xt7f1v5bcx4q https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7f1v5bcx4q/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky 1979 athletic publications English University of Kentucky Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. University of Kentucky Basketball Media Guides (Men) Basketball, 1979 text Basketball, 1979 1979 2019 true xt7f1v5bcx4q section xt7f1v5bcx4q UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY BASKETBALL FACTS 1978-79 KENTUCKY BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 1978 79 Date Nov. 26 Dec. 2 Dec. 4 Dec. 9 Dec. 16 Dec. 22 23 Dec. 30 Jan. 3 Jan. 6 Jan. 8 Jan. 13 Jan. 15 Jan. 20 Jan. 22 Jan. 25 Jan. 27 Jan. 29 Feb. 3 Opponent Site Poland National Team.........V \Rupp Arena LaSalle (TV)*.....{?.'~7.7.. .. .........RuPP Arena West Texas Statet. /X{?&7.. . M*^<.........Rupp Arena Kansas (TV)*......6 .C*?.*l........Rupp Arena Indiana (TV)'.......6.7' ft #. . CrV.I.J. . . . .. . Bloomington UKIT: Illinois vs. Syracuse (TV)* A\4A..4X*.<^ .-. ' Rlijip Arena Texas AErM vs. Kentucky (TV)*-{tff. 9^7V ' R'upp'Anine Notre Dame (National TV)*' bJ.'jlit A.. *V.........Louisville Florida (TV)*** . ^jT'"^*----r'j&'\Gainesville L.S.U. (TV)*** . .ftr.'.rj?____te:nffi".1"\......Rupp Arena Mississippit. . . v??.".4.'T.....Cfr.'t Alabama............V* Mississippi State A/.'A .3.....CA.'.'.. Tennesseet .....r'" Georgia!.. . 7*."t..........C7."".7 a-7 ^ 7^J......Rupp AratM . Tuscaloosa . . . Starkville R upp Arena RII |>[) A r MMil Feb. Feb. Auburn. . . Floridat. . . Auburnt. . L.S.U..... Mississippi. Vanderbilt. . Feb. 10 Feb. 12 rv]*** tQ'ixOi-.fs 87-83 Feb Feb Alabama (TV)*** Mississippi State (TV)*** .QQS, Tennessee......SHiQI 0/-/O Georgia (TV)*** . . Rupp Aroiin Rupp A f MM Baton Rouge .....Oxford . . . Nashville Rupp Arena Rupp Arena . . . Knoxville Athens Feb. 23 Vanderbiltt.....JCV?,-.8). . . Rupp Arena Feb. 25 South Carolina (National TV)** . 7.1'7.4. . Of'/QJ .... Columbia Feb. 28-Mar. 3 SEC Tournament.........................Birmingham -Live TV on UK Network; t-UK Network Delayed; ** National TV; '" Southeastern Conference TV Series Ma*, z ISO //It*. 3 ~7Z>M**i. MIT- 82-71 67-IO) /6/-/00 C'8-lo) io-cy (rise) 49-7S+ 09-//) Time 4:00 EST / 35 EST 7:30 EST 7:35 EST 2:05 EST 7:06 and 9:05 EST 9:00 EST 9:00 EST 1 -30 EST 7:30 EST 7:30 CST 7:30 CST 7:30 EST 7:30 EST 7:30 CST 7:30 EST 7:30 EST 7:30 CST 7:30 CST 7:30 CST 2:30 EST 9:00 EST 8:00 EST 9:00 EST 7:30 EST 1:00 EST FRONT COVER PICTURE All-American candidate Kyle Macy and coach Joe B. Hal! proudly display the Wildcats' 1978 NCAA Championship Trophy as they relax in front of the Joe B. Hall Wildcat Lodge, home of the basketball Wildcats. Credits: Photo; UK Photo Services-John Mitchell, Ken Goad and Bill Wells; Bradley Photographers, Dallas, Texas. Design and Layout; UK Printing Services-Jim Foose, Mark Elam, Sharon Clemmons and Ed Swift. University of Kentucky Basketball Facts 1978 79 All-Americans, All NCAA..... All-Conference............. Athletic Director Hagan....... Administrative Staff - Ham, Ivy, Feamster, Bradley......... Athletic Association INDEX . 70-72 Press Radio-TV ... 71 Kentucky Outlets. . . ...68 Radio-TV Networks. Working Information . 46-47 Retired Jerseys...... Roster............. Board of Directors..................9 Staff Members....................4 Attendance Records...............9, 78 Award Winners (Annual)...........65-69 Barnstorming. 1978 .................. 69 Basketball House...................153 Basketball Revenue..................78 Basketball Staff Coach Hall.................10-13, 149 Assts. Parsons, Hamilton, Dean 14-15, 149 RiU. McCombs. Keightley. Rollins. McMackin...............48 Student Assistants...............158 Coaches Through Years..............54 Fabulous Five.....................131 Frosh All-Time Records..............100 Hall of Fame..................8, 69, 128 Helm's Selections..................128 Home Floor Losses..................53 Lenermen Through Years.........129-131 Modern Record (1946 to Date).......73-76 NCAA Champions 1978 Special Color Section......-......17-32 1978 Review.....................33 Tourney Box Scores.............34-38 Tourney Statistics.................39 Media Speaks....................40 NCAA 50-Year Win Leaders...........99 NCAA Titlists......................54 Nickname, Origin of.................94 Opponents Information Highsand Lows..............127-128 Record vs. 1978-79, and All Opponents................113-119 Scouting Reports.............102-112 ........3 Inside Back 2 92 95 Rupp Arena........................77 Schedule..................Inside Front Scorers Top All Time, Regular Season...................55 Scores Game By Game.........132-148 Season Record -1977-78 ............. 94 Signees Sketches.................89-91 Southeastern Conference Champions By Years...............51 Composite Standing, Kentucky In SEC, Final SEC Standings-1977-78 ....... 52 1977 SEC Schedule................50 Television Series..................51 Sports Information Rice, Perry........49 Starting Combo's, 1978............... 99 Statistics-1977-78 .................. 96 Time Played High Game.............99 Tournament Trail.................61-64 Travel Headquarters, 1978-79 ..........72 UKIT..........................56-61 University of Kentucky General Information................4 President Singletary................5 Varsity Basketball Player Profiles.........1".......80-91 Game By Game Rebounding.........98 Game By Game Scoring............97 Outlook-1978-79 ............... 44-45 Picture Pages................149-158 Team Picture.....................93 Quick Facts......................47 Records-Team, Individual, Misc., Rupp Arena, Memorial Coliseum..................120-128 Set in 1978.....................41 Wildcats At A Glance................43 Compiled and Edited by JACK PERRY, Asst. Sports Information Director RUSSELL RICE, Director of Sports Information TO THE PRESS AND RADIO -TV Here is your copy of the 1978-79 facts booklet on Kentucky basketball, which we sincerely hope will aid you in covering and answering questions on the Wildcats this season. If you desire additional information, special stories, pictures or have questions not answered herein, please feel free to contact the Sports Information Office in Memorial Coliseum (Telephone A.C. 606 - 257-3838, 257-3839). RUSSELL RICE JACK PERRY Director of Sports Information Asst. Director of Sports Information Joyce Baxter Secretary Athletic Office Phones: Cliff Hagan-(606) 258-2881 Frank Ham-(606) 258-5611 Larry Ivy-(606) 258-4911 Coach Joe B. Hall-(606) 257-1916 OR 257-1917 Asst. Coaches: Dick Parsons-(606) 257-3640; Leonard Hamilton-(606) 257-4781 ; Joe Dean-(606) 257-1916 Information WORKING TICKETS-Address requests to Sports Information Office as far in advance as possible. Tickets will not be mailed unless requested and will be held at the Press Entrance of Rupp Arena for pickup on game night. PRESS DOOR Entrance to the area set aside for press, radio and TV is Gate No. 4 on the Patterson Street side of Rupp Arena. PRESS ROOM Located on floor level under stands behind visitor's bench area. Will feature work space with necessary electrical outlets and telephone service. COMPS No individual game allotment. TELECOPIERS A Telecopier Service (Telephone, Telecopier, Operator) will be provided for $25.00. Those wishing to use their own machine should order a line through General Telephone Co. RADIO BROADCASTS-Broadcasting rights to UK games are assigned exclusively to the Jim Host and Associates, 120 Kentucky Ave., Lexington, Ky., 40502 (Telephone 606/252-5696). One free reciprocal outlet is guaranteed opponent schools visiting Lexington. Any additional stations must clear through Jim Host and Associates and the UK Director of Broadcasting, Mr. Pete Manchikes (257-2655). Working passes will be supplied approved stations by Sports Information Office. SERVICES Working press, radio and TV will be furnished game programs, brochures, running play-by-play, halftime quickie box, final statistics in the form of a complete 12-column dittoed box score and coaches Quotes. ARENA LIGHTING-Rupp Arena Lighting will provide 250-275 foot candle on playing floor with a mixture of incandescent and metal halide lights. KEMTUCKY PRESS RADIO TELEVISION OUTLETS Lexington: Leiington Herald Stuart Warner D. G. Frumaurice Lexmgton Leader Rick Bailey JohnMcGll 227 Wet Short Street Lexington. Ky. 40507 WVLK Radio Ralph Hacker P O.Box 1569 Lexmgton, Ky. 40501 WLAP Sports P.O. Box 11670 Lexington. Ky. 40511 WBLG Radio Sports 130 Ban Street Lexngton. Ky. 40507 WLEXTV Tom Hammond. Director P.O. Box 1467 Lexngton. Ky 40501 WKYT-TV Denny Trease. Director P.O. Box 655 Lexington. Ky. 40501 WTVQ-TV M*e McNamara. Director Box 5590 Lexngton. Ky. 40501 Charles WoKe Associated Press 146 Market Lexington. Ky. 40507 Kentucky Kernel Sports University ot Kentucky Lexington. Ky. 40506 WBKY RADIO SPORTS University of Kentucky Lexington. Ky 40506 CATS PAUSE P.O. Box 7297 Lexington. Ky. 40502 Louisville: Louisville Courier-Journal Bill Wmter. Ex.S.E. Earl Cox Billy Reed Joel Bierig 525 West Broadway Louisville. Ky. 40202 Louisvile Times Sports Dick Fenlon Tev Laudeman 525 West Broadway Louisville. Ky. 40202 WHAS & WHAS TV Cawood Ledford P.O. Box 1084 Loursvrlle. Ky. 40201 Associated Press 525 West Broadway Louisville. Ky. 40201 UPI Sports P.O. Box537 Louisville. Ky. 40201 WAVE 6 WAVE-TV Sports Bob Domine 725 South Floyd Street Louisville. Ky. 40203 WLKY-TV Sports Jim Celania P.O. Box 6218 Louisville. Ky. 40216 WINN Radio Sports Thud and Broadway Louisville, Ky. 40202 WAKY Radio Sports 558 South Fifth Street Louisville. Ky. 40204 State: Ashland Independent Mike Reliford Sports Department 22617th Street Ashland. Ky.41101 Park City News Sports Department 813 College Street Bowling Green. Ky. 42101 Tribune-Times Sports Ky. and Monroe Streets Corbin. Ky. 40701 Post & Times-Star Sports Andy Cox 421 Madison Avenue Covington. Ky. 41011 Advocate-Messenger Sports Department Danville, Ky. 40422 News-Enterprise Sports Bob Watkins Elizabethtown, Ky. 42701 State-Journal Sports Mark Marraccini 321 West Main Street Frankfort, Ky. 40501 UPI Sports 321 W. Main Frankfort, Ky. 40601 The Times Sports 301 South Green Street Glasgow, Ky. 42141 The Enterpnse Sports Central Street Harlan. Ky 40831 Gleaner Journal Sports 216 North Elm Henderson. Ky. 42420 Kentucky New Era Sports 123 West 7th Street Hopkinsville. Ky. 42240 The Messenger Sports 221 South Main Street MadisonviHe. Ky. 42431 Messenger Sports 206 West Broadway Mayfield, Ky. 42066 Ledger-Independent Sports 43 West Second Maysville. Ky. 41056 News Sports Editor Chester Avenue MkJdlesboro, Ky. 40965 Messenger and Inquirer Sports 1401 Frederica Street Owensboro. Ky. 42301 Sun-Democrat Sports Pat Moynahan 408 Kentucky Avenue Paducah, Ky. 42001 Paris Daily Enterprise Sports 23 East 4th Street Paris. Ky. 40361 Register Sports Ken Green South Second Street Richmond. Ky. 40475 Commonwealth-Journal Jim Kurk 102 North Maple Street Somerset. Ky. 42501 Winchester Sun Sports Wall and Cleveland Streets Winchester, Ky. 40391 3 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY General Information LOCATION-Lexington, Ky., a community of 208,000 in the heart of Kentucky's famed Blue Grass region. Renowned as the world capital of the thoroughbred horse industry and known also as the world's largest loose-leaf tobacco market. FOUNDED-1865 ENROLLMENT (On campus-22,219) PRESIDENT-Dr. Otis A. Singletary (At 13 Community Colleges - 17,249) VICE-PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION - Dr. Donald Clapp VICE-PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Dr. Lewis Cochran VICE-PRESIDENT, BUSINESS AFFAIRS Jack Blanton VICE-PRESIDENT, MEDICAL CENTER-Dr. Peter Bosomworth VICE-PRESIDENT, MINORITY AFFAIRS-Dr. John T. Smith VICE-PRESIDENT, STUDENT AFFAIRS - Dr. Robert G. Zumwinkle VICE-PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY COLLEGES-Dr. Maurice Stanley Wall VICE-PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY RELATIONS Dr. Raymond Hornback FACULTY CHAIRMAN OF ATHLETICS Dr. William Matthews DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES - Bernie Vonderheide CONFERENCE Southeastern (member since founding in 1933) BAND-Varsity (Director-Wm. Harry Clarke) FIGHT SONG-"On, On, U. of K." HOME ARENA- Rupp Arena (capacity 23,000) STADIUM-Commonwealth Stadium (56,816) Athletics Staff DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Cliff Hagan Executive Assistant Barbara Isham Assistant to Director for Academic Affairs Bob Bradley ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS-Frank Ham ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS FINANCES Larry Ivy ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS-WOMEN-Sue Feamster HEAD BASKETBALL COACH-Joe B. Hall (Kentucky'55) Administrative Secretary Mrs. Jane Rollins ASSISTANT COACHES-Dick Parsons, Leonard Hamilton, Joe Dean TICKET SALES MANAGER Al Morgan ACCOUNTANT-J.R. Hisle TRAINER Mike Ritz ASSISTANTTRAINER-Walt McCombs BASKETBALL EQUIPMENT MANAGER-Bill Keightley SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR-Russell Rice ASSISTANT SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR-Jack Perry SID SECRETARY-Joyce Baxter DIR. STD. ATH. ADM.-Ron Allen 4 DR. OTIS A. SINGLETARY President, University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky has become one of the major institutions of higher learning in the United States under the leadership of Dr. Otis Singletary, the eighth president of the University. Dr. Singletary was named president of the Univesity in August, 1969. He had previously served as executive vice-chancellor for academic affairs in the University of Texas System and director of the Job Corps program for the Office of Economic Opportunity. Dr. Singletary, a native of Gulf port, Miss., holds degrees from Millsaps College and Louisiana State University. As president of the principal institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth, Dr. Singletary is greatly concerned with the University's role as a land-grant institution, a "people's university" accessible to all who can profit from education. In the nine years he has been president, the University has grown to where there are now some 22,000 students on the Lexington campus and more than 17,000 students in UK's 13 community colleges, and the University has become one of the major research institutions in the country. Recognition of his service to the University was evidenced by the UK Alumni Association, which presented to Dr. Singletary its Alumni Service Award an honor rarely bestowed upon a non-alumnus of the University. Dr. Singletary is the author of two books and several monographs. A Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict, he is a commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He and Mrs. Singletary, the former Gloria Walton, have three children: Bonnie, Scot and Kendall. The Singletarys live at Maxwell Place, traditional home of UK presidents. 5 CLIFFORD O. HAG AN Athetics Director A growing, thriving athletics program at the University of Kentucky is under the director of Cliff Hagan, who has seen and overseen vast improvements in all phases of the operation since he joined the Wildcat administrative staff six years ago. The most recent challenge facing Hagan was merger of the men's and women's Athletics Programs at the University a move that was accomplished on schedule July 1. One of Hagan's first tasks when he moved into Memorial Coliseum as an assistant athletics director in 1972 was to create and implement the Blue Et White Fund for 57,000-seat Commonwealth Stadium and later for Rupp Arena, which has provided the additional financial support that has moved the athletics program into a first class operation. After being involved in administration of the athletics department for two years, Hagan replaced Harry C. Lancaster as director of athletics in July, 1975. Wildcat teams that year compiled one of the best records in the school's history, with the basketball Wildcats winning the National Invitational Tournament, the wrestling and rifle teams winning SEC titles and the baseball team winning the SEC Eastern Division. The wrestling team repeated as conference champion the following year, the basketball team finished with a 26-4 record and the football team won seven of 11 regular season games and defeated North Carolina in the Peach Bowl. It was the best UK football record in 23 years and the Wildcats' first post-season appearance since the 1952 Cotton Bowl. During the past year, the football team finished 10-1 (6-0 in the Southeastern Conference) and the basketball team won the NCAA championship. With both the football and basketball teams playing to sellout crowds and drawing a big on-the-road following, Hagan has not been content, but has made Wildcat games even more enjoyable by personally designing and selecting the 6 Wildcat Mascot, which has captured the fancy of UK fans everywhere, adopting and budgeting the Kentucky Belles, whose wholesome entertainment also has become a Wildcat fixture, and by granting permission for publication of "The Cats' Pause," a unique weekly tabloid devoted strictly to UK sports. Physical improvements during Hagan's regime as athletics director include a 110-yard Astro-Turf football practice field, modern equipment in both the Shively Sports Center and Memorial Coliseum weight rooms, open-type lockers, a new pressbox and new dugouts at the baseball field, and a revamped tennis complex with additional seating and modernized offices. He has also added a strength coach to work with all sports. Offices in Memorial Coliseum have been modernized and Hagan is looking forward to the day when he can put on the drawing board an Olympic swimming pool and a field house, which he says are "desperately needed for our program and our students." Hagan also has been an advocate of a strong scholar-athlete program, feeling "a genuine commitment to provide all the academic support and encouragement we can to help our athletes leave our campus with a college education and a degree." On the personal side, Hagan received one of his highest individual honors last May when he became the first University of Kentucky basketball player to be installed in the Naismith Memorial National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. The road to that nonor began at Owensboro, Kentucky, where he established a then state high school tournament record of 41 points, which was recently voted the greatest individual performance by anyone in the history of that tournament, in leading the Red Devils to victory over Lafayette in the 1949 championship game. At UK, he played on teams that won 86 of 91 games and an NCAA championship (1951). The 1954 team, undefeated in 25 games, elected not to participate in the national tournament. Hagan set a dozen Southeastern Conference records and an NCAA record of 528 rebounds as a junior. He averaged 24 points a game, led the nation in rebounding, and scored a UK record of 51 points against Temple in 1954. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity, Student Government, Baptist Student Union, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and twice was selected among the top ten students in the College of Education. After graduating from UK in 1954, Hagan served two years at Andrews Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., as a commissioned officer. He led the base to two World Wide Air Force championships and won All-Service honors both years. During ten years with the St. Louis Hawks, he ranked high among 11 players on the league scoring charts with 12,433 points in 672 games for an 18.5 mark and was selected to play in five East-West All-Star games and was named to the NBA second All-League team twice. He hit over .790 from the free throw line seven years in a row and held the NBA record for most field goals scored in a single quarter (12). The Hawks won the Western Division six times during Hagan's playing career there and defeated the Boston Celtics in 1958 for the world championship. Hagan was All-Pro in the NBA in 1957-62, inclusive. He received his M.S. in education from Washington University in 1958. In 1965, a Herbert Hoover Boys Club of America was organized in Owensboro and named the Cliff Hagan Boys Club of America. He then joined the Dallas Chapparals as player-coach and was selected as the 1958 Texas Professional Coach of the Year. When he left Dallas, he was only 92 points shy of a regular-season career total of 15,000 points. 7 In 1974, he was named to the Hall of Fame Magazine's All-America second-team for the 1951-1973 period, to the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel Star's All-Time Southeastern Conference first team, and the All-Time top collegiate player in the State of Kentucky by Inside Kentucky Sports Magazine. In 1975, he was named to the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, was inducted into the UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni and was a recipient of the University of Kentucky Centennial "K" Medallion tendered by the UKAA for past athletic accomplishments, during UK's Centennial Year observance. He is married to the former Martha Milton of Owensboro.They have four children: Lisa, Laurie, Amy, and Kip. HAGAN INDUCTED INTO NAISMITH HALL OF FAME-Bob Pettit, left, presents a plaque to Cliff Hagan during induction ceremonies at the Naismith Memorial National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., May 1,1978. Pettit is a longtime friend and former teammate of Hagan's on the World Champion St. Louis Hawks. Hagan, the first Wildcat player to become enshrined in the Hall, joins former coach Adolph Rupp, who was honored in 1969. 8 Alumni Members ATHLETICS AT KENTUCKY Kentucky's athletic program, a well-balanced and ambitious activity featuring intercollegiate competition in eleven different sports, is organized under the Department of Athletics and a corporation known as the University of Kentucky Athletics Association. The program is conducted without overemphasis or sacrifice of educational objectives and in strict compliance with the rules of the University, the Southeastern Conference and the National Collegiate Athletics Association. A board of directors, headed by the President of the University in the capacity of chairman, maintains overall policy supervision of the athletic program. In addition to the UK President, board officers include the Vice-President for Student Affairs as vice-chairman and Dr. W. L. Matthews in the capacity of secretary. Seventeen other members, drawn from the University faculty and the general public, also serve on the board as appointees of the president as do two student representatives. Supervising the steady growth and balanced development of the athletic program is Director of Athletics Cliff Hagan. The Association's Board of Directors is composed of the following: Faculty Members Frank Ramsey, Jr.,'79 Dr. Donald Clapp Dean Marion E. Dr. W. L. Matthews McKenna,'79 Members-at-Large Dr. Ray Hornback Dr. Daniel R. Reedy, '79 Albert B. Chandler,'79 TalbottTodd Dr. N. J. Pisacano,'80 S. T. Roach,'80 Prof. Paul Sears, '80 n, r-hi, cn;, 'on Dr. Ralph Angelucci, 81 Dr. Charles Ellinger. 80 Ex Off icio Members Thomas P Bell '79 Prof. Char.es Roland, '81 Dr 0tis A Sing|etarv, ThomaS P' Be"' 79 Dr. R.chard Robe.'81 Chairman Student Members Trustee Members Dr. R. G. Zumwinkle Jim Newberry George Griffin, '81 Jack Blanton Cheryl Trotter KENTUCKY'S HOME ATTENDANCE Year No.Games Attendance Average 1977-78....................16.................... 373,403+....................23.338 + 1976-77....................14....................312,527+....................22,323 + 1975-76....................12....................138,135 ....................11,511 1974-75....................12....................138.098 ....................11,539 1973-74....................12....................130.755 ....................10,896 1972-73....................13....................150.856 ....................11,604 1971-72....................13....................150.297 ....................11.561 1970-71....................13....................152.471 ....................11,728 1969 70....................15....................181,295 ....................12,086 1968-69....................13....................165,500 ....................11,821 1967-68....................16....................178.000 ....................11.333 1966-67....................13....................136,588 ....................10,502 1965-68....................13.................... 149,571*....................11.505 1964-65....................14....................151.000 ....................10,786 1963-64....................14....................165.650 ....................11,117 1962-63....................15....................153.132 ....................10,208 1961-62....................16....................165.495 ....................10,343 1960-61....................14....................129.978 .................... 9,284 1959-60....................13....................138,995 ....................10.692 1958-59....................15....................177,824 ....................11,855 1957-58....................13....................124,461 .................... 9.574 1956-57....................14....................129.733 .................... 9,266 1955-56....................13.................... 126,104 .................... 9,700 " Season high in the nation. + National Record. 9 Joe B. Hall Head Basketball Coach Now that the celebrating is over and the 1978 national championship trophy has been placed alongside other mementos of the University of Kentucky's storied basketball tradition, Joe B. Hall, keeper of that tradition, faces what many consider one of his biggest challenges as he enters his seventh season as head coach of the Wildcats. That challenge is to rebuild a team that will be without three starters Jack Givens, Mike Phillips and Rick Robey and a No. 1 reserve James Lee who played on Wildcat teams that were 102-21 over a four-year period. If the past is a criterion, Hall should be up to the occasion, having won such honors as Kellogg's 1978 "Coach of the Year," an unprecedented three Southeastern Conference "Coach of the Year" awards 11973, '75 and '781 in six years, and nomination for Kodak's 1975, 1976 and 1978 (finalist) "Coach of the Year" awards. Other 1978 honors include the Rupp Cup (presented to SEC Coach-of-the-Year by the Birmingham Tipoff Club) and Hall's most coveted personal award, the Dr. James Naismith "Peachbasket" award, which previously had been awarded to UCLA's John Wooden, Oklahoma State's Hank Iba, Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and the Boston Celtics Red Auerbach. Included in Hall's achievements was coaching the United States All-Stars, a group of collegians including five of his own players, to the first World Invitational Tournament championship with wins over Cuba, Yugoslavia and Russia last April. However, his big satisfaction was adding the first championship trophy to the University collection in two decades years that included appearances in the NCAA final games in 1966 and 1975. While leading the Wildcats to a 30-2 season and the 1978 championship, Hall upped his six-year UK record to 135-42 (including four SEC championships), an average of 22.5 wins per season, moving ahead of the pace set by his former coach, Adolph Rupp, who averaged 21.5 victories a season over a 41-season span to become the winningest collegiate basketball coach of all time. Perhaps the best appraisal of the job Hall has been doing at the University came from Rupp, who died last December. 10 "A good coach," Rupp said, "is a person who can take good material and win with it. Joe has done that." Reputed as a shrewd judge of talent. Hall laid the groundwork for the 1978 championship in 1974, when he signed Givens, Lee, Phillips and Robey to grants-in-aid and blended them with a senior-dominated squad that advanced to the finals of the 1975 NCAA championship. The Wildcats, without the services of Robey, who was injured early in the season, won the NIT the following year, were SEC champions and NCAA East Regional runner-up in 1977, and then won all the marbles last season. Player honors during Hall's UK reign include three All-Americans (Kevin Grevey, Jack Givens, and Rick Robey) and five All-SEC selections (Jim Andrews, Grevey, Givens, Robey and Kyle Macy). The 1977-78 champs became the sixth Wildcat team to win 30 or more games, joining such illustrious company as the 1946-47 NIT runner-up (34-3), the 1947-48 Olympic Champions (36-3), the 1948-49 NCAA champions (32-2). the 1950-51 NCAA champions (32-2), and the 1965-66 NCAA national finalist (32-2). Entering this season. Hall's 12-year career coaching record stood at 211-98, (excluding a 17-2 record on a 1974 Australian tour, a 7-0 record on a 1978 Japan tour, and five preseason exhibition wins against foreign and domestic teams) and that record was compiled against nationally ranked non-conference teams and teams in a conference that fast is becoming recognized as among the toughest in the nation. Broken down, it shows a 57-50 five-year mark at Regis, a 19-6 record at Central Missouri, and a 135-42 record at UK. Hall began his tour as UK head coach in rather auspicious fashion, becoming in 1973 the first rookie coach in the SEC to be designated Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches and by Coach and Athlete Magazine. Gathering such honors has been one of Hall's trademarks during a coaching career that began at Shepherdsville (Ky.) High School in 1956 and continued through Regis College and Central Missouri State College before he returned to UK July 1, 1965, as an assistant to his former coach. Adolph Rupp. During Hall's two years at Shepherdsville, the Cougars won a Mid-Kentucky Conference title and he was named "Coach of the Year" in 1958. He then served one year as a freshman coach and five years as head basketball coach at Regis College in Denver, Colo., where he was also athletic director and earned special recognition as coach of the champion independent team in the area. While in Denver, he also coached the Capital Federal host team in the 1964 AAU tournament and was selected as head coach of the AAU Stripes in the Olympic trials at Jamaica, N.Y. His next move was to Central Missouri, where he coached the Mules (19-6) to their first MIAA Conference championship since 1951 and their first Christmas Tournament title in history. He was named MIAA "Coach of the Year" (1964-651. A three-letter winner and team captain in both sports in high school at Cynthiana, Ky., he played freshman basketball and one year of varsity basketball in the "Fabulous Five" era at the University before transfernng to the University of the South at Sewanee, Tenn., where he set a school single game scoring record and was team captain. Coach Lon Varnell, upon retirement, rated Hall as No. 1 of the three best players he ever coached. After touring Europe with the Globetrotters in 1951, Hall returned to U.K. in 1955 to complete requirements for his B.A. and later (1964) received his M.A. at Colorado State University. Returning to U.K. again in 1965 as assistant coach and head recruiter, he was instrumental in adopting a running-conditioning program which obviously paid huge dividends as the Wildcats capitalized on speed and endurance to offset a lack of size and advance to the championship game of the NCAA Finals. Hall then successfully recruited six prep All-Americans, including all-time U.K. scoring leader Dan Issel, to form the nucleus of a varsity team that won three straight conference championships and was followed by a team that won three more consecutive SEC titles. Hall became No. 1 varsity assistant and head freshman Coach to Rupp after Harry C. Lancaster was named permanent athletic director Feb. 1, 1969. His record with the freshmen was 60-15, including an undefeated (22-0) season (1971-72) which resulted in the Kittens being crowned National Freshman Champions by the Basketball News. During his first season as head coach, the Wildcats won their last nine conference games to sew up the SEC title. 11 A popular personality on the clinic and convention circuits, Hall also has had much international exposure. In addition to the Globetrotters, and the Australian and Japan tours with the Wildcats, he has helped conduct basketball clinics for the U.S. Army in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska (1968) and at Ramstein Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany and the RAF Base at Mildenhall, England in 1975. He was guest lecturer for the World Basketball Coaches Congress in the Canary Islands. July 1977, and conducted a series of clinics throughout Europe with Dean Smith of North Carolina in August 1978. He also was Olympi