Kentucky Basketball: Ranking The Top Players to Wear #5
By Alex Jensen
Kids growing up in Kentucky always imagine suiting up for the University of Kentucky Basketball team. But what number is stitched on that imaginary jersey?
Kentucky Basketball is a tradition unlike any other. The Wildcats are best of the best in the history of college basketball. Many players have come and gone through the great city of Lexington, Kentucky. Which one would you rank as the best to wear the No. 5 on their chest?
As kids, young Kentucky Basketball fans dream of playing in front of thousands in Rupp Arena. Whether it’s gliding across the lane in your backyard for a game winning, buzzer beater, or hitting the three point dagger to win the National Championship, Kids imagine themselves in a Kentucky Jersey. So what number is on that jersey?
Does it depend on the performance of past players? I think so. For example, the jersey number 15 boasts former star players such as Alex Groza, DeMarcus Cousins, Jeff Sheppard, Ed Davender, and Willie Cauley-Stein. Similarly, the number 23 has featured Dwight Anderson, Derek Anderson (one of my all-time favorites), Jodie Meeks, Anthony Davis, and Jamal Murray. However, the jersey number 5 does not quite have the storied history that some other numbers have at the University of Kentucky.
With the recent performance of Kentucky Wildcat freshman, Malik Monk, some creative juices started flowing and out came an “All-Time” list. Who are the best players in Kentucky Basketball players in the history of the program to wear No. 5?
The History of Jersey #5
There have been a total of 17 Kentucky Basketball players to wear the No. 5. Of those 17, seven of them are from the Bluegrass State. Surprisingly, a jersey number that has lasted from 1931-2017 has yet to earn a place in the banner littered rafters of Rupp Arena. Although the history of the No. 5 is lived through those 17 Wildcats, there has to be a consensus ranking of the best players to wear that number.