Kentucky basketball: All-time starting 5 – From Anthony Davis to Jamal Mashburn

PF – Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis was a late-bloomer in terms of high school recruiting. In one summer he went from a gangly 6-foot point guard as a freshman to a dominant 6-foot-11 forward as a senior. He was easily considered the top player in his high school class and Kentucky swooped in and grabbed him.

While many of the other players in this fictional starting lineup but up jaw-dropping averages at one time or another in Lexington, Davis’, by comparison, look mundane. 14.2 points per game, 10.4 rebounds per game while playing 32 minutes a night don’t scream all-time great. However, his defense truly separated him from his peers as well as any other player on this team.

He averaged 4.7 blocks per game (best in the NCAA) and set the single-season blocks record for the SEC and NCAA Division I. He didn’t just turn away opponents at the rim though, he could also switch onto guards and stall them away from the basket.

He impacted the game just by simply being on the court. He could score at will and keep the other team from scoring on every possession. He was the catalyst for all the good things that the Wildcats and Big Blue Nation experienced that season. Davis believes his Kentucky team would beat any other former group out of Lexington.

Davis had arguably the best season ever for any freshmen and was easily the most impactful “one-and-done” player of the entire era. He swept all of the Player of the Year Awards (Naismith, Wooden, Rupp Trophy, SEC) and also took home the NABC Defensive Player of the Year, Pete Newell Big Man Award and USBWA National Freshman of the Year. I can’t forget about winning the national title that year as well.

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