The 1978 Kentucky Basketball Roster: Then and Now

It’s been 40 years since the 1978 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team won the National Championship See what the team looks like now.

The 1978 Kentucky Basketball Roster

In 1978, the Kentucky Wildcats Basketball team made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament narrowly losing to Duke in a close game The team was led by Head Coach Joe B. Hall and featured several star players who would go on to have successful NBA careers, including Jack “Goose” Givens and James Lee.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of that season, let’s take a look at where the members of that team are now.

Then and Now

It’s been more than 40 years since the University of Kentucky won the 1978 NCAA Division I men’s Basketball Championship The team, led by head coach Joe B. Hall and featuring star players like Jack Givens and Kyle Macy, finished the season with a perfect 32-0 record.

In honor of the anniversary of their win, let’s take a look at where the members of that team are now.

Jack Givens: Then
Givens was Kentucky’s leading scorer in 1978, averaging 21.3 points per game He had his best performance in the Championship game against Duke, scoring 41 points to help lead Kentucky to a 103-93 victory. He was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Givens was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1978 but only played two seasons in the NBA. He later became a television analyst for UK basketball games

Kyle Macy: Now
Macy was a key player for Kentucky in 1978, averaging 16 points and four assists per game He went on to play four seasons in the NBA before returning to his home state of Indiana to coach at his alma mater, Purdue University

Macy is currently an Assistant Coach at Arizona State University

The 1978 Roster: Then and Now

In 1978, the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team won the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament led by star players Jack Givens and Jim Master. The team has been revered in Kentucky ever since, and many of the players from that team have gone on to have successful careers in the NBA or coaching.

Here is a look at the 1978 roster,then and now:

Jack Givens: Then a freshman guard, Givens was the leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament averaging 21.0 points per game He scored a record 41 points in Kentucky’s east regional final win over Duke. Givens went on to be named SEC Player of the Year as a senior and was a first-team All-American. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1978 and played four seasons in the NBA before going into broadcasting. Givens currently works as a color analyst for Kentucky Wildcats broadcasts.

Jim Master: Then a senior forward, Master was second on the team in scoring behind Givens with 17.1 points per game He was also named SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. Master was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1978 and played three seasons in the NBA before going into coaching. He is currently an assistant coach at Samford University

Mike Phillips: A junior center, Phillips averaged 11.4 points per game and led the team with 8.7 rebounds per game He went on to be drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 1980 and played 11 seasons in the NBA before retiring due to injuries. Phillips now works as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

Derrick Hord: A sophomore forward, Hord averaged 8.4 Points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench for Kentucky. He played four seasons in the NBA before going into coaching. Hord is currently an assistant coach at Florida State University

The 1978-79 Kentucky basketball Roster

The 1978-79 Kentucky Basketball team was one of the most dominant NCAA teams of all time. The team went undefeated and won the National Championship The team was led by future NBA Hall of Fame inductees, such as Mike Dunleavy Sr. and Jack Givens. The team also featured future NBA All-Stars, such as Rick Robey and James Lee.

The starting lineup for the 1978-79 season was:

Forwards: Mike Phillips and Rick Robey
Center: James Lee
Guards: Kyle Macy and Jack Givens

The bench included:

Forwards: Jim Master and Sam Bowie
Center: Melvin Turpin
Guards: Dwane Casey and Jerry Eaves

The 1979 Kentucky Basketball Roster

The 1978-79 Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1978-79 NCAA Division I men’s Basketball season The team was led by Head Coach Joe B. Hall, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. They finished the season 27-5, 15-3 in SEC play to win a share of the SEC regular season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the 1979 SEC tournament they defeated Florida State and Tennessee before losing to LSU in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as one of four SEC teams in the field, earning a No. 4 seed in the West region. There they defeated Lamar and Indiana State before losing to St. John’s in the Sweet Sixteen

The roster included future NBA All-Star Alex English and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Joe B. Hall (head coach). It was one of only two Kentucky teams not to win 30 or more games (the other being 1973–74) during Head coach Joe B. Hall’s tenure as head coach (1972–1985).[1]

##The 1979 Kentucky basketball roster Then and Now
The 1978-79 Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in
the 1978-79 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season The team was led by head coach Joe B.
Hall, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
They finished the season 27-5, 15-3 in SEC play to win a share of the SEC regular season
championship. As the No. 2 seed in the 1979 SEC Tournament they defeated Florida State and
Tennessee before losing to LSU in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to NCAA
Tournament as one of four SEC teams field, earning a No. 4 see West region . There they defeated
Lamar and Indiana State before losing St John ‘s in Sweet Sixteen . The roster included future NBA All -Star Alex English and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Fame Joe B . Hall (head coach) It was one only two Kentucky teams not win 30 or more games (the other being 1973 -74 ) during head coach Joe B . Hall ‘s tenure as head coach (1972 -1985 ) [1 ]

The 1980 Kentucky basketball Roster

The Kentucky Wildcats of 1978-79 finished the season with a record of 26-2 and were ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the season. The team was led by All-American Mike Phillips, who averaged 17.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Other key members of that team included Larry O’Bannon, Derrick Hord, Joe B. Hall (the head coach) and James Lee.

The 1981 Kentucky basketball Roster

The 1978-1981 Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1978-1979 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season The team played its home games in Lexington, Kentucky, at Rupp Arena and was coached by Joe B. Hall. The Wildcats won the NCAA championship defeating the Indiana Hoosiers 63-79 in the Championship game

The 1981 roster included:

-Mike Phillips
-Sam Bowie
-Derrick Hord
-Jim Master
-Reggie Hanson
-Kyle Macy
-Charles Hurt
-Dicky Beal

The 1982 Kentucky Basketball Roster

The 1978-79 Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1978-79 NCAA Division I men’s Basketball Season The team was coached by Joe B. Hall and played their home games at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

The 1982-83 Kentucky Wildcats men’s Basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1982-83 NCAA Division I men’s Basketball season The team was coached by Joe B. Hall and played their Home Games at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

In the 1978-79 season, the Wildcats began the season 28–0, en route to a perfect 32–0 record and a National Championship The team was led by head coach Joe B. Hall and All-American center Dan Issel. The roster included future NBA players Kyle Macy, Rick Robey, Jamal Wilkes, Jack Givens, and Jim Master.

In the 1982-83 season, the Wildcats finished the regular season 26–5 and were second in the SEC behind only Louisville. Despite losing Issel to graduation after the previous season, the team made it back to the NCAA championship game before falling to North Carolina State in one of the most controversial finishes in tournament history. The roster included future NBA players Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin, Kenny Walker, and James Blackmon Sr..

The 1983 Kentucky basketball Roster

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s Basketball Team represents the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky is the most successful NCAA Division I Basketball Program in history in terms of both all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. The Wildcats are currently coached by John Calipari

Kentucky has played in 37 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournaments winning the tournament 16 times. UK has also played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 17 times, winning it twice. UK has appeared in the college basketball Invitational (CBI) once, making it to the semi-finals.

Kentucky also owns the distinction of being the only program to have finished first in both the Associated Press Top 25 poll and Coaches’ poll#1983–84 NCAA Division I men’s Basketball Rankings more than once for multiple seasons— doing so a combined eight times overall (the AP poll began in 1949, while the Coaches’ poll started in 1965).

The 1978–79 Kentucky Wildcats men’s Basketball team represented University of Kentucky. The Head Coach was Joe B. Hall, serving for his seventh season. The team played its home games at Rupp Arena on UK’s campus in Lexington, Kentucky, and competed as a member of the NCAA’s East Conference (SEC).

The 1984 Kentucky Basketball Roster

In 1984, the Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship led by head coach Joe B. Hall and stars like Mr. Basketball of Kentucky Melvin Turpin and future NBA No. 1 draft pick Kenny “Sky” Walker. The team’s starting lineup that season featured four players who would go on to be drafted in the first round of the NBA draft Walker, Turpin, political commentator and former Charlotte Hornets General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff, and center Sam Bowie. In addition to those four players, the team’s roster also included journeyman NBA player James Blackmon Sr., eventual overnight internet sensation Sleepy Floyd, and player-turned-coach Rick Pitino.