1989–90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

1989–90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
1989–90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	14–14 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach	Rick Pitino (1st season);
Assistant coaches	Herb Sendek; Billy Donovan; Tubby Smith; Ralph Willard;
Home arena	Rupp Arena
	Seasons ← 1988–89 1990–91 →

1989–90 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Georgia	13	–	5	.722	20	–	9	.690
No. 23 Alabama †	12	–	6	.667	26	–	9	.743
No. 19 LSU	12	–	6	.667	23	–	9	.719
Tennessee	10	–	8	.556	16	–	14	.533
Kentucky	10	–	8	.556	14	–	14	.500
Ole Miss	8	–	10	.444	13	–	17	.433
Auburn	8	–	10	.444	13	–	18	.419
Mississippi State	7	–	11	.389	16	–	14	.533
Vanderbilt	7	–	11	.389	21	–	14	.600
Florida	3	–	15	.167	7	–	21	.250

† 1990 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll^[1]

The 1989–90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky in the 1989–90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Rick Pitino^[2] and the team finished the season with an overall record of 14–14.^[3] Coming off the controversy of the Eddie Sutton scandal,^[4] the NCAA banned the Kentucky Wildcats from television for one season. The NCAA sanctions placed on the program would also ban any postseason competition for two years and a three-year probational period.^[5] Pitino knew this and still took the challenge of making this team successful despite the many deficient parts of the program.

Coming off a decent season in the NBA with the Knicks, Pitino missed the college experience and felt that Kentucky would be the most interesting choice.^[6] Pitino was reportedly offered six million dollars for a seven-year contract with Kentucky.^[7] Coming into the new season, not all of Kentucky's players were completely committed to playing due to the program being in shambles. Some players were reported to have skipped class or not put forth 100% effort into practices. Ironically, the students that did not compete were focusing more on their grades so they could graduate.^[8] Despite Rick Pitino's intense coaching effort, the season included many difficult moments for the Wildcats, including a 150–95 loss to Kansas (which is the largest margin of defeat in Kentucky history).^[9] Despite all these obstacles, the Wildcats finished with a respectable .500 record, and Pitino was named SEC Coach of the Year (for the first of three times) for guiding Kentucky to a 10–8 record in conference and was named the Basketball Times National Coach of the Year in 1990.^[10]

Roster

1989–90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	4	Derrick Miller	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sr	Bible Baptist School	Savannah, GA
G	11	Sean Woods	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	So	Cathedral HS	Indianapolis, IN
F	12	Deron Feldhaus	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Mason County HS	Maysville, KY
G	14	Jeff Brassow	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Elsik HS	Houston, TX
G	20	Tony Cooper	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	Fr	Windsor Forest HS	Savannah, GA
F	21	Henry Thomas	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Fr	Clarksville HS	Clarksville, TN
G	23	Junior Braddy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Middleburg HS	Jacksonville, FL
G	25	Skip McGaw	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	North Hopkins HS	Madisonville, KY
G	32	Richie Farmer	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	So	Clay County HS	Manchester, KY
F	33	Johnathon Davis	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	So	Pine Forest HS	Pensacola, FL
G/F	34	John Pelphrey	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	Paintsville HS	Paintsville, KY
F/C	35	Reggie Hanson	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Pulaski County HS	Somerset, KY
G	42	Michael Parks	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Breckinridge County HS	Irvington, KY

Head coach

Rick Pitino (UMass)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Personnel

In the wake of the previous season's alleged scandal, Pitino brought in new assistant coaches. One of which was a close friend of his, Ralph Willard. He would leave the New York Knicks to follow Pitino to Kentucky.^[11] Tubby Smith left his position as assistant coach at the University of South Carolina to pursue his new career at the University of Kentucky.^[12] Herb Sendek was also brought in as an assistant coach. Sendek had previously served as a graduate assistant to Pitino at Providence College.^[13] Pitino brought in Billy Donovan as the graduate assistant coach. This would be after a short career on Wall Street and a stint playing in the Continental Basketball Association.^[14]

Schedule and Results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular Season
November 28, 1989*	Ohio	W 76–73	1–0	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
December 2, 1989*	No. 14 Indiana Rivalry	L 69–71	1–1	RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana
December 4, 1989	Mississippi State	W 102–97	2–1 (1–0)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
December 6, 1989*	Tennessee Tech	W 111–75	3–1	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
December 9, 1989*	at No. 2 Kansas	L 95–150	3–2	Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas
December 19, 1989*	Furman	W 104–73	4–2	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
December 22, 1989*	Portland	W 88–71	5–2	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
December 23, 1989*	Southwestern Louisiana	L 113–116 ^OT	5–3	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
December 27, 1989*	No. 24 North Carolina	L 110–121	5–4	Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky
December 30, 1989*	No. 8 Louisville	L 79–86	5–5	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
January 3, 1990	at Georgia	L 91–106	5–6 (1–1)	Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia
January 6, 1990	at Vanderbilt	L 85–92	5–7 (1–2)	Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee
January 10, 1990	Florida	W 89–81	6–7 (2–2)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
January 13, 1990	at No. 14 LSU	L 81–94	6–8 (2–3)	Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana
January 17, 1990	No. 25 Alabama	W 82–65	7–8 (3–3)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
January 20, 1990	Tennessee	W 95–83	8–8 (4–3)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
January 24, 1990	at Auburn	L 70–74	8–9 (4–4)	Memorial Coliseum Auburn, Alabama
January 27, 1990	Ole Miss	W 98–79	9–9 (5–4)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
January 31, 1990	at Mississippi State	L 86–87	9–10 (5–5)	Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, Mississippi
February 3, 1990	Georgia	W 88–77	10–10 (6–5)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
February 7, 1990	Vanderbilt	W 100–73	11–10 (7–5)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
February 12, 1990	at Florida	W 78–74	12–10 (8–5)	O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida
February 15, 1990	No. 9 LSU	W 100–95	13–10 (9–5)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
February 17, 1990	at Alabama	L 58–83	13–11 (9–6)	Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, Alabama
February 21, 1990	at Tennessee	L 100–102	13–12 (9–7)	Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee
February 24, 1990	Auburn	W 98–95	14–12 (10–7)	Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky
February 28, 1990	Ole Miss	L 74–88	14–13 (10–8)	Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, Mississippi
March 5, 1990	at Notre Dame	L 67–80	14–14	Joyce Center South Bend, Indiana
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast.

References

^ sports-reference.com 1989-90 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
^ "1989-1990 Kentucky Wildcats Roster and Stats". Retrieved October 27, 2013.
^ "1989-1990 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". Retrieved October 27, 2013.
^ "Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: The Unforgettables 20-years ago today". March 28, 2012.
^ Associated Press. “Kentucky Put on 3 Years’ Probation: NCAA Bans Postseason Play 2 Years, Orders Limited Wildcat Scholarships.” Los Angeles Times. 9 May 1989. Kentucky Put on 3 Years' Probation : NCAA Bans Postseason Play 2 Years, Orders Limited Wildcat Scholarships - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com). Accessed 3 December 2021
^ "PITINO'S HONEYMOON BEGINS AT KENTUCKY - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
^ Kerber, Fred. “Report has Pitino going to Kentucky.” Sun-Sentinel. 30 May 1989. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1989-05-30-8901280284-story.html. Accessed 24 October 2021.
^ "Pitino, Kentucky Surprise Each Other - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. December 10, 1989.
^ "Rick Pitino (2005) - UK Athletics Hall of Fame". University of Kentucky Athletics. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
^ Jent, Brian. “Friendship, tradition attracts assistant coach to Lexington.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.
^ Hau, David A. “Assistant Smith brings knowledge of Southern high schoolers to staff.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.
^ Hall, Gregory A. “New assistant Sendek gave up sweet life for sweat life.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.
^ Bowmar, Kip. “Prototype Pitino point guard begins coaching career.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.

[1] sports-reference.com 1989-90 Southeastern Conference Season Summary

[2] "1989-1990 Kentucky Wildcats Roster and Stats". Retrieved October 27, 2013.

[3] "1989-1990 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". Retrieved October 27, 2013.

[4] "Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: The Unforgettables 20-years ago today". March 28, 2012.

[5] Associated Press. “Kentucky Put on 3 Years’ Probation: NCAA Bans Postseason Play 2 Years, Orders Limited Wildcat Scholarships.” Los Angeles Times. 9 May 1989. Kentucky Put on 3 Years' Probation : NCAA Bans Postseason Play 2 Years, Orders Limited Wildcat Scholarships - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com). Accessed 3 December 2021

[6] "PITINO'S HONEYMOON BEGINS AT KENTUCKY - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.

[7] Kerber, Fred. “Report has Pitino going to Kentucky.” Sun-Sentinel. 30 May 1989. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1989-05-30-8901280284-story.html. Accessed 24 October 2021.

[8] "Pitino, Kentucky Surprise Each Other - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.

[9] "Archives". Los Angeles Times. December 10, 1989.

[10] "Rick Pitino (2005) - UK Athletics Hall of Fame". University of Kentucky Athletics. Retrieved December 4, 2021.

[11] Jent, Brian. “Friendship, tradition attracts assistant coach to Lexington.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.

[12] Hau, David A. “Assistant Smith brings knowledge of Southern high schoolers to staff.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.

[13] Hall, Gregory A. “New assistant Sendek gave up sweet life for sweat life.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.

[14] Bowmar, Kip. “Prototype Pitino point guard begins coaching career.” Kentucky Kernel, 27 November 1989. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt76m9022798. Accessed 23 September 2021.

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v t e Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	State College Gymnasium (1903–1914) Buell Armory Gymnasium (1910–1924) Alumni Gymnasium (1924–1950) Memorial Coliseum (1950–1976) Rupp Arena (1976–present) Joe Craft Center (practice)
Rivalries	Centre (historical) Florida Indiana Louisville North Carolina Tennessee Transylvania (historical)
Culture & lore	History under Adolph Rupp Fabulous Five Point-shaving scandal Fiddlin' Five Rupp's Runts The Season Without Celebration "The Shot" Unforgettables Untouchables Comeback Cats John Wall Dance Tweakables Pursuit of Perfection 2011 Indiana game Basketbowl Champions Classic CBS Sports Classic The Rivalry: Red v. Blue The Wildcat Scratch Blue "On, On, U of K" "Kentucky Fight" Big Blue Nation Blue blood status
People	Head coaches Honorees NBA draftees Players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics