Kinda sad for him to be missing Saturday night at the 40 year. Wife and (son?) representing him. I will always remember that season, my first championship as a fan. Listened to Cawood for many of those games.
Mike Phillips
- Thread starter wkycatfan7
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I was in the UK class of 1978. Had a gigantic crush on Mike Phillips (probably half the girls on campus then did.) Thought I had died and gone to heaven when I got to ride on the team plane to the 1975 Final Four and was able to spend a few minutes with him.
I also spoke with Mike at the 2003 team reunion. He was a great guy. I still felt like a schoolgirl talking to him. He was very humble about his success at UK and always a bit bewildered by the attention he continued to receive years later.
RIP Big Mike.
I also spoke with Mike at the 2003 team reunion. He was a great guy. I still felt like a schoolgirl talking to him. He was very humble about his success at UK and always a bit bewildered by the attention he continued to receive years later.
RIP Big Mike.
I'll never forget some of the absolute monster games Phillips had during his sophomore season 26 pts., & 28 rebs against Tennessee. 35 pts. & 20 rebs against LSU. 30 pts & 15 rebs against Vandy. 18 pts. & 23 rebs against Georgia...... Rest In Peace Big Mike
Weird as it may sound, that sophomore season of Phillips, Givens, Lee, when they won the NIT, is one of my favorites. Larry Johnson was a warrior on that team as I recall.
I remember that team. Robey went out with a torn knee. I watched that team play Alabama with Leon Douglas at Memorial Gym. I never had been at a game so loud you could feel it in your chest.
Phillips, Lee, Larry Johnson, Bob Fowler,
Marion Haskins, Givens.
Thanks for the memory coming back.
My favorite memory and game with Mike Phillips was the game for the SEC championship against Alabama and their monster center Leon Douglas. First play, pass to Phillips who went right at Douglas. Set the tone. No one was doing that at Douglas and it was war. Guess who won?
One of my high school friends died last year the same way. Hit his head falling down the stairs and suffered an irreversible brain injury. His wife was at home at the time but it didn't matter. Just a terrible way to go.
I was at that game and it was fantastic. Douglas was a stud. But so was Mike.
My favorite memory was a random one, a December game at Rupp. Mike was out at the top of the circle with his back to the basket and the rest of the team was running a weave around him. Suddenly, instead of handing the ball off again, Mike just turned around and took one step down the wide open lane and crammed it.
I believe Reggie Warford, Dwane Casey, and Truman Claytor were also on that team.
No better defensive guard at UK ever than Larry Johnson!
Watching Larry Johnson push the ball on fast breaks was fun to watch. He came very close to throwing the ball out in front and chasing it, as if to push the ball faster up the court.
I'll go to my grave believing that 75 NC game was fixed to make sure Wooden won his last game. Wooden's conveniently timed retirement announcement plus him on TV saying he was worried about his "boys" health against the bruising frontline of Robey & Phillips... set the stage for the royal screw job that The Kittens got in San Diego.
A favorite memory of the 78 team (besides the NC win against Duke with Goose wearing their asses out from that right baseline of course!!) was the exhibition win against the Russian's Olympic team at Rupp. They were doing a US tour and played several good college teams. UK was one of the very few who actually beat that Russian team, many of which were on the 72 Gold Medal stealing team when the refs gave them 3 chances to win...
A favorite memory of the 78 team (besides the NC win against Duke with Goose wearing their asses out from that right baseline of course!!) was the exhibition win against the Russian's Olympic team at Rupp. They were doing a US tour and played several good college teams. UK was one of the very few who actually beat that Russian team, many of which were on the 72 Gold Medal stealing team when the refs gave them 3 chances to win...
Some think 76-77 team was better than 77-78, Larry Johnson was great. Kind of think UK beats Phil Ford and UNC if Kyle Macy on that team. If Kyle would have not gone to Purdue out of HS then I think UK probably wins both.
Kyle could have played shooting guard with Larry at PG.
Kyle could have played shooting guard with Larry at PG.
The Russian game was in Memorial.
LJ was a good dude, had him and Haskins over at the house for breakfast the day Super Bowl 10 was played, asked him who he was rooting for and told me the Steelers, highly disappointed in that(Cowboys fan). He hit the game winner against Vandy in front of the NBC cameras that season, stole the Vandy media guide off their broadcast table court side after the game.
LJ was a good dude, had him and Haskins over at the house for breakfast the day Super Bowl 10 was played, asked him who he was rooting for and told me the Steelers, highly disappointed in that(Cowboys fan). He hit the game winner against Vandy in front of the NBC cameras that season, stole the Vandy media guide off their broadcast table court side after the game.
I remember that game versus the Russians quite well, and remember thinking we were going to have to play a great game to have a chance to win.
I met Mike a couple of times while he was at UK, and he was a great guy.
IIRC, it was Dale Brown at LSU who, at the time, said publicly that because of our Twin Towers of Robey and Phillips, that U.K "had brutalized the game of basketball".
Yep, UCLA and Wooden were GIVEN the 'Ship that year, I too will always believe that.
One of my high school friends died last year the same way. Hit his head falling down the stairs and suffered an irreversible brain injury. His wife was at home at the time but it didn't matter. Just a terrible way to go.
YouKay, you must be a BS grad.
YouKay, you must be a BS grad.
Wow. I thought I was the only Larry Johnson fan left. Graduated UK in 1976. Always admired his effort coming off the bench as a soph. Effort and energy. Really developed as a player and leader. Was a warrior. Great to see there are others. Most nowadays think UK basketball started with Mash. Can still hear Cawood say"Johnson tom toms it up". I would take a couple underrated Ky kids like Larry. Is he still in Ky? Coaching? Mike Phillips wasn't shy. He always got his shots and had great hands - caught everything and a soft shot. Think he fought through knee troubles while at UK and just kept going. Sorry to hear of his passing. Saw Givens tear up talking about him which peaks to both their character. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.