Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
The tournament continues and the matchups….well, some of them arent that close. Case in point, the one from last night, where Cotton Nash pounded our man Nazr Mohammed into submission, defeating him 5-0 with the fan voting producing the highest discrepancy yet in the tournament. Nash moves on and completes the first round of the Adolph Rupp Bracket. The second round will see these matchups:
Dan Issel
Jim Master
Pat Riley
Mel Turpin
Rick Robey
Alex Groza
Antoine Walker
Cotton Nash
Continuing with the first round, we move to the Tubby Smith Bracket, which looks like this:
Tubby Smith Bracket
(1) Jack Givens
(16) James Lee
(8) Wayne Turner
(9) Wah Wah Jones
(4) Keith Bogans
(13) Jamal Magloire
(5) Winston Bennet
(12) Jim Andrews
(6) Johnny Cox
(11) Jeff Sheppard
(3) Cliff Hagan
(14) Sean Woods
(7) Ed Davender
(10) Deron Feldhaus
(2) Tony Delk
(15) Patrick Sparks
As you can see, lots of interesting matchups of players and contrasting styles. We begin with the only two teammates to draw each other in the first round, Jack Givens vs James Lee.
Jack Givens:
We often talk in this tournament about eras and folks who greaw up in certain eras favoring certain players. Chances are if you are in your late 30s or 40s, you likely would argue that Jack Givens was one of, if not the, best player in UK history. “The Goose” could do it all, pass, rebound and play defense….but man could he score. Part of some of the first groups of players to get to play four years, Givens took a year to hit his stride, but beginning in his sophomore season, he became virtually unstoppable. He was second team All-SEC his sophomore year and then First team All-SEC the next two years. His Senior year found him to be one of the best players in America as he finished Second Team All American and led the Cats to their first national championship in 20 years. In that Tournament, the Goose went from a great player to a legend, scoring 41 points against Duke, the highest number ever for an NCAA championship game. His performance has been called one of the top 5 in NCAA history and established the Lexington native as a legend for all time. He finished his career 3rd in scoring (without the three point line) and 12th in rebounding. At a time when Kentucky fans were nervous and demanding a national championship, Givens gave it to them and thus his #1 seed in this tournament.
James Lee:
The unfortunate soul who must face the Goose is the “Freight Train” James Lee. The Train and the Goose had careers that intersected from the playgrounds when they were kids to the national championship game in 1978. Like the Goose, Lee is from Lexington, Kentucky and grew up playing high school basketball against the Goose. Lee’s career was that of a steady player who had a knack for finding key baskets in key situations. Throughout his time at Kentucky he hit clutch shots and did the little things it takes to be a winner…..all the while showing overwhelming athleticism and getting dunks that would make all but Dirk Minniefield shake their head in wonder. His senior season saw Lee receive accolades as Third Team All-SEC and get noticed on the national level. But more importantly, he became the key igniter of the run that led UK to its victory in the title game. When Duke had the lead in the second half and UK couldnt buy a basket, Lee scored six straight points and gave Kentucky a lead that they would never relinquish. Lee has been called one of the most athletic players in UK history, but it was his key buckets at the end of the 78 Championship game that makes Lee a UK legend.
So there you go, the Goose and the Freight Train…..it may be a bit of a mismatch, but use the comment section to make your pick and to tell us your memories of two of the key members of one of Kentucky’s 7 Championship Teams.
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July 31st, 2007 at 11:17 pm
1st
July 31st, 2007 at 11:17 pm
THE GOOSE
July 31st, 2007 at 11:18 pm
goose
July 31st, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Jack Givens
July 31st, 2007 at 11:20 pm
It needs to be Givens.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:21 pm
James Lee at 16 is a joke. The Selection Committee should be ashamed. I haven’t seen seeding this bad since my Laotian neighbors asked me to look after their “garden” while they went on “holiday.”
Six weeks later I got a bushel of Thai Stick and the DEA so far up my ass that I asked for a receipt to turn into my HMO. James Lee a 16 seed indeed.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:22 pm
These two were great! However, Jack Givens was the best. He could fill it up!
July 31st, 2007 at 11:24 pm
givens
July 31st, 2007 at 11:25 pm
GOOSE
July 31st, 2007 at 11:28 pm
#6, I would recognize that wit anywhere
July 31st, 2007 at 11:31 pm
FREIGHT TRAIN LEE!!!!!! (Givens had one good game in 4 years, and it happens to be the only one people actually remember.)
July 31st, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Has to be Givens.
That front line was awesome. I remember people saying the reason Art Still did not play basketball was because he was not big enough. James Lee was a bench player that could have been a starter anywhere else.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Givens was the better UK player but Lee would win a 1-on-1 contest.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:41 pm
I’d pick Givens in anything but babysitting my fake internet teenage daughter.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Goose me
July 31st, 2007 at 11:42 pm
The Goose is loose! Any Cat that beats Duke for a National Championship automatically wins this tournament.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:47 pm
The Goose
July 31st, 2007 at 11:55 pm
earliest memories as a UK fan was my dad cutting his hand on the ceiling as he jumped up in celebration as Givens led the Cats to the title. My vote is for Givens.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:56 pm
James Lee gets my vote because the man was a brick wall and the prototype of today’s power forwards.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:00 am
In college I worked for super america. A big guy came in with tears in his eyes. I asked if he was ok. He ask me if I knew James Lee. I said yes and he said well tonight his father died. I felt bad. This was in the eighties. Goose gets the vote as the better player, but James Lee has always been one of my favorite players. My first UK game I saw James Dunk over the big Russian Vladimir Trashenko. great memory.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:00 am
Golden
August 1st, 2007 at 12:02 am
I’m going for the Goose. But can someone fill me in: who beat Louis Dampier? He is my all-time favorite player.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:02 am
Ganse!
August 1st, 2007 at 12:05 am
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 12:10 am
goose
August 1st, 2007 at 12:11 am
Louie hasnt played yet….
August 1st, 2007 at 12:11 am
Goose.
Best dunker ever…..James Lee
August 1st, 2007 at 12:12 am
sucks for James Lee but this could be the 1st unanimous victory.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:12 am
TD comes out of this bracket. Best I’ve ever played w/ or seen.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:14 am
my grandpas favorite player:Louie Dampier my dads favorite player:Dan Issel
my favorite player:Jamal Mashburn my daughters favorite player:Kelenna Azubuike
4 generations and counting.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:16 am
I agree #29 the younger generation will probably push Delk through this bracket. loved being at the games when he played, I wanted him to shoot every time he touched the ball.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:19 am
one of the first “old” legends i ever heard about was the goose… and no one else from his squad, including this guy ya’ll got here… GOOSE… with red bull.. lol
August 1st, 2007 at 12:52 am
Goose even though he did have some trouble teaching lay ups to the younger ones.
August 1st, 2007 at 1:31 am
Man, I really don’t see James Lee as a #16 Seed. You guys keep talking about the big 7″4″ Russian Vladimir Trashenko that Lee dunked over…….If my memory serves me correct, Lee pulled that off over Vladimir Trashenko and another 7 footer on the same play.
That dunk he pulled off in the closing seconds of the 78 Dukie Plastering was priceless.
However, Lee didn’t have the shooting touch that “The Goose” had. Got to give this to “The Goose” in a close one. Anyone that could score 41 against Duke is a winner.
August 1st, 2007 at 3:53 am
Goose Givens, of course.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:37 am
There can be little doubt that Givens is the better player but Lee is my favorite UK player of all time. I loved him sitting at the end of the bench, alone, waiting for Joe B. to look his way and motion with that rolled up program to go into the game and wreak havoc. I remember my first ever game in Rupp when, at around half court, Lee knocked a GCC player down sitting a screen and then just stood and glowered at him, practically daring him to get back up. Who could forget the 15 foot baseline jumpers, a shot that is lost in time in today’s game. The dunk at the end of the 1978 championship game remains one of may all-time favorite moments. Yes, Givens is probably the better player but he never brought the emotion that Lee brought.
August 1st, 2007 at 6:40 am
Lee
August 1st, 2007 at 6:46 am
James Lee greatest 6th man in Kentucky history. However, the Goose is Golden.
August 1st, 2007 at 6:48 am
T Baker, don’t forget the Freight Train (Lee) jumping over the Russian big man to dunk in UK’s 109-75 exhibition W over the Soviet national team, considered the best amateur team in the world at the time.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:02 am
the goose
August 1st, 2007 at 7:03 am
goose
August 1st, 2007 at 7:06 am
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 7:31 am
I was not into sports as a young child but my dad convinced me to sit and watch the ‘78 title game. I haven’t been the same ever since. My vote is for Givens, and even though one of my all-time faves (Bogans) is in this bracket, I don’t see anyone in this bracket giving him much trouble. BTW, Walton scored 44 against Memphis St. in the ‘73 championship making the 41 by Givens the second highest in history.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:06 am
Givens
August 1st, 2007 at 8:12 am
Moses Malone graduated high school the same year as Jack Givens and James Lee and then went on to become the first high school player to go directly to the pros. On Moses Malone’s way between high school and the pros, James Lee (not Jack Givens) won a national one-on-one competition at a high school all-star game over him, and now someone (apparently an alleged Selection Committee) foolishly has a genuine one-on-one champion, as a #16 seed at a competition he is ideally suited for??????? That is truly mind boggling!!
James Lee played in two NCAA championship games. The 1978 championship team had tremendous heart, especially James Lee. Time after time, newspaper headlines of would say something like Lee sparks or lifts UK to victory. Lee did a lot more than merely score a few buckets at the end of a championship game to make himself a UK legend.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:16 am
The Goose is Loose!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:22 am
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 8:38 am
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 8:38 am
Goose by a sweet left handed jumper.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:41 am
I’ll have to go w/ the Goose on this one.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:42 am
Jack Givens
August 1st, 2007 at 8:44 am
The Goose in a landslide. I really liked James Lee and the dunk the end of the ‘78 NC game a great ending to a great season but we might have won it that year without Lee, but not without Givens.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:51 am
Let’s go with the General —LEE.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:56 am
Duck, Duck, GOOSE!!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:59 am
#6 is dead on the money. James Lee at #16 is a joke and travesty. If you seeded Lee at 16- below guys like Sparks and Woods and Feldhaus, then you don’t know much about Kentucky Basketball. Lee is THE BADDEST PLAYER EVER AT UK. Not the best, not the strongest- but THE BADDEST. Sparks and Woods couldn’t carry Lee’s jock and they’re seeded above him.
In protest I will not vote. There should be a re-seed immediately!
August 1st, 2007 at 9:02 am
goose
August 1st, 2007 at 9:14 am
Givens!!
August 1st, 2007 at 9:18 am
#55 your dead on Lee was a better ball player, imagine how much he would help this years team…I can’t vote against the train, but Goose was the better player…so I also will sit on the sidelines this time…
August 1st, 2007 at 9:23 am
goose!
August 1st, 2007 at 9:26 am
No way Givens was the best player ever at UK…that should never be said by anyone. One of the best, yes, of course. Issel and Nash and probably others were better than Givens. Others were in Givens class as well. But don’t get me wrong, he was a UK great.
James Lee was a good player who used his size and tough style in Joe Bs system to our advantage.
The Goose wins!
August 1st, 2007 at 9:48 am
Goose Givens… James Lee didn’t even start, he was mired behind big Mike Phillips and Rick Robey, but man could he throw down a dunk! Goose was one of the first “slasher” small forward who could score inside and out. Tay Prince reminded me alot of Givens as a skinny lefty who seemed so fluid with the ball and just found ways to score.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:49 am
Give it to the Goose!
August 1st, 2007 at 9:53 am
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 10:08 am
I love James Lee but I’ll have to go with the Goose.
August 1st, 2007 at 10:32 am
Gotta go with the goose!
August 1st, 2007 at 11:06 am
goose
August 1st, 2007 at 11:16 am
she likes wine…………….and i like goose!
August 1st, 2007 at 11:54 am
goose but loved james power!
August 1st, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Goose, Goose, Goose…..
August 1st, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Goose drives a maroon, tinted out, old school gold-rimmed low rider Cadillac…..and I thus vote in protest for General (James) Lee.
August 1st, 2007 at 1:07 pm
One word, Goose. Lee was good and better than a 16 seed, but Goose is a legit 1 seed and surely destined for the final 4 in this tourney.
August 1st, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Gotta be the Goose. But if it were best 6th man in UK history James Lee is a winner. Still a favorite player of mine from way back.
August 1st, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Givens!
August 1st, 2007 at 1:31 pm
What #72 said. I loved them both and I loved that team, but Goose would have to get the nod.
August 1st, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Jack Givens.
August 1st, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 2:21 pm
GOOSE!
August 1st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Goose could flat out play. But I wouldn’t want to have to be the one to take a charge when Lee went up for a dunk.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Givens
August 1st, 2007 at 3:21 pm
The Goose wins and James Lee is WAY better than a 16 seed. Additionally, I’ve never heard Lee referred to as ‘Freight Train’ in my entire life(36 years). When was at UK, he was the ‘Steel’ part of ‘Silk(Givens) and Steel’.
August 1st, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Goose!
August 1st, 2007 at 3:34 pm
the goose!!!! 41 against duke !!!!
August 1st, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Goose Givens!!!!
August 1st, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Silk > Steel
It’s a shame Lexington doesn’t produce players like this for UK anymore.
August 1st, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Never saw either one of them live, but I have the ‘78 finals on DVD. I have to go with Goose
based on that game and his place on the all-time scoring list.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Goose
August 1st, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I went to Bryan Station, and loved watching Goose beat Lee at Henry Clay. Both were awesome homegrown heroes. If the 3 pt line had been implemented during the 70’s, Goose would have probably had another 400 career points. Smoothest shot from deep in the corner I’ve ever seen.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:03 pm
I actually went to high school with Jack and watched him battled James. Those were classic battles between Bryan Station and Henry Clay, but two very different players. Go Defenders, my choice has to be Goose!
August 1st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Goose!!!!
It sure was fun watching that team play. Goose was silky smooth and Lee was all power. They really complemented each other well. Lee’s dunk to seal the Championship was a great exclamation point to the great game Goose had.
August 1st, 2007 at 10:14 pm
James Lee was a monster, but how can you not go with 41 points in the spotlight? Mr. Givens come on down!
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:10 am
Goose Givens
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:19 am
James Lee was a very exciting player to watch but
with the sweet stroke of the goose I think he is
the legend to be reckoned with….my vote Jack Givens.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooosssse
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Jack was a great starter, nothing from him at all but if you wanted the game tobe stirred up Joe B. knew what to do to get the crowed and the game into action. My vote is and always will be for James Lee! He made the house shake!