When the University of Kentucky announced its 2018 Athletics Hall of Fame Class this week, among the inductees were a 30-year Wildcats men’s tennis coach and four-year football and women’s basketball players. Also included was an athlete whose official bio only lists the year “2012.”
But what a year it was.
During his single season on campus in Lexington, Anthony Davis accomplished just about everything a freshman men’s basketball player could achieve, highlighted by leading the Wildcats to the national championship. Less than a month after his 19th birthday, Davis and UK celebrated a title-game victory over Kansas in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Chicago native was also selected as the unanimous national player of the year and swept the SEC’s awards by winning top player, top defensive player and top freshman honors. Kentucky went 38-2, with Davis joined by multiple NBA draft picks, including forward Darius Miller. Coincidentally, after their championship party in the Superdome, Davis and Miller were drafted by New Orleans that June.
Davis, 25, will be officially inducted into the UK Hall on the weekend of Sept. 21-22, in conjunction with the school’s home football game vs. Mississippi State. The NBA season likely will start days later with the opening of Pelicans fall training camp.