Coaches John Calipari and Joe B. Hall. (Gary Moyers photo)
Vaught’s note: As an editor of The Cats’ Pause and sportswriter and sports editor for The Richmond Register, Nick Nicholas covered the University of Kentucky basketball program from 1985-1995. He is currently the director of sports development with Nicholas & Lence Communications in New York, NY. Today he adds his input on whether the 1978 national champion Wildcats should compare to the 1996 or 2012 championship team
By NICK NICHOLAS
I understand there is a playful squabble going back and forth between who’s better: the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats or 1996 Kentucky Wildcats. Both enjoyed domination over opponents en route to their respective national championships. Each base passionately argues for their favorite, either the 2012 or 1996 national champion, claiming theirs was the most dominant.
One problem. Aren’t you forgetting another Kentucky squad to be in the conversation: The 1978 Kentucky Wildcats? Remember this Wildcat team that went 30-2? Remember this Wildcat team that was No. 1 for nearly the entire 1977-78 season? Remember this Wildcat team that won by an average of 14.5 points per game, won 12 of its games by more than 20 points and three by 30 or more?
I’m not saying Joe B. Hall’s championship squad would defeat either John Calipari’s 2011-12 team or Rick Pitino’s 1995-96 team. That’s not the point.
But the ’78 Wildcats should be in this conversation. That’s the point
(Forgive me for not adding any of Adolph Rupp’s four championship teams. That’s for someone else to bring up. I may be old, but I’m not that old).
The ’77-78 season was a different time and different style that didn’t include the shot clock, conference tournament, 3-point line, NCAA’s mega $$$ investment and domed stadiums in the tournament and designer basketball shorts clinging to the knees.
Nope, these were simpler times.
The core of the ’78 Wildcats were starters Jack Givens, Rick Robey and Mike Phillips along with “Sixth Man’’ and fan favorite James Lee. Each had been through the wars as freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
As freshmen they were an active part of the ’75 team along with senior leaders Kevin Grevey, Jimmy Dan Conner, Bob Guyette and Mike Flynn that knocked off No. 1 and undefeated Indiana in the Mideast Regionals before losing in the NCAA Championship game to coaching legend John Wooden’s last UCLA squad.
The next season as sophomores they won the National Invitational Tournament in New York when the NIT still meant something and NCAA bids weren’t a dime a dozen.
During their junior years they were one of the country’s top teams, only to lose to North Carolina in the East Regionals. That was one of those days I recall as if it were yesterday. Only hours earlier I had watched my beloved Owensboro Red Devils lose to No. 1 Louisville Ballard in a Saturday morning semifinal session of the Sweet 16 at Freedom Hall. We went back to our hotel room at the Executive Inn to painfully watch UNC’s Four Corner offense suffocate Kentucky’s dreams of going to a Final Four.
Unlike today’s college game where fans have to wonder if their school’s star freshmen, sophomores or juniors will forgo their remaining college eligibility for the NBA, Kentucky fans could look to something special in 1977-78.
Now throw in a talented transfer from Purdue who would be Hall’s coach on the floor and this Kentucky team transformed itself into a Big Blue Machine.
With the exception of another player from Indiana (Larry Bird, Indiana to Indiana State), Kyle Macy may be the most significant transfer in college basketball history. The 6-foot-3 Macy directed traffic on the hardwood, and with precision passes and outside jumpers his talents as a point guard made this UK team the preseason favorite to win its fifth national championship.
Macy was the final piece to this championship puzzle to fit nicely with the sharpshooting Givens, 6-foot-10, 235-pound bookends Phillips and Robey, Lee’s intimidating and uplifting play and Truman Claytor and Jay Shidler’s vital contributions on the perimeter.
Hall had a team practically invincible, mirroring Pitino and Calipari’s championship teams. The ’78 team’s only losses were to one of those “off’’ nights in Tuscaloosa and one of those “crazy Dale Brown overtime’’ nights in Baton Rouge.
Nevertheless, “the season without celebration’’ delivered a 16-2 run in the Southeastern Conference followed by NCAA victories over Florida State, Miami (Ohio), Michigan State led by freshman Earvin Magic Johnson, Arkansas with its noted Triplets of Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph coached by a guy named Eddie Sutton and Duke in the title tilt at St. Louis’ 20,000-seat Checkerdome.
Wait a minute. Duke vs. Kentucky in the finals? A lot of media buildup? Remember, this was the Dick Enberg era of college basketball, not Dick Vitale. It didn’t create the same hype that you’d expect today in a Blue Devil vs. Wildcat championship game.
Twice in the NCAA tournament the ’78 team scored in the 90s – remember no shot clock and no 3-point line. They survived a 52-49 half-court struggle against Michigan State thanks in part to Macy sinking six consecutive free throws in the game’s final three minutes.
Givens had a dominating senior year comparable to Anthony Davis’ superb freshman campaign. The 6-foot-5 small forward with a deft southpaw touch was a National Player of the Year, Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Mideast Regional Most Outstanding Player and a First-Team All-SEC selection.
That night Givens lit up the Blue Devils’ zone defense for 41 points as UK controlled the Blue Devils for most of the night – much like the ’96 team did against Syracuse and the 2012 Wildcats against Kansas – with a 94-88 score that wasn’t that close.
Givens’ profile was tattooed on the cover of that week’s Sports Illustrated with “The Goose was Golden.’’
“Jack Givens played the best game I have ever seen anyone play,” said Duke’s junior captain Jim Spanarkel. “I guess we played him on a night we shouldn’t have played him.”
Both Robey (No. 3) and Givens (No. 16) were selected in the NBA’s first round while Lee was taken in the second round and Phillips was the first pick of the third round. Ironically, Macy’s Kentucky career ended two years later with a loss to Duke in the NCAA Mideast Regional semifinals in Lexington.
If you did a tale of the tape between the three teams, the ’96 team might have the most talent overall (starters and reserves), the 2012 team might have had the best starting five, but the ’78 team might have the best chemistry.
Givens, Macy and Shilder (the Blonde Bomber) would have benefited greatly with a 3-point shot. And, Phillips, Robey and Lee might have been remembered as being more agile given room to roam underneath.
Put the ’96 team and the 2012 team in a time machine set for 1978 and see how they do. They wouldn’t have liked the idea of matching up against deliberate styles.
I would like to hear Coach Hall or perhaps then-UK assistant and current Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton’s assessment of how the ’78 team would fare against either club. Yes, those were different times, but all three teams produced the same results in the same dominating fashion.
15 Responses to Maybe the 1978 national championship team could have matched up with 1996 or 2012 title teams, too
Leave a Reply
Blue Zoom Radio Show
Polls
Loading ...Choose Your Favorite!
I was just a small child in ’78, but I can’t disagree with your assessment. Teams from different eras are difficult to compare. Doing so among their peers is the best way. Like ’96 and ’12, they too dominated, and had just 2 losses – one was a bad night on the road, the other an OT loss by one on the road as well.
Most of us just weren’t here or old enough to have watched them.
Some of us are not only old enough to have watched them but we are also old enough to have played on that team. I was in the same class as Givens, Robey, Phillips and Lee. If only you had seen what I have seen you would know. That 1978 team could compete with any team that ever walked onto a college floor. They were great.
Not only did they have every position covered with great talent but they had a deep, deep bench so that there was always a backup guy or 3 that could step up and get the job done. But Joe B. was a different kind of coach than Pitinio or Cal. He liked to control everything about the game. He wanted his players to know every thing they should do in every situation known to basketball. It took 4 years but they did learn that. There wasn’t a defense or an offense that another team could throw at the Cats that Joe didn’t have an answer for. Actually Pitino seems to be able to teach such things in much less time but Hall did get it done.
I’ve seen all of those teams play. I was very close to that 1978 team and the 1975 team too for that matter. If not for Wooden announcing his retirement right before the championship game I believe those guys would have won it all. They were fabulous. Remember this was at the end of the Wooden era. And Indiana was suddenly the team to beat. People who had seen all of Wooden’s teams (like me) said IU had the very best team that ever played college basketball in 1975. And UK beat that IU team in the tournament. That team played more of a Rupp style of basketball just like Smith’s first team played Pitino’s style. And wow were they ever good at it. And they played against some monster competition in the SEC. Players like Bernard King, the best player I’ve ever seen play basketball (better than Jordan).
Which team would win? Impossible to say for sure. The ’78 team re-wrote the book on college basketball. They were the team that added wrestling to the game plan. They pushed people around a LOT. With Robey, Lee and Phillips roaming around the low paint and Macy (among others) working the outside (although the top of the key was the limit for their shots – this was Hall Ball) it left a lot of gaps in the middle areas. A guy named Givens could exploit those gaps as well as anyone ever could. This too was a team that learned to share the points and the spotlight. You just never knew which player would dominate. Phillips had a great mid-range jumper and a decent hook. Robey had a great hook and could post up with the best. It was like having two Harrellson’s on the floor all the time only with a lot better hands offensively. And Lee was the enforcer that no one wanted to mess with. Those that think MKG would have dominated him just don’t understand how he played. No one dominated him for long. I saw MKG go down many times during the year and get back up even to the point of putting his shoulder back in it’s socket himself so he could stay in the game. That’s a fabulous thing. But Lee would have had him on the floor about a dozen times in a game. He was a rough and tumble player but he never actually played dirty. He didn’t need to grab someone’s shoulders from behind and slam them down. He went at them head on like a freight train. Hall taught his players that if they were going to foul to make it a good one. And wow did James Lee ever live up to that.
With all the muscle ball going on under the basket and “Mr. Smooth” Macy taking his open shots and making them and absolutely tearing up the free throw line there were gaps left. It’s like they would push the ball inside to the bigs and if they weren’t open they would kick it back out to Macy. All defenses sagged to stop the bigs in the middle. Then they would have to run people out at Macy to try to stop him. Once they did that the mid-range stuff was wide open if you could find enough open space with all those big guys on the floor at once. And Givens was like a surgeon carving up a Thanksgiving turkey. It was maddening for defenders to try to stop him. He couldn’t be stopped. To be honest Jack would usually score a lot of points in either the first or second half and he would let the other guys get their points in the other half. They could almost choose who they wanted to score at any time. In the championship game it was the only time I ever saw Jack shoot the ball a lot in both periods. And he got his usual 20 points per half that he shot. Actually he got 41 points for the game. He could have scored that many every game I believe. But that would have been bad for the team. You have to keep the big guys happy. And wow could they ever dunk the ball. Hall was a pro at coaching big men to dunk the ball. There was none of this drop your shoulder and take what the defender gives you. They went hard to the basket every time and if you got your arm in the way you were going to get hurt. Those guys were like tackles on a football team to be honest. They were big, burly guys who could push you around all day and all night.
So don’t be so quick to dismiss the ’78 team as not being on par with the other great UK teams. Keep in mind that the whole college game changed because of those guys. Everyone wanted their version of the twin towers. Everyone wanted to drag players to the basket and dunk them right along with the ball. That team was great in so many ways. They were far deeper than the 2012 team and they had far more muscle than either the ’96 or ’12 teams. I’m talking FAR more. No they didn’t have Davis. But a Robey plus a Phillips is pretty dang good. For one thing they had so many fouls to give up because of their depth it was stunning. Remember they also had Chuck Aleksinas (6′ 10″ 258 lbs.), Fred Cowan (6’8″ 205 lbs.), Lavon Williams (6’6″ 210 lbs.), and Scott Courts (6’10″ 230 lbs.) and they could all play down low very well except maybe for Courts. But think of the fouls they had to give there. They didn’t drop off tremendously in talent when those guys came in especially considering they mostly came in to hammer people with fouls and I do mean “hammer”. Chuck was a bruiser too and he was used quite a bit as a backup enforcer (as if James Lee wasn’t enough). They also had a whole string of back court players that were very good. That team was loaded with talent.
If you notice, the teams Davis had problems with had big, strong centers who could use their strength and size to get good position for rebounds and for clearing out a lane for drivers. Imagine having two really good centers in the game at one time doing that to Davis. It’s no certain thing who would come out ahead. Not by a long shot.
King…..That Championship that Wooden won when he beat KY, he knew he was beaten and that is why he announced his retirement before the finals and he also knew that the NCAA was hot on the trail of what was going on at UCLA. To much money kept the NCAA away from UCLA until Wooden could be disassociated from the cheating at UCLA but he really never was. Pity for him is what kept his name out of the cheating. I lived in the area during the late 60′s and seen what was going on, UCLA players from families with very little money comes to UCLA and all of a sudden has expensive clothes, cars, off campus apartments, etc. Poppa Sam Gilbert took very good care of the basketball program at UCLA and when he got banned from campus he created a very messy problem. Read Bill Walton’s 1st book and it tells a lot.
M.k.g. on givens , and davis on robey and 12 would beat 78 team and 96 team beats both of them.
MKG would have to deal with either Lee, Phillips, Aleksinas or Cowan. Sure Jones could take one but they had a whole string of them. That team was a master of exploiting matchups too. It’s not as easy as it may look now IMO.
To be honest I think the ’78 team would have won. They could have doubled on Davis and kept him off the boards with bulk and position. Davis struggled against really good bigs like he did with his shot in the Kansas game. Sure he grabbed a bunch of rebounds but ’78 had two great centers playing at the same time. Plus they could run in James Lee. The ’12 team just didn’t see the kind of physical play the ’78 team played. They were so good at it they changed the whole face of college basketball. Those were 6’11″ tackles out there and they played very, very physical. I’m sure Davis would have done well but not as well as he normally did. I just remember seeing Davis struggle against Kansas (his shooting was off anyway) and against IU (another good big man). Davis only scored 9 against Zeller and he only had 3 blocks. Those aren’t great numbers for Davis IMO. And put two good centers in the game against him and I think he would have a hard time of it.
The good part is I get to love both versions of the Cats and a whole bunch of others too. Maybe I’m a little biased toward the ’78 team because I was in that class and I was asked to walk on and play with that team. But a broken ankle and a transfer to be with my future wife changed those plans. I could describe my dealings with Givens and other players but it wouldn’t sound right),
A great question in the last paragraph. What would Joe Hall and Leonard Hamilton’s assessment of the three teams be? 78 was almost as deep as 96, and if the game was played with the three point line, Macy Claytor, and Shidler would have lit it up. 96 was still the most talented, but few teams have ever played with the cohesiveness of the 12 team. Who knows?
Thanks for the stroll down memory lane Nick! Those years you described were my first as a member of the BBN. Jack’s freshman season. Thanks for the recap it was great. That 78 team is very special in my heart. I use to ride a Greyhound from Frot Knox to Lexington via Louisville and up 60 to watch those guys play. I was 17. Those were the days. I took that ride a lot Jacks last two seasons.
Not sure who would win but all were GREAT AND SPECIAL in different times and in different ways. GO CATS
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GO BLUE OR STAY HOME
Was a great stroll and hope to ask Joe about his thoughts on 1978 versus 2012. might even ask Macy
Larry that is a story I really would like to read. There has been a lot written about that team not having fun. But the guys I met were always smiling. Jack, James and Truman were always in great spirits when I saw them. Can’t wait for that story.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GO BLUE OR STAY HOME
the difference with 1978 1996 and 2012 is that the 78 team was expected to win it all from day one therefore they carried a lot more pressure for an entire season than the other two. that being said the 96 team jumped in really early to become a favorite to win it all. that also being said the 2012 team carried the number one ranking into the tournament and took care of business. it’s hard to compare eras but the 78 team had game.
I still have my 1978 National Champs sweat shirt with the team’s picture on it. This was exclent reading and walk back in time . In all honesty i’m not sure either the 98 or 12 team could have beat the 78 team in the title game .Givens was to hot to handle .In this envirment and pressure game i have never seen any other Kentucky player that could carry Given’s shoes on this night . These too were very special years to be an Cat Fan and i remember Brown “s team beating Kentucky that year . I always liked Dale Brown he is an class act . Thanks for fond memorys and the smile on my face i was 23 that year
Bob, know that is a keepsake for sure from 1978. do you still wear it, or just keep it put up to preserve
Remember the picture of Robey walking off the floor with the with the net around his neck(he is looking up shaking hands with a fan). I have that pic autographed by Rick himself and I also have a numbered print of Jack Givens and James Lee done by Lexinton artist Elliott Jordan and signed by both guys.
Jack lived in an apartment on the corner of E.High and Stone St. and it was the same building my sister lived in. They were and still are friends. The Elliot print was a gift to my parents. I actually met most of the 78 team through Jack.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. GO BLUE OR STAY HOME
i very well remember that 78 team and what bothers me Joe Hall never got the credit for creating the phyiscal style that he implement to the game.Like King said he change the way college ball was played.
Marquette won the NC in 1977 and Al McGuire required and moved to the broadcast booth. I remember him saying, “I looked at the physical UK team, saw the future of college basketball, and knew it was time to retire.”
The national press was all over the ’78 Champs for “not having fun”, “taking it too seriously”. Notre Dame was in the Final Four and lost the consolation game to Arkansas. Coach Hall said, “Notre Dame had fun”.
Eddie Sutton’s triplets may have given the Cats their best challenge in the tourney (along with Magic and Greg Kelser of Mich. St.). It put Eddie Sutton in the mind of UK fans. When his US Reed hit a half court, sideline buzzer beater to knock defending champ UofL out of the ’81 tourney, it drove his stock up even higher in Lexington. I worked a basketball coach’s training camp with Sidney Moncrief and asked him about the guy who wiped his socks before shooting free throws in the semifinal. He said, “Who?” Macy’s book described the level of conditioning required to play for the ’78 champs versus Purdue.
Coach Hall benched starters down early to Flordia State in the NCAA opener. The risky move paid off as Kentucky came back to win.
There were rumors floating that Coach Hall had the team walk or arrange alternate transportation after one of the regular season losses. It be would be interesting to hear his take.
In UK’s OT loss to LSU, all five LSU starters had fouled out. This game was a charge to LSU’s program. Macy had to hit a clutch shot in the last game in 1980 (same day the US Olympic Hockey team’s big victory) to keep LSU from dominating the SEC.
1978 was the last year there was no SEC Tourney. So ’78 has no SEC Tourney story to parallel the finals losses of the ’96 and ’98 teams. They did have to play the brutal double round-robin 18-game SEC schedule.
The ’78 team played only eight games prior to SEC play. The wins included Indiana, at Kansas, Freeman Williams and Portland State, St. John’s, Jim Valvano’s Iona team with Jeff Ruland, and Digger Phelps with Kelly Tripucka, Bill Laimbeer, and Orlando Woolridge of Final 4 Notre Dame on a neutral court in Freedom Hall.