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Should Oscar's Jersey be hanging in the rafters?

Wildcats1st said:
You think all these details will be even thought of in 10-20 years? I don’t.
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In 10-20 years he will still be one of the very few unanimous NPOYs. And a 2xAA will still be next to his name. Some of you are crazy to think that doesn't belong up there.

You can yack all you want about "standards" but that's an excellent college career. He can't help that he had nothing else to work with or that Cal is waning.

So in your opinion, unanimous NPOY isn't an automatic qualifier?
 
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BigRedMachineBigBlueNation said:
Sorry but Oscar has to comeback and win something for me. I love Oscar, but 0 SEC regular season, 0 SEC tournament championships, and 1 win in March is not rafters worthy
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It's a TEAM sport. And I believe that's more on the COACH than a single player, don't you? So are you saying Oscar has more blame than Cal for that lack of hardware.

Hell, Oscar has more hardware than Cal does in the last two years.
 
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bbncal02 said:
It's a TEAM sport. And I believe that's more on the COACH than a single player, don't you? So are you saying Oscar has more blame than Cal for that lack of hardware.

Hell, Oscar has more hardware than Cal does in the last two years.
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Yeah. I just don’t understand any argument against it. Oscar did his part while he was here. 2X All American and NPOY. Some people are just contrarians or pushing a personal agenda. He could have made two F4s and we’d have guys would saying no because he didn’t win a championship because they didn’t like him.
 
Blue_2_the_bone said:
Yeah. I just don’t understand any argument against it. Oscar did his part while he was here. 2X All American and NPOY. Some people are just contrarians or pushing a personal agenda. He could have made two F4s and we’d have guys would saying no because he didn’t win a championship because they didn’t like him.
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I'm all about high standards. But winning the NPOY is akin to winning the Heisman in football.

If Levis won the Heisman there'd be NO debate whether he'd be in the UKHOF.

The double standard here is evident. I think some of our fans really didn't like Oscar. Which is mind blowing to me.

NO ONE is saying he's the best to wear the uniform. That would be an asinine argument. But he's one of our best reps in years and his off court work as well as on speaks for itself.
 
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Yes but UK takes its time in putting people in. No one from the last 25 or son years is hanging yet. No Mercer, Turner, Prince, Bogans, Wall, Davis are hanging and a few more that I think should get consideration before we get to whether or not Oscar belongs.
 
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No.

I am for blocking any considerations until Mike Casey's jersey is hanging up there.

And once Casey gets up there, I would probably block any considerations until Melvin Turpin and Larry Conley were hanging up there too.

I know Oscar contributed a lot during a very dark time and I know he was player of the year and statistically he looked good on paper, but...I just don't see his contributions to the program from 1930 - 2023 bringing worthy.
 
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clevenger32 said:
No.

I am for blocking any considerations until Mike Casey's jersey is hanging up there.

And once Casey gets up there, I would probably block any considerations until Melvin Turpin and Larry Conley were hanging up there too.

I know Oscar contributed a lot during a very dark time and I know he was player of the year and statistically he looked good on paper, but...I just don't see his contributions to the program from 1930 - 2023 bringing worthy.
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You're argument is with UK's ridiculous process then. Those names all belong up there.

So again, a unanimous NOPY, 2x AA, and a Top 10 Rebounder doesn't belong up there?
 
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Normally, I'd say no, and I'd say that because the lack of post season success is a little too much for me to retire a jersey..

But I think there's like 40+ jerseys retired, and with that many allowed in over time.. I think Oscar is worthy of being one of them.
 
m080470 said:
Yes but UK takes its time in putting people in. No one from the last 25 or son years is hanging yet. No Mercer, Turner, Prince, Bogans, Wall, Davis are hanging and a few more that I think should get consideration before we get to whether or not Oscar belongs.
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I agree with all those. UK is awful about acknowledging people that contributed to the program when they played. That needs to change.
 
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JonathanW said:
Riley snd Dampier had each other.
Issel had Pratt
Mashburn, maybe you are right about him, but he is on our Mt Rushmore list.
Prince had Bogans.
You convienently missed the main point, that it’s a team game, and he had less of a supporting cast than most other UK greats.
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And Issel and Pratt had Casey until their senior year when Mike couldn't play costing us a Natty.
 
clevenger32 said:
No.

I am for blocking any considerations until Mike Casey's jersey is hanging up there.

And once Casey gets up there, I would probably block any considerations until Melvin Turpin and Larry Conley were hanging up there too.

I know Oscar contributed a lot during a very dark time and I know he was player of the year and statistically he looked good on paper, but...I just don't see his contributions to the program from 1930 - 2023 bringing worthy.
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Mike Casey my roommate definitely belongs
He and Pratt and Issel are a matched set
If Casey had my been hurt in a freak accident
We would have beaten Jacksonville no doubt
Greatness is not always judged by Champions
Dan Issel played harder than many UK players but a title denied him
 
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clevenger32 said:
And Issel and Pratt had Casey until their senior year when Mike couldn't play costing us a Natty.
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No way of knowing it guaranteed a title. I see this excuse with this year and some of bodies tenure and Anderson and Bogan. Same with wcs and poy in cal era, although calipari doesn't seem to get the pass other UK coaches have with injuries. Maybe in 10 to 20 years he will.
 
bbncal02 said:
The whole of college basketball literally disagrees .

Do you feel his NPOY was unearned?
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I feel his NPOY is warranted but that is not an automatic bid to have your Jersey in the rafters. Show me anywhere that says the “whole of college basketball “ feels Oscar should have his jersey retired.
There is one jersey since the 96 national championship that I would put in and that is Davis. 22/23 Oscar was an enigma. Still getting it done on the boards but his defense was so bad he doesn’t get my vote.
 
bowfreak said:
I feel his NPOY is warranted but that is not an automatic bid to have your Jersey in the rafters. Show me anywhere that says the “whole of college basketball “ feels Oscar should have his jersey retired.
There is one jersey since the 96 national championship that I would put in and that is Davis. 22/23 Oscar was an enigma. Still getting it done on the boards but his defense was so bad he doesn’t get my vote.
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NPOY is an automatic qualifier just about anywhere else. And yes, I know this is Kentucky. But it was UNANIMOUS. So yes, literally of all college basketballs major voices say he's earned it.

So his defense is enough to pull him out? We're just going to have disagree. No he was not insanely great there, but he was a major contributor while here.
 
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UKWildcats1987 said:
No way of knowing it guaranteed a title. I see this excuse with this year and some of bodies tenure and Anderson and Bogan. Same with wcs and poy in cal era, although calipari doesn't seem to get the pass other UK coaches have with injuries. Maybe in 10 to 20 years he will.
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Poy injury cost us an undefeated season for sure, but Cal still had enough talent to get it done. I don't squarely lay all the blame for 2015 on Cal (Higgins can bite me) but he contributed to choking that away.

I wonder if that still haunts him as it haunts several UK fans.
 
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bbncal02 said:
NPOY is an automatic qualifier just about anywhere else. And yes, I know this is Kentucky. But it was UNANIMOUS. So yes, literally of all college basketballs major voices say he's earned it.

So his defense is enough to pull him out? We're just going to have disagree. No he was not insanely great there, but he was a major contributor while here.
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I’m not willing to die on a hill for this but it’s just my gut feeling. Oscar was a great rebounder but I didn’t feel like I was watching greatness for the rest of his game. I wouldn’t picket Rupp Arena if his jersey was hung in the rafters but I wouldn’t be spearheading a push to get his jersey retired either.
 
He just came up in the wrong era for the NBA. He was great here, but even with that other coaches took advantage of his limitations because the college game has changed at most places not named Kentucky. As dominate as he was he played on two mediocre teams.
 
In all UK basketball history, he is the ONLY consensus NPOY. That clinches it, there's really no discussion. It's him and nobody else. Davis was robbed because some basketball site was cute and chose Draymond Green so he should have that honor too but he doesn't.

That also makes him among a who's who in UK history as joining consensus 1st Team All-Americans. That list is Beard, Groza, Spivey, Hagan, Cox, Nash, Issel, Macy, Walker, Mashburn, Delk, Mercer, Wall, Davis, Cauley-Stein, and Ulis.

Names that didn't make that cut include Frank Ramsey, Dampier, Riley ,Pratt, Grevey, Givens, Robey, Bowie, Turpin, Chapman, A. Walker, Anderson, Turner, Sheppard, Prince, Bogans, Rondo, Meeks, Cousins, Randle, Murray, Fox for perspective as to how select the company that Oscar is in. It's no his time yet but this is really a no-brainer.
 
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bbncal02 said:
It's a TEAM sport. And I believe that's more on the COACH than a single player, don't you? So are you saying Oscar has more blame than Cal for that lack of hardware.

Hell, Oscar has more hardware than Cal does in the last two years.
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A team sport in which HOF worthy players rise up and carry the team on their shoulders and don’t allow St Peter’s to knock them out.

His porous defense and untimely misses at the rim negated his big numbers in those two tourney losses.
 
CincyUKFan said:
A team sport in which HOF worthy players rise up and carry the team on their shoulders and don’t allow St Peter’s to knock them out.

His porous defense and untimely misses at the rim negated his big numbers in those two tourney losses.
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So you know better than the people that voted him NPOY? And chose him to be a 2xAA?

Before draw and quartering Oscar, maybe gripe at Cal. Cal lost that game for us, in addition to the team. NOT just Oscar.

And two games doesn't erase his collective performance for those two seasons. Oscar did everything he could for us in that St Peter's game. If he didn't we'd have lost by double digits. Now, that says more about his contributions than "well, he didn't win a title". Without Oscar? We don't even MAKE the tourney either year.
 
It's not his fault there wasn't a "coach" on the sidelines to make best use of him and coach him into an even better performer and "teammate" than everyone here says. All Americans earn it more than coaches imo
 
He did something that no other player in Kentucky history has done being named unanimous NPOY.

He averaged more rebounds than all but 1 guy who has played here.

He had the 3rd and 5th best rebounding seasons in UK history.

He was a 2 time consensus all American, joining Kenny Walker, Dan Issel, Cotton Nash, Louie Dampier, Alex Groza and Ralph Beard as 1 of 7 guys to have that honor.

When his time comes, he 100% belongs in the rafters.
 
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Nope, I don't think he should have won NPOY. There's more to BB than rebounding. Just to many other things he couldn't do. He's a NPOY that didn't get drafted, the Pros know what they are doing and they didn't see any upside to Oscar. I personal loved the guy, mostly because he loved Kentucky, but sorry Big O, you get a no vote from me.
 
KENTUCKY_FLYER said:
Nope, I don't think he should have won NPOY. There's more to BB than rebounding. Just to many other things he couldn't do. He's a NPOY that didn't get drafted, the Pros know what they are doing and they didn't see any upside to Oscar. I personal loved the guy, mostly because he loved Kentucky, but sorry Big O, you get a no vote from me.
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I love people who say he shouldn’t have been NPOY when every single service voted him NPOY. You know he averaged 17.4ppg his NPOY season, right? He was the 3rd leading scorer in the Cal era, so far from just a guy who could only rebound.

Every single school in the country would eventually have him hanging in their rafters.
 
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