The Most Impactful Kentucky Wildcat Basketball Players (1981-82 – present): #23 Melvin Turpin

With Sam Bowie out another year, this team became Turpin’s team.  Turpin averaged 15.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.  Turpin also swatted 83 shots, which at the time was a Kentucky record and was tied by Andre Riddick.  That record stood 29 years until smashed this year by Anthony Davis.  Turpin also came out as a bonafide superstar in a game at Tennessee in which he scored 42 points in a 65-63 loss to Tennessee.  Turpin went 18-22 from the field and could not be stopped.  Turpin was recognized as an Helms All American and also named to the All NCAA Regional squad.  Turpin’s season ended in a 80-68 Regional Final loss to Louisville in which he had 18 points and 9 rebounds.

For his final season, Sam Bowie was back and Kenny Walker was a much improved sophomore and Kentucky had arguably one of the best front courts ever.  Turpin led Kentucky in scoring with 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.  Turpin also tied his career high with a 42 point, 16 rebound performance in a blow out of Georgia.  For his season, Turpin was named to virtually every All American Team in the country and helped lead Kentucky to a revenge win over Louisville in the regional semi-finals.  Kentucky advanced to the Final Four but were victim to one of the worst shooting halves ever and fell to John Thompson and his Georgetown Hoyas.

Turpin was represented well in the Kentucky record books, finishing  16th  in scoring with 1509 points,  21st  with 730 rebounds, and 2nd all time with 226 blocked shots.  Turpin was drafted number 6 overall by the Washington Bullets and ended up getting traded to Cleveland.  Turpin had a couple of productive years for Cleveland, the best was his second season in which he averaged 13.6 points per game and 7 rebounds a game.  Turpin struggled to stay in shape and his NBA career lasted just five seasons.  He played for three teams his last three years in the league and finished his career averaging 8.5 points a game.

After the NBA, Turpin dropped off the public scene and returned to Lexington.  He ended up marrying his high school health teacher and worked as a security guard for a Nissan dealership in Lexington.  On July 8, 2010, Turpin committed suicide in his Lexington home.  Although the ending was was tragic, Turpin was one of the most exciting Wildcats in the 1980’s and deserves to be remembered for his role on a Final Four team.