John Wall…..Just how good was he?
- Thread starter Gromcat
- Start date
Grom, you know I think we’re around the same age (I just turned 39), but what stood out to me most about Wall given our generation was he’s the first player of his caliber that picked us and not North Carolina. What I mean by that is while UK always got good players going back to Mash (again, our era that we remember), it seemed we never quite got that big time larger than life blue chip kid and Wall was just that. I don’t think I recall ever being more excited about a recruit in my life.
I remember being blown away by his highlight reel; the fact that he did the God ShamGod move in games, dunking so easily with his left hand, even preferring to dunk left-handed despite being a righty, and his blazing speed. I recall some old-timers comparing his speed to one Dwight Anderson aka The Blur.
Wall right out of the gate hit a last second shot against Miami (OH) in which their legendary coach discussed in the post game “John wall became John wall etc, …. and that’s how it got away”.
Maybe Wall’s greatest moment was torching Carolina at home. It said to the Tar Heels that Kentucky is back and never taking a back seat again. I absolutely loved that game.
Good point about the UNC angle. We were losing so much to them. I still remember growing up and UNC claiming “the place of the pros”. I guess that’s the one thing Calipari helped promote here that we didn’t have; but damn he got drunk on it and drove it into a 12 year old beauty pageant.
Yea I remember we were close. I’m 37, and I’ll take that all day. 39 looks damn scary. Ima let you handle that.
I definitely think the Jordan thing they milked forever doesn't have anywhere near the luster anymore. It's one thing to sell that to recruits when it's 1998 or very early 2000's, it's another thing to sell that to a kid right now who was born in 2002-2004 and has to go on youtube to see any Bulls highlights lol.
Staring down the barrel, Grom-dog. All I want for 40 is Kentucky basketball to be relevant again. Yes you read that right, RELEVANT. My biggest complaint is that Kentucky Basketball is no longer feared. We’ve been over this before, apathy aside, Kentucky doesn’t intimidate anyone anymore. If any fans think otherwise they haven’t been paying attention. Cal is washed, and any gimmicks, coach’s speak, pro-days, etc is all just eye-wash (baseball guys know the term). So let’s get next season over with and get ready to start the return of Kentucky basketball post Cal.
I’m coaching my sons in baseball, but we’re golfing a lot and probably going to stick there eventually. I told me son were just gonna focus on golf because it’s individual and Calipari can’t f* that up.
Wall was really good. I remember he was always the fastest guy on the court. He wasn't a great shooter so for college I would rank him as the 4th or 5th best player under Calipari.
John Wall’s impact was greater than his play on the court. The attitude. The swagger. The dance.
He introduced the Cal era with a boom clap.
Just as good on defense as offense.
He was the one who knocks!!
He introduced the Cal era with a boom clap.
Just as good on defense as offense.
He was the one who knocks!!
It’s so hard to rank the PG’s of the Cal era. Wall was something like I’ve never seen before, but as you said not a great shooter. I think Brandon Knight is arguably the most underrated and forgotten PG of the Cal era. Dude was just a BALLER. Smart, tough, heady, smooth, skilled, all of that. Everyone loved Ulis, and Fox was so damn good.
I think the five best PG’s of the Cal era in no particular order are Fox, Wall, Ulis, Knight, and Wallace. Yep, I said Wallace. It’s a shame we won’t be able to appreciate how damn good he was for us.
I also think Teague never got the credit he deserved and he’s a damn national champion. The way he handled pressure and broke UL’s press in the tourney, kid was a bulldog.
I think he is the most important player of the Cal era (AD was the best player imo). He gave us instant swag with his madness dance and his play backed it up. Anybody that questions that go watch the UNC highlights at Rupp. All the future top recruits wanted to come here because we became the cool school.
As my PG, I'd rather have Ulis than Fox or Wall, slightly. For pure excitement, it has to be Wall.
But Fox was not a "much better 3pg shooter" than Wall. Wall (32.5% on 114 attempts) was actually better than Fox (24.6% on 69 attempts).
John wall was one of those rare players. One that you could feel the excitement in the air, whenever he was on the court!
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Yep. Wall was probably the fastest player with the ball in the history of college basketball. A couple players may have been faster in terms of pure speed, but not with the ball.
Wall was a great player. His freshman year was my and my daughters first live game at Rupp. Great experience, I’ll never forget it. But he left after one year (he should have). Good for him. If I’m not mistaken, this is a UK message board. The great ones stuck around for UK. Those are the ones I remember best. And yeah, they would’ve left too if the money was there. I’m old , not stupid. But no one is changing my thoughts on UK greats. Wall was good. Could’ve been great no doubt.
The best pg to play here no question. You can't tell me or post back dudes in 50s 60s 70s Wall would blow by them and kill them on the court. He's a NBA Hall of fame player too. About the 4th best to play here. Maybe 3rd.
Best adjective I could use to describe Wall is:
Electric
He is the most electric player to ever suit up for UK....all time. 100% in Cal era and in my lifetime. I'd put Monk and Meeks right behind him. Anderson and Mercer were like that too in '97.
Electric
He is the most electric player to ever suit up for UK....all time. 100% in Cal era and in my lifetime. I'd put Monk and Meeks right behind him. Anderson and Mercer were like that too in '97.
He would have won if the field was 16 teams like was was back in the day to. College basketball really doesn't count until 1975.
Shit. 15 years of my life just got flushed by a big cat fan. Of course, he’s right, right? 70’s fans don’t know shit. We forgot what basketball looks like. The game has changed. The ball texture has changed. It’s a grip thing.
One of the best ever at Kentucky…. Having grown up initially in the late Tubby/Billy G years, seeing the kind of success that the Cats were having that year was amazing. It was the first time I had been seen it in my life. John Wall was at the center of that great season and the return of Kentucky Basketball to contending status. Loved watching him play here.
Overrated, couldn't get us to FF with arguably one of the best supporting casts to play here. I don't care about his " mix tapes" or the enormous hype behind him his short career here realistically was a disappointment, as has been his pro career as well
John Wall was top player in the country. Freak athlete. Jump off his off leg 12 ft out and dunk , that's insane.
Cover the length of the floor with only 3 dribbles. I can't think of a more electrifying player in my lifetime, at any school.
Very very good. He had another gear that he rarely hit while at Kentucky. We saw glimpses of it but I don’t think the supporting cast could really handle that gear.
This. People like to say Fox was faster end to end and he may have been a bit faster but that’s empty court talk. As fast as Wall was sprinting an empty court, he was exactly that same speed sprinting all the way to the basket in transition with three set defenders between him and the basket.
Most basketball quickness we’ve ever had at Kentucky and quite possibly most anywhere.
Insanely good court vision too, which is not talked about as much.
Such a shame he never developed much of a shot and hasn’t been all that healthy. If all three are 100% healthy and IF Wall magically had a strong shot, I daresay I would pick him over Mash and AD. Just an otherworldly talent.
I've thought that many times. Lyles I thought would have worked on his jumper, became a top 5 pick if he had stayed. DJ, I get his reason. NIL would have made it an easy decision for him to return (same for Ulis 1 year later).
DA was incredible in 97. He was being discussed on equal footing with the great Tim Duncan for National POY before his injury.
That team honesty just needed any front court scoring presence and they would have been better
Yep and he had some awesome finishes. Had the swing dunk over Nate Johnson and the shimmy vs IU.
Fox was fast but unless you saw Wall live you just don’t understand.
His ball control combined with his speed and court vision was unbelievable. The passing segment of this video blows me away.
