up there for different reasons than just basketball accomplishments. I shouldn't have to explain this to a UK fan.

God forbid sentimentality.

 

[wcc31]

But let's talk Walker's game. Dude was one of the best passing forwards I've ever seen. In fact, he was a great player because of that and his work on the offensive glass. Of course, he abandons that part of his game when he gets to the pros and decides he's a scorer/shooter.

What a talent, though.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

I always wondered how good that 97 team would have been had Walker came back for his junior year. He is one of my all time favorite Cats.