KENTUCKY BASKETBALL OUTLOOK, 1977-78
The 1978 Kentucky Wildcats have the potential to become one of the finest ever assembled in the Blue Grass state, and it will be the largest in Kentucky's fabled history with four men 6-foot-10 and 230 lbs. plus.
An abundance of experience, size, raw power and finesse could vault the Wildcats to their fifth NCAA championship, an elusive goal they have sought since last winning in 1958.
Nine lettermen including four starters return from a 26-4 team that won its 30th Southeastern Conference crown and went to the finals of the NCAA East Regional before losing to national runner-up North Carolina.
Heading the impressive group are senior All-American and All-SEC selection Jack Givens and Rick Robey, who scored 18.9 ppg and 14.2 ppg respectively at the forward slots. Givens (6-4), who is Kentucky's 11th all-time scorer with 1,460 points, is a two-time Citizen Savings Foundation All-American, while Robey (6-10) was named to the 1977 Converse All-American team.
Two other starters, senior center Mike Phillips (6-10) and sophomore guard Jay Shidler (6-1), give the Wildcats an inside-outside punch as Phillips chipped in with 12.2 ppg and Shidler scored at a 7.8 ppg clip, mostly from long-range.
Expected to battle for the guard post vacated by graduated co-captain Larry Johnson are juniors Truman Claytor (6-1), who averaged 6.6 ppg after a sensational tournament, Dwane Casey (6-2), who averaged 1.8 ppg, and sophomore Kyle Macy (6-3), who sat out last year after transferring from Purdue where he averaged over 14 ppg as a freshman. Macy appears to be the best passer at UK since Larry Conley ('66) and is a pure shooter from 25-feet.
Adding strength to the frontcourt are senior strongman James Lee (6-5, 230), who is called by coach Joe B. Hall a "sixth starter" and sophomore LaVon Williams (6-6), who will be much more acclimated to Kentucky's style of play after appearing in 25 games last year. Lee scored at 9.8 ppg and was fourth in time played, while Williams averaged 1.9 ppg.
Also back at guard after missing 18 games with a knee injury is sophomore Tim Stephens (6-3), a southpaw shooter who averaged 2.5 ppg in 12 games.
Heading a four-man freshman group is Chuck Aleksinas (6-10) of Litchfield, Conn., who scored 40.1 ppg at Wamogo High School. Joining him are Scott Courts (6-10) of Denver, Colorado, who averaged 23.6 ppg at Arvada West High School, Fred Cowan (6-8) of Morganfield, Ky., who averaged 23.6 ppg at Union County High, and Chris Gettlefinger (6-2), a walk-on from Knoxville, Tenn., who averaged 24.0 ppg at Knoxville Catholic HS.
With four 6-10 men, Hall will have several options to work with, but basically will still utilize the single post offense and man-to-man defense.
COACH JOE B. HALL"This team should be an intelligent club. They have worked together for three years and they have been in a national tournament each of those years, going to the NCAA finals, winning the NIT, and going to the East Regional finals last year. So their objective is to again appear in a postseason tournament. Naturally, we have hopes of winning. I like the dedication you have in a senior group because it is their last shot. I see us being very competitive, of having one of the strongest (physically) teams ever at Kentucky, and one of more depth than we have had in the past. We'll have a 13-man squad and possibly one walk-on that could help us. If that happens, we will have more depth than I've had since I've been at Kentucky. "
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