KENTUCKY BASKETBALL OUTLOOK, 1976-77
The Kentucky Wildcats are looking forward to the 1977 season with an eagerness matched only by the confidence they gained from a super finish last year which saw them run off 10 consecutive wins and capture the NIT championship.
From that grand finish has spawned a dual goalto recapture the Southeastern Conference crown and shoot for post season honors.
"Our future has to be bright," said Coach Joe B. Hall. "We start the season with a 10-game win streak and the NIT crown and we return almost intact from last year. The experience gained by an extremely young team- (youngest in modern UK history), along with our recruits, will go a long way in solving some problem areas we had last year. And a healthy (Rick) Robey could make us a contender for just about anything."
Analyze the experiencethe most intensifying pressure found in amateur basketballand you find Kentucky is unique to any other team in the nation.
In the past two years, the Wildcats have played in the NCAA finals and won the NIT, the country's oldest basketball tournament. What better experience could be found for a team whose nucleus is four juniors?
Hall will greet eight lettermen (four starters), while losing only three.
Heading the list is All-American and All-SEC forward Jack Givens, a silky smooth 6-foot-4 junior southpaw who led the Cats with a 20.1 ppg average while grabbing 7.2 rebounds. Givens scored in the 30's three times and was out of double figures only three times. He became UK's second leading sophomore scorer (602), and was named to the All-NIT team.
Holding down the center slot is mammoth 6-10 Mike Phillips, whose overall play showed vast improvement while scoring 15.6 ppg and leading the team in rebounding with 9.8. Phillips' single game highs were 35 points and 28 rebounds. He was selected to the All-NIT team, MVP in the Kentucky Invitational, and second team All-SEC.
Back for his final year is 6-3 guard Larry Johnson, whose dazzling speed and ball handling made the press very ineffective against the Cats. The willowy but strong Johnson was at his best under extreme pressure and won three games with final second heroics, including a last second shot to down Providence in the NIT semi-finals. Johnson averaged 11.2 ppg and led the team with 98 assists. He was named to the All-NIT second team.
The big question mark Hall alluded toa healthy Robeyis the 6-10 fiery junior competitor who averaged 15.6 ppg and 7.5 rebounds at forward before missing the last half of the season with a knee injury. However, the knee has fully mended without surgery and Robey has been declared 100 per cent recovered.
Filling in for Robey last year was James Lee, a junior-to-be whose speed and quickness belies his solid 6-5, 230 lb. frame. Lee started 20 games and after a slow transition, blossomed into the powerful, explosive type player which was predicted of him from prep days. His best performance came when he scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Wildcats upset sixth-ranked Alabama 90-85 on national television. He finished with a 9.3 ppg and 7.3 rebounding mean, and was named to the All-NIT second team.
Merion Haskins, a 6-4 senior forward who saw considerable playing time, including two starts, is a solid fundamentalist and proven defensive player. Despite scoring only 2.3 ppg in 29 games, Haskins' leadership will play an important role in the success story of the '77 Cats.
Rounding out the lettermen are two sophomore guards6-1 Truman Clay-tor, 6.0 ppg, and 6-2 Dwane Casey, 1.3 ppg.
Claytor capped a fine early season performance by winning Co-MVP game honors with Adrian Dantley in the annual Notre Dame shootout in Louisville. After starting eight games, he fell prey to a series of nagging injuries which
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