Who Are Kentucky Basketball's Most Hated Players?

The commitment of Kerr Kriisa this week appears to be a key addition to Mark Pope’s first roster at Kentucky. It certainly seems, as of now, Kriisa will see the ball in his hands quite a bit this season. And all reports indicate that we will not only be getting a very good player but a confident personality.

It seems that Kriisa may fall into that category of player that you love having on your team and other teams will hate. We’ve had plenty of players on opposing teams that we’ve hated over the years. Guys like Grant Williams and Matt Walsh and any multitude of Duke players. But the reality is we hated them in large part because they were good and if they were on Kentucky’s team, we would have loved them.

So I have gone back into the archives and found the seven players who I think were the most hated by our opponents but we loved nonetheless.

No. 1: DEMARCUS COUSINS

I’m not sure there can be much of an argument here on the most hated UK player. Cousins came in with a reputation as a rough player and a cocky one too. And he didn’t do much at Kentucky to disprove those rumors. But that is why we absolutely consider Cousins a legend here. There was a not a soul on the court that could ever intimidate Cousins. Jared Swopshire’s face running into Demarcus’ elbow was the official reigniting of the UK-UL rivalry. His “call me” gesture at Mississippi State was legendary. Cousins was one of the most physically dominant players and he had to drive opponents wild.

No. 2: PATRICK SPARKS

I think this is largely a Louisville fan problem but outside of John Calipari, I feel like I haven’t heard Card fans express disgust at any UK-related person more than Sparks. His free throws beat a Louisville Final Four team, and the potential travel before those foul shots still irks them to this day. Sparks had that confidence that you only see every now and then. No shot was outside of his range. And after five misses, he was still as confident in the sixth shot.

No. 3: JOHN PELPHREY

Let’s go a little old school with this one. Pelphrey finds himself in the rafters at Rupp Arena but the reality is he is probably the most likely of the Unforgettables to have gotten there on his accord. He was very likely the second-best player on the 1992 team behind Jamal Mashburn. But it wasn’t just his talent. Pelphrey had an edge to his game that led to multiple altercations during his time in Lexington. That attitude got under the skin of many an opponent and many an opposing fanbase.

No. 4: TYLER HERRO

If we face reality, the reason people hated Herro was he was a cocky white player. He carried himself with an arrogance that we loved but just rubs fans the wrong way. But the guy backed it up in Lexington and hit one of the more memorable NCAA Tournament shots in this school’s history. He also was one of Kentucky’s first social media stars as well, ushering in a new kind of era in college athletics.

No. 5: TYLER ULIS

I think the hatred towards Ulis was more built from the frustration of how a guy that small could dominate so much. And yes, Ulis had a bit of an edge to him as well. The bloody eye against Louisville will forever be memorable. But he just controlled games unlike almost any point guard in UK history. To do it at his size just drove opposing fans mad. Plus, he was somebody who seemed unflappable no matter the hatred.

No. 6: JAMAAL MAGLOIRE

Basically Demarcus Cousins before Demarcus Cousins. Would absolutely beat up the opposing team. Did it with an attitude that almost was scary. A kind of guy you want on your team as he adds a level of toughness you don’t always get in college basketball. And of course, he tried to dislocate Wojo’s C3 and C4 vertebrae.

No. 7: ANTOINE WALKER

Has there been a cockier player at Kentucky? I’m not sure but Walker could sure back it up. I’m not sure he gets his due for just how elite he was at Kentucky. The 1995 team is one of those teams that people don’t remember and the 1996 championship team was defined by Tony Delk. But Walker might have been the best player on both of those teams and probably had the best pro career of anybody. That shimmy he did made fans want to throw trash on the floor.

So who am I missing? Who are the players that we idolize but opposing fans hate?