Top 3 Kentucky Point Guards of the Calipari Era

2. Tyler Ulis

I’m not going to act like this list is entirely objective. I love Tyler Ulis. He is my favorite player in the history of the program. Maybe it’s because he’s 5’8 and eye-level with me. Or maybe it’s because of the syllabus of transcendent moments he produced on the basketball court. For me, it’s both.

As a freshman, Tyler was overlooked (literally and figuratively) coming into the 2015 season, where, you know, we only lost one game. As a small-bodied backup point guard 10 inches shorter than our starter, he was fighting an uphill battle from day one just to get on the court. He earned a decent sum of minutes as a rookie and mainly played in reserve to Andrew Harrison. He was a perfect backup. No mistakes, could make shots, and circulated the offense with his quick mind and calculated passing.

Tyler’s sophomore year is why he will make the UK Hall of Fame. In 2016, Tyler Ulis was the most valuable player in the country. Again, the accolades tell a different story, but Tyler was the most dependable and toughest dude I’ve ever watched on a college basketball court.

Tyler is almost the perfect point guard. At just 5-foot-9 (that’s being generous), Ulis commanded the court with undenied leadership and extraordinary game management. His basketball IQ is through the roof. Ulis always knew what to do. Do we need a 3? Sure, I’ll splash one from 30 feet. Oh, we’re down 1 and need a bucket? Ok, I’ll call for a screen, take a few dribbles to either side and swish a step-back elbow jumper. Oh, I’m triple-teamed? How about I sling the rock cross-court to Jamal Murray for a guaranteed three on the wing. Or I can toss a flawless and perfectly-timed alley-oop to Marcus Lee even though I have multiple defenders parked in my line of sight.

He had no weaknesses. And he turned the weakness you’d expect from a sub-six-foot point guard (defense) into a strength. He won SEC Defensive Player of the Year. That’s just remarkable. Oh, you may have heard of Ben Simmons. Yeah, Tyler won SEC Player of the Year over him and took his spot on the First-Team All-American ballet. EAT IT! There will never be another Tyler Ulis. It’s going to be difficult for someone to convince me not to start him on my Godfather lineup over the other point guards of the Calipari era.

Reasons to Pick Tyler Ulis: Toughest player to ever dawn a Kentucky uniform, extraordinary basketball IQ/sense of the moment, three-point shooting, passing, defense, and team-first mentality.