The fourth installment of our countdown of the top 101 players in 101 seasons of the University of Louisville men’s basketball program. Here is a look at players numbered 61-70 (in reverse order).
70. Kyle Kuric (2008-2012) - The 6-foot-4 swingman (pictured above) scored 979 points (8.3 per game), grabbed 379 rebounds (3.2 per game) and made 169 3-pointers (10th all-time) in his career. He also played the most minutes of any Cardinal in a single season, logging 1,370 minutes in 2011-2012, when he was the leading scorer (12.6 ppg) for the Final Four team. The Cards went 106-39 (a 73.1 winning percentage) in his four seasons, which were highlighted by that aforementioned trip to the national semifinals. Kuric will forever live in Louisville lore for his performance - he came off the bench to score 22 points in UofL’s upset of No. 1 Syracuse - in the final game at Freedom Hall.
69. Tony Williams (1996-2000) - The 6-7 forward ranks 48th on the all-time scoring list (1,133). He was the team’s third-leading scorer as a junior (12.1 ppg) and as a senior (13.6 ppg). The Cards went 76-52 (a 59.4 winning percentage) in his four seasons, which were highlighted by a trip to the Elite Eight his freshman year.
68. Preston Knowles (2007-2011) - The 6-1 guard scored 1,023 points (7.7 per game), which ranks 64th on the all-time scoring list. Knowles had a very good senior season averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. The Cards went 103-38 (a 73 winning percentage) in his four seasons, which were highlighted by trips to the Elite Eight his freshman and sophomore seasons.
67. Alex Sanders (1996-1999) - The 6-7 forward-center, who played only three seasons due to academic issues his freshman year, ranks 63rd on the all-time scoring list (1,031). Sanders tied for third in scoring (10.1 ppg) as a sophomore, was second (10.5 ppg) as a junior and fifth (11.4 ppg) as a senior. The Cards went 57-40 (a 58.8 winning percentage) in his three seasons, which were highlighted by a trip to the Elite Eight his sophomore year.
66. Larry O’Bannon (2001-2005) - The 6-4 swingman, who flourished under Rick Pitino, ranks 46th on the all-time scoring list (1,138). He had a stellar senior season, averaging 15.2 ppg, shooting 49 percent from the field (including 42.5 percent from 3-point range) and 84.7 percent from the free throw line. The Cards went 97-35 (a 73.4 winning percentage) in his four seasons, which were highlighted by a Conference USA title and a trip to the ‘05 Final Four.
65. Al Vilcheck (1969-1972) - The 6-9 center scored 1,048 points (12 per game), which ranks 61st on the all-time scoring list, and grabbed 780 rebounds (9 rpg) despite playing only three seasons. The big man averaged 10.9 ppg and 9.6 rpg as a sophomore, 15.9 ppg (second on the team) and 9.6 rpg as a junior and 9.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg as a senior. The Cards went 64-23 (73.6 win percentage) in his three seasons, which were highlighted by a trip to the ‘72 Final Four.
64. Bobby Brown (1948-1952) - The 6-3 forward ranks 43rd on the all-time scoring list (1,169/11.6 ppg). He was fourth on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) as a sophomore, the second-leading scorer (15.1 ppg) as a junior and the co-leading scorer (17 ppg, along with Bob Lochmueller) as a senior. The Cards went 83-34 (a 70.9 winning percentage) in his four seasons, which were highlighted by one NCAA Tournament and one NIT appearance.
63. Jerry Smith (2006-2010) - The under-sized (6-1) shooting guard ranks 39th on the all-time scoring list (1,203 points/8.7 ppg), fourth all-time in 3-pointers made (210) and sixth in career 3-point percentage (38.9). The Cards also won 100 games vs. 39 losses in his four seasons (a 71.9 winning percentage) and made two trips to the Elite Eight.
62. Cornelius Holden (1988-1992) - The 6-7 high-flying center with the high-top fade ranks 47th on the all-time scoring list (1,136/8.9 ppg), fifth in dunks (117) and eighth in career field-goal percentage (57.1). He averaged 10.6 ppg and shot 61.5 percent from the field as a sophomore, and averaged 12.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg and shot 59.8 percent from the field as a junior. The Cards went 84-44 (a 65.6 winning percentage) in his four seasons, which were highlighted by a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 his freshman year.
61. Jerry King (1966-1969) - The 6-5 forward ranks 41st on the all-time scoring list (1,189/14.3 ppg). He averaged 10.9 ppg as a sophomore, 14.4 ppg as a junior (behind Butch Beard and Wes Unseld) and 18 ppg (second behind Beard) his senior season. The Cards went 65-18 (a 78.3 winning percentage) in his three seasons, which were highlighted by two trips to the NCAA Tournament and one to the NIT.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Kuric's Facebook page.
