Kentucky basketball: 5 most underrated players in Kentucky Wildcats history

3. Chuck Hayes, F, (2002-2005)

One of the all-time great glue guys, Chuck Hayes was a player who would do anything it took to win. Hayes was part of an outstanding recruiting class and was named to the SEC’s All-Freshmen Team in 2002.

Kentucky surrounded Hayes with plenty of talent, adding the likes of Keith Bogans, Kelenna Azubuike and Erik Daniels to the roster. Hayes’ final three years at Kentucky saw the Wildcats do plenty of winning, with the school posting an 87-15 record over that span.

The Wildcats knew how valuable Hayes was to their team and began a campaign to get him onto the All-American team, running a campaign featuring Hayes and the slogan “All He Does Is Win”. The mantra didn’t get Hayes onto the All-American Team as a senior, but he did take home the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year Honors.

Hayes fell just short of the Final Four as a sophomore (when Kentucky was upset by Marquette in the Elite Eight) and as a senior (when the Wildcats lost to Michigan State in the Elite Eight of the 2005 NCAA Tournament). At the time of his graduation, Hayes ranked inside the top-10 in Wildcats’ history in terms of rebounding, steals and blocked shots.

Hayes continued to be underrated throughout the NBA Draft process as well, going undrafted despite all of his success. That didn’t deter Hayes, who went on to carve out an 11-year NBA career as a do-it-all role player.