Hord was a small forward. 6'5. Hall moved him to guard his senior year and it didn't work out too well for Derrick. He had good ball skills for a forward and a very good mid-range game. As has been mentioned, he had a good junior season and I believe would have had a terrific senior season if Hall had left him at forward. It sort of hurt the team as a whole moving him.
Derrick Hord
- Thread starter Uncle Adolph
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His name is Bobby Chambers and amazing as it seems he was not asked back for the 1984-85 season.
Chuckinden is correct. Hoard is from Bristol where Bill Gatton lives and has several car dealerships. He is a Kentucky graduate. He recently made a 200 million dollar donation used to build the UK student center.
This is spot on. His whole game changed with the move, although it was made to help both him and the team. His ball handling was shaky for a guard, and he never made an impact in the NBA.
He was always classy as a player and as a person.
Yeah got a pic with CK at a PGA Tour event in Ohio a couple years ago....he jokingly said he wouldn't have done it had he known I was a UK fan
Actually, in respect, Hord only played guard his sophomore year. He was moved back to his usual small forward position for his junior year and flourished averaging 16.3 points a game and over 5 rebounds. It was during that 81-82 season that UK had four double digit scorers as starters: Hord, Minniefied, Master, and Turpin. Hurt and Chuck Verderber manned the power forward spot and I think they averaged 14 and 8 together in a good 1-2 punch. This was the first season without Bowie. Beal came off the bench as it was a short bench. I always thought Hall let Hord play that season without looking over his shoulder to be pulled whenever he made a mistake because there was no one else to come in for him. During Hord's senior year he had Kenny Walker on the team so if Hord made a mistake he had back up. Hord's senior year started off with a bang with big games against Kansas, Villanova, UKIT mvp. It was during a January slump that things went south for Hord and Hall lost confidence in him.
Yeah got a pic with CK at a PGA Tour event in Ohio a couple years ago....he jokingly said he wouldn't have done it had he known I was a UK fan
Bumped into him after the '97 Finals, complimented him on his TV work.
This is wrong. The season when Hall played Hord too much at guard was his sophomore year, not his senior year.
His senior year, Jim Master started the entire season at the two guard spot, with Hord starting at the small forward spot. The reason Hord's minutes dropped his senior year was because of the addition of Kenny Walker, who was a mighty talented new backup forward suddenly breathing down his neck.
But you ARE right that Hord was much better at the forward position. Hall's preference for big lineups led to several guys under-performing because they were being forced to play out of their natural position. Hord's best season, by far, was his junior year, because that's the one where he was allowed to play the entire season at his natural forward spot without anyone breathing down his neck.
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Played golf with D Hord several times way back in the day. He was a really nice guy, gentleman to be around. At that time he was in Pharma Sales.
Most of the time we played at Lakeside in Lexington. Enjoyed playing with him. Just had a regular guy appeal to him. Warm smile, very genuine.
Most of the time we played at Lakeside in Lexington. Enjoyed playing with him. Just had a regular guy appeal to him. Warm smile, very genuine.
He was drafted in the 3rd round in the 83 draft by Cleveland. Don't think he ever played a minute in the league.
Hord was a very good college player who just didn't quite project at the next level. He was only 6-5, and didn't really have guard skills necessary for the League, and wasn't quite athletic enough to stick at SF. His Junior year was terrific but unfortunately he was part of a team that played one of UK's most horrific NCAA performances...the 50-44 loss to Middle Tenn in Nashville (thanks NCAA). Imagine Duke getting that draw.
He is a member of UK's 1000 point club (1220). Glad to hear he's doing well and still living in Lex.
He is a member of UK's 1000 point club (1220). Glad to hear he's doing well and still living in Lex.
I didn't remember that. Maybe I am part of the study?
I seem to recall a team mate teasing him in an interview that he practiced opposite Kenny Walker and never got to see his shot get to the rim in practice so his shooting fell off. I'd bet the ankle injury contributed a lot, but having Kenny Walker hawking your shot in practice could have affected his shooting. Looking at the stats, it was probably simply a more talented player taking his minutes. He shot the highest percentage of his career in his senior season.
I was hoping someone would begin the making of this point. Derrick Hord was on his way to becoming an All-American as a junior. Joe B. Hall criticized him unmercifully, and publicly, at the very beginning of his senior year. Hord never recovered. Joe B. Hall ruined Derrick Hord. Period. To his credit as a classy man, I don't think Hord has ever said much about it. It doesn't help my attitude about the matter that Hord was my favorite player out of that fabulous recruiting class of Hord, Hurt, Minnifield, and Bowie.
Hord was 2/16 in that horrible UK performance against MTSU. Maybe that's why Joe was trying to motivate him...although sometimes his tactics fell flat. I don't think he "ruined" Hord....in today's game, he'd be the guy who had the pressure on him to go one and done, but wasn't quite good enough.
I'm 48, and can distinctly remember my older family saying that coach Hall ruined Hord when I was just a kid.
Was privileged to have met Derrick at one of the 1979 all-star games I announced. Coach Hall had Walt McCombs wrap the ankles of the UK signees that played - Sam Bowie, Charles Hurt, Dirk Minniefield and Hord. One of the nicest and most polite people you can imagine. I can't remember having been called "sir" that often and I was only a couple of years older than that group.
Still - IMO - the best high school basketball class I've seen in person. Watching on the court that close and getting to talk with all those guys in the locker rooms before and after the games are times I won't forget.
Still - IMO - the best high school basketball class I've seen in person. Watching on the court that close and getting to talk with all those guys in the locker rooms before and after the games are times I won't forget.
