Kentucky Basketball Top 10 Father-Son Combos

Father’s Day gives us time to give thanks to the men who taught us how to fish, how to throw a baseball, and how to delicately obfuscate the truth to Mom about certain misadventures. For many born in the Bluegrass, our dads injected love for Kentucky basketball directly into our veins at birth, turning our blood blue before we even received our first shot at the pediatrician’s office.

Whether it was a trip to Rupp Arena together, dozing on the couch during the second half of a 9:00 p.m. game, or a playing a game of HORSE where you both shimmied like Antoine Walker after every letter, most of us have unforgettable memories of our fathers linked to Kentucky basketball.

Children often lean on the sage wisdom of their old men. Some go further and follow in their footsteps, whether that be attending the same college or pursuing the same career. But surprisingly, it has not been too often we have seen multiple generations play and/or coach for the Wildcats. Some have, though, and they are as legendary as the story of your dad driving the whole family to the beach at 2:00 a.m…in reverse…with no mirrors.

So, on this KSR Father’s Day, let’s honor those who have shared both DNA and a direct role in Kentucky basketball, and rank the top 10 father-son combinations based on combined excellence.

My expert calibration system rated each player and coach based on individual performance, team success, and contribution to UK lore, weighted in that order. Then I totaled each father-son duo’s score and ranked them accordingly.

Unlike eight-year-old you after spilling a big gulp of Coke on your dad’s favorite recliner, the math does not lie.

(Shout out to this Courier-Journal article for saving me some research)

Honorable Mentions

Just because these Kentucky basketball father-son combos didn’t make the top 10, doesn’t mean they’re not worth mentioning. These guys just happened to be either walk-ons with limited impact on the program or played back in the days when guys wore belts on their shorts and shot jumpers without jumping. It was hard to give them a meaningful ranking.

Ed and Buddy Parker
Ed played for Kentucky basketball over 100 years ago, during the 1918-1919 season. His son, Buddy, followed his lead, playing from 1943 to 1947. Buddy averaged three points per game his senior year.

James and Brown Sharp
Another throwback duo, James played in the 1926-1927 season, and his son, Brown, played in one game during the 1951-1952 season. Watch out for these guys.

Bert and Phil Johnson
Father Bert played in just one game for Kentucky in the 1934-1935 season, but his son, Phil, played in 64 games between 1955 and 1959, winning a title in 1958. So, that’s cool.

Jim and Preston LeMaster
Preston served as a walk-on for the team from 2002 to 2006 and his dad, Jim, played minimal minutes during his tenure with the team between 1965 and 1968. At least I remember the son.

Bo and Todd Lanter
Both Bo and Todd Lanter came to Kentucky shortly after the Wildcats won a national championship, just missing their chance for a ring. Bo played in 42 games between 1979 and 1982 while Todd appeared in 13 games between 2012 and 2015. Bad timing.

#10: Eddie and Sean Sutton

Father Score: 4 | Son Score: 2 | Total Score: 6

Eddie Sutton does not leave the same level of distaste in Kentucky basketball fans’ mouths as Billy Gillespie either because of recency bias or because many are too young to have witnessed Sutton’s unceremonious exit. But as a refresher, Eddie Sutton coached the Wildcats for four seasons and left the program in near shambles.

A pay-for-play scheme under his watch put Kentucky on probation, reduced their scholarships, and stripped them of TV appearances.

Eddie did enjoy some success, though. In his first season (1985-86), his team finished 32-4 earning a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament before ultimately falling to LSU in the Elite Eight. In the 1987-88 season, his team went 27-6, winning the SEC title along the way…a title that was later vacated.

Sean Sutton played for two seasons under his father, scoring 5.9 points per game on 41.9% 3-point shooting his sophomore year. However, he wasn’t without scandal himself as it was his jewelry that Shawn Kemp allegedly tried to pawn, leading to his dismissal from the team before he even played a game.

The Suttons are a big name in college basketball, with Eddie reaching the Final Four three times (twice with Oklahoma State and once with Arkansas), but nearly giving Kentucky basketball the death penalty seriously penalizes them in this ranking.

#9: Joe and Joey Holland

Father Score: 6 | Son Score: 2 | Total Score: 8

Don’t get his name mixed up with legendary coach; Joe B. Holland played basketball for Kentucky from 1945 to 1948 and earned first-team All-SEC honors his junior year before taking a bench role his senior season. That strategy must have worked because Kentucky won the national championship that season.

I can imagine Joe, a proud father from the Greatest Generation, repeating this story to his son, Joey, ad nauseam as a way to emphasize the importance of self-sacrifice, while Joey was rolling his eyes and begging for a dime to buy a chocolate bar at the candy store that was only a bike ride away.

If Joe did use his story as motivation for humility for his son, it succeeded. Joey B. Holland played for the aforementioned similarly-named Joe B. Hall in 17 games for the ‘Cats from 1974 to 1976. He graduated two years before Kentucky would cut down another set of championship nets.

#8: Terry and Cameron Mills

Father Score: 4 | Son Score: 5.5 | Total Score: 9.5

Terry Mills served as a reserve player under Adolph Rupp from 1968 to 1971. His best season came his junior year when he averaged a little over nine points in about 20 minutes per game. The 6’2″ guard shot 50% from the field his senior year, showing the Mills family’s smooth stroke he would eventually pass on to his son.

Cameron won a title with Rick Pitino’s 1996 team as a seldom-used sophomore but played a pivotal role in 1998’s championship under Tubby Smith. His one shining moment was a clutch 3-pointer in the closing minutes from the top of the key (his first bucket of the tournament) that helped beat Duke in the Elite Eight.

Fathers celebrated with their kids around the state when that shot went in, no doubt, just like Terry.

#7: Jeff and Reed Sheppard

Father Score: 8 | Son Score: 3* | Total Score: 11*

Before you rush directly to the comment section to decapitate me for this one, hear me out. I fully acknowledge Reed Sheppard has not yet played a minute for Kentucky basketball. However, he is committed, so I’m counting that as a dedication to the program.

Reed is by far the highest-ranked prospect to play for Kentucky who had a dad who also played for the program. Rankings aren’t everything (except in the case of this Father’s Day ranking, of course) and there are still a ton of unknowns about how well he will perform, but the hype has to mean something.

So this ranking gets an asterisk because it could drastically catapult (or plummet) if Reed ends up being as good as some people think.

Couple Reed’s capability with his dad, Jeff, won two national titles at Kentucky, including being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 1998, and you have the most talented father-son Kentucky basketball combos in history…potentially*.

#6: Adolph and Herky Rupp

Father Score: 10 | Son Score: 2 | Total Score: 12

“The Winningest Coach of All Time” has his name plastered across the arena he helped build. Adolph Rupp coached the Kentucky Wildcats from 1930 to 1972 and if you grew up in Kentucky, you probably learned this man’s name before Kentucky’s second favorite son, Abraham Lincoln.

He holds the NCAA record for the longest home win streak (129) and was the fastest coach to 500, 600, 700, and 800 wins. Oh, and he has the second-highest winning percentage among NCAA basketball coaches (0.882) behind only Mark Few.

He’s a legend’s legend who just so happened to have had a son who went by the amazing nickname of Herky. Herky played from 1959 to 1962 and while he only managed 11 total career points, he did get one unique perk worth noting. It was a little-known fact that Herky was the first person to make a basket in Memorial Collesium as a young boy after construction was complete and goals were put in place.

That is the kind of nepotism I fully support.

#5: John and Brad Calipari

Father Score: 9.5 | Son Score: 3 | Total Score: 12.5

Brad Calipari was just a pudgy little 12-year-old when his dad, John, took the reigns of Kentucky basketball in 2009, and in a way, served as the team’s unofficial mascot until he joined the roster himself.

Despite how you might feel about John Calipari’s last few years, no one can argue he is the second-best coach in program history and his name will be hung in Rupp Arena’s rafters the minute it is eligible. The Hall of Fame coach has given Kentucky fans one of the most unbelievable runs known to modern college basketball, with four Final Fours, one National Title, and a healthy Alex Poythress away from an undefeated season.

Simply put, Cal’s legacy will live forever.

And when you have that much clout and a son who is a solid basketball player, that son often gets on the team. However, as his chest tattoo will tell you, Brad made it a point to show his place on the roster was earned, not given. He was often heralded as the best shooter on the team, although, unfortunately, it never materialized in games.

He now continues to serve the program on the coaching staff, making him the only player on this list to be both a player and a coach.

#4: Wayne and Rex Chapman

Father Score: 4 | Son Score: 9 | Total Score: 13

This is a slightly controversial entry because Wayne Chapman never technically played for the Kentucky basketball team as we know it. Back in 1963, the NCAA in all of their wisdom, forbid freshmen from playing on the varsity team, so instead, Wayne played for the Freshman team, leading his junior Wildcats to a 13-3 record before transferring to Kentucky Wesleyan to finish out (start?) his college career.

Does that count as playing for Kentucky? Some hardcore big blue historians would argue not, but for the sake of a Father’s Day top-10 list, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The Baltimore Bullets drafted Wayne in 1968 and he played in the ABA until 1972. He returned to Kentucky Wesleyan as head coach in 1985 where won two Division-II national titles.

His son, Rex, has been a household name in Kentucky since he was 16 but recently has developed into an influential figure for anyone with a Twitter account. Before he became a social media star for posting videos of dudes getting knocked over and asking if it was a block or charge, Rex essentially owned the state of Kentucky from 1986 to 1988 during his two seasons with the Wildcats.

He earned All-SEC honors his freshman year and followed it up with Third-Team All-American status his sophomore year. The Charlotte Hornets drafted him 8th overall in the 1988 draft and he spent 12 years in the NBA, but the ladies of the ’80s in the Bluegrass will forever remember him as Sexy Rexy.

That is the Kentucky basketball content I’m here for.

#3: Allen and Deron Feldhaus

Father Score: 5.5 | Son Score: 8 | Total Score: 13.5

Not to be confused with Kansas’s basketball arena, Allen Feldhaus played forward for Kentucky basketball under Adolph Rupp from 1959 to 1962. He averaged a little over six points per game and was probably a better baseball player for the ‘Cats. He was the team’s catcher and went on to play for the Washington Senators minor league baseball team.

But if Phog Allen was the father of all basketball, Allen Feldhaus was the father of Russell County and Mason County Kentucky high school basketball. What he might not have done on the court for the Wildcats, he more than made up for on the high school court through tremendous coaching, and his sons continued the legacy he began.

Now, his youngest son, Deron, has his jersey hanging in Rupp Arena’s rafters. How’s that for a forever Father’s Day gift? My dad just gets a Hallmark card every year.

Deron was a member of the Unforgettables along with Richie Farmer, Sean Woods, and John Pelphrey, who helped bring Kentucky back to national prominence after the NCAA (with the help of Eddie Sutton) put the program on probation. The 1992 team won the heart of every Kentuckian only to have those exact same hearts stomped on by Christian Laettner with a shot you have seen on TV a time or two…or a thousand. ESPN really leans into the Unforgettables nickname, constantly reminding us how that season ended.

Regardless, what made that ending hurt so bad was how much that team was loved, and Kentucky fans felt like it was their sons who lost on the court that night. In a way, the whole state was Allen watching Deron play.

#2: Anthony and Makayla Epps

Father Score: 6.5 | Daughter Score: 8 | Total Score: 14.5

You may not have realized this, but fathers are capable of having incredibly basketball-talented daughters too. Makayla Epps, son of Anthony, first of her name, was one of the best Kentucky women’s players to wear the blue and white.

Her list of accolades wouldn’t fit on a CVS receipt, but in part, include two-time First-Team All-SEC, two-time SEC All-Tournament, two-time AP All-American Honorable Mention, and First-Team All-American by College Sports Madness (2016).

She averaged over 17 points per game in her junior and senior seasons and finished her career top 10 in program history in assists, assists average, field goals made, free throws made, and scoring average. The Chicago Skyy drafted her 33rd overall in the WNBA draft.

Although his numbers weren’t as eye-catching (career 6.2 points, 3.9 assists per game), her dad is a UK legend in his own right. Anthony won the national championship in 1996 and hit the 3-pointer to send the 1997 championship game into overtime his senior year. He was the steady, sure-handed leader during the last four years of Pitino’s great run.

These two are by far the best player-player combo on this list (pending what happens with Reed Sheppard), and like that 1997 title game, were an overtime victory away from clinching the top shot.

#1: Tubby and Saul Smith

Father Score: 9 | Son Score: 6 | Average: 15

Kentucky basketball finally retired Tubby Smith’s jersey this past season. His ten years as Kentucky’s head coach saw some incredible teams that didn’t have the tournament success everyone hoped for but produced some of the most beloved players in program history.

His crowning moment came in his first season when he led the Comeback ‘Cats to the 1998 national title. with his son, Saul, serving as the team’s backup point guard.

If you have the coach’s son on the team, you either want him to be really good or a walk-on caliber player like Brad Calipari or Herky Rupp. Saul was somewhere in between and because of that, he never really fell in favor of the fans who often felt he played too much based on his skill level. But while he was no All-American, he was a serviceable SEC point guard for some good teams.

Saul’s best statistical year came in the 2000-2001 season when he averaged roughly seven points and four assists per game. He started every game his junior and senior year and played lead guard on a squad that finished top 20 and top 10 in the final AP poll, respectively.

Say what you want about Tubby’s final years or how much you disliked Saul (we know Ryan Lemond will), but this father-son combo won a national title together, the dad’s name hangs in the rafters, and the son led two high-quality teams in assists for two straight seasons.

That kind of resume is harder to beat than your dad at one-on-one when you were six years old.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there who, every time they cut themselves with a tool in the garage, bleed out a royal shade of blue.