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Posted by Old Norm (Member # 1482) on 04-26-2015, 03:35 PM:

I have seen him several times at a True Value hardware store in Madisonville.

Mike Phillips Dies

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 04-26-2015, 03:44 PM:

That is terrible news. He was one of the all-time better Kentucky players and a major part of the 78 Cats when they won the NCAA championship! God bless him and his family in this time of need.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 04-26-2015, 05:18 PM:

That is awful news. He was agreat part of the 1978 championship. May he rest in peace.

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 04-26-2015, 05:19 PM:

Yes that is terrible news. The twin towers along with Givens, Macy and crew was one of my all time favorite teams. I did not realize he was from Madisonville. Did he play his high school ball there?

Posted by SCWC (Member # 2464) on 04-26-2015, 05:48 PM:

I will always remember the label Sports Illustrated put on Robey and Phillips, King and Kong, implying the were extremely rough players. They were very instrumental in winning the championship in 78 and to this day are my all time favorite UK team. Such a shame, die from a fall in his home. Rest in peace Big Mike, we will always remember you.

Posted by Old Norm (Member # 1482) on 04-26-2015, 07:11 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by handycat:
I did not realize he was from Madisonville. Did he play his high school ball there?

Handy, according to THIS article, he was from the Akron area of Ohio.

[ 04-26-2015, 07:11 PM: Message edited by: Old Norm ]

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 04-26-2015, 07:53 PM:

That's a great article Norm. Thanks for sharing. I remember all these guys as kids . Those were the days when you had four years to get "to know" the players. His death makes me kind of nostalgic.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 04-27-2015, 01:43 PM:

Here is a very good article on Mike Phillips that is well worth reading.

Mike Phillips might be one of the most under appreciated players to have played at the University of Kentucky.

He was the starting center on UK’s 1978 national championship that included Rick Robey, Jack Givens, James Lee and Kyle Macy among others. He played in 120 career games — 43rd most in UK history — and a mark not likely to be threatened by another player any time soon.

He scored 1,367 points — 25th best all-time at UK. He also pulled off 755 rebounds — No. 20 on UK’s all-time career list.

Those numbers are part of the reason the Wildcats won 100 games in his career under coach Joe Hall.

He was a likeable player who often preferred to let his play do his talking. He was popular with teammates and friends. At 6-10, he could be imposing and he teamed with Robey and Lee to give UK a physical presence that frustrated opponents and made teammates like Macy, Givens, Jay Shidler and Truman Claytor love them.

Those were just a few of the memories that came back to me Sunday when I heard the news that Phillips, 59, had died from a fall at his home in Madisonville. He’s the first member of that 1978 national championship team to pass away.

I’ve seen Phillips often since his playing days and his personality and demeanor never changed. He was always a bit of a free spirit but at recent gatherings of former Hall players he was a bit more sedate. Still, his personality always seemed the same to me and he was always someone it was impossible not to like.

He was a tremendous player. He was Mr. Basketball in Ohio in both 1973 and 1974 and he averaged 11 points and six rebounds per game during his college career — marks that were often forgotten because of what Givens, the hometown star, did or due to the popularity of Macy. Then there was Roby, a more dynamic personality.

But Phillips was a reliable and dependable scorer. He made teams have to defend him inside, and that opened room outside for others like Givens, Macy, Claytor and Shidler to score.

During Phillips’ freshman season, UK lost to UCLA in the national title game in John Wooden’s final game as a coach. His sophomore year Robey went down with a knee injury to derail UK’s season. However, Kentucky did win the NIT and Phillips averaged nearly a double-double.. As a junior, Kentucky lost to North Carolina in the Elite Eight.

His senior season, Kentucky was the nation’s dominant team. The Cats lost two road games but were the NCAA favorite and delivered even though some always thought the team was too business-like. Trust me, I have not covered a more fun-loving team than that 1977-78 championship team.

Phillips was also a key part of one of the boldest coaching moves in UK history. That’s when Hall benched every starter except Phillips in a first-round game against Florida State in Bowling Green. The Cats trailed at halftime but Hall’s move paid off as UK won 85-76.

Phillips, who played 11 seasons in Spain, had 14 points, six rebounds and two steals in the game and years later could still laugh as he talked about how even he wondered if Hall had “lost it” by benching Macy, Robey, Givens and Claytor.

Now it’s time to say good-bye to Phillips and cherish the memories he created with teammates during a special four years of Kentucky basketball that got Hall his championship.

Link

[ 04-27-2015, 01:43 PM: Message edited by: catmandoo ]