Who do you have?
1. John Wall
2. Hamidou Diallo'
3. Richard Madison
4. Kelenna Azubuike
5. Kenny Walker
1. John Wall
2. Hamidou Diallo'
3. Richard Madison
4. Kelenna Azubuike
5. Kenny Walker
Five best athletes to hoop at UK
- Thread starter FurdTerguson
- Start date
This moment alone earns Dirk Minniefield a mention. I don't think any UK athlete ever got his legs higher off the ground (although, admittedly, it was kind of a stand alone moment, I can't remember any other Dirk plays like it):
Dirk not dunking it against U of L cost us the Dream Game. (Well actually us forgetting to play defense in overtime cost us the Dream Game, officially)
Monk has to be on the list. For that kid to jump as high as he did without a significant wingspan was pretty sensational stuff.
Drop Wall and Diablo, add WCS and Mashburn, you got a good list. I’d suggest Chuck Hayes and Jamal Magloire are very close to being on the list. There is no substitute for raw power in basketball.
Tough to rank 5, but Dwight Anderson and Rod Rhodes have to be in the conversation, as do Dirk and Rex.
Anderson is the best pure athlete I have seen in person, aling with Art Still.
I would put Cotton Nash in there. Played in both the NBA and MLB. 1 of only 13 guys in history to do that.
We were typing this at the same time my friend. Cotton might be at the top of the list
Surprised you're dropping Wall. Dude was a track star in the making. WCS is a great pick.
Wall is one of the best athletes in the NBA, let alone in UK’s history. He should be ingrained on any list of this sort IMO
I would put Monk over Diallo. While Diallo can jump higher, Monk proved to be a better overall athlete.
I dont know, Diallo was pretty quick running from UK. I kid....I kid. I'd have to go back and watch Monk again, I remember athleticism but I dont remember it being over the top athleticism.
Delk also always seem to have good hops but not sure he would make top 5 list.
Dom Hawkins as a sneaky selection barely 6’0 44 inch vert could get up there. Pretty quick as well. NFL teams were interested.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Wall was a fabulous athlete. But when you talk greatest athletes, you have to include body strength. Wall had fabulous speed. That said, he wasn’t the strongest guard on the team. That was Briscoe.
Top 15, yeah. Top 5, well, we’ve had had some amazing athletes over the years.
As far as I'm concerned, the only questions are about Nos. 2-5. Dwight Anderson is, by far, the best pure athlete to ever lace 'em on at U.K.
Any list without AD is just wrong. No big in the history of Kentucky had better combination of hand-eye coordination and fast twitch muscles.
Put Nash in my top five and take out Walker. Playing one sport professionally is hard enough. Playing two is amazing.
He wasn’t top five, but people always underestimated Jeff Sheppard’s athleticism. He has a couple worthy nominees for top ten dunks in Kentucky history.
In no order, John Wall, Dwight Anderson, Sky Walker, WCS, Kelenna Azibuike.
In no order, John Wall, Dwight Anderson, Sky Walker, WCS, Kelenna Azibuike.
DA has to be on any list. We would have another NC if Rick would have played him against Arizona. Loved watching DA play.
No way in hell Diallo is top 5! Being able to jump high is just one part of being a great athlete, he sure as hell didn’t have anything else, at least it never showed at UK!
this list from 2018 includes AD, Wall, and Fox as top 15 athletes in the current NBA. It also includes Bam as an honorable mention. Insane that we have 4 guys in the top 20 athletes during the most athletic era in NBA history.
Nerlens was right there with AD as well on D pre injury, one of the quickest second jumps you will ever see, plus the timing!
Depends on how we define athlete. Most people, as this thread shows, equate that to fast-twitch, track and field kinds of abilities. There is another way to look at it - being able to play multiple sports really well, in a “that guy does everything well” kind of way. The John Stockton or Drew Brees kind of way.
I agree. If everyone competed in the decathlon, a few guys that have been mentioned aren't finishing anywhere near the the top.
Probably not top 5, but Ravi Moss deserves a mention. Only UK athlete of my lifetime to contribute to both the football and basketball programs, unless im forgetting someone.
EJ Floreal was a great athlete as well.
EJ Floreal was a great athlete as well.
One thing that is always tough is comparing eras. Just think if there was a 6’5”, 215lb 20 something playing outfield and infield in MLB and playing small forward in the NBA/ABA in today’s game. He would potentially be considered one of the best athletes on the planet.
IMO, there is a difference between being athletic and being a great athlete. I’m sure a lot of the guys that are mentioned in this thread are extremely athletic, but not all are probably great athletes.
Ej floreal....or are we talking players who were on scholarship....I kid.
Wah wah Jones played SEC basketball,football and baseball,now that's being an athlete.
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