Kentucky & Kansas, #1 and #2 respectively, in total number of NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball wins, with over 4,400 between them. These two powerhouse programs also combined for 11 NCAA National Championships.
Producing a plethora of NBA prospects, under hall of fame coaches, you can’t talk about the top college basketball programs without mentioning the Wildcats and the Jayhawks. Despite all the story book endings, conference titles, and tournament wins, not all of these players find success at the next level. Let’s take a look at some of the players who wish they had Coach Cal or Bill Self in the NBA because they couldn’t quite cut it at the next level.
Sam Bowie: 1984, 2nd Pick
Sam Bowie is the draft bust to end all draft busts, Kentucky or otherwise. Bowie was better than you remember for the Portland Trail Blazers, putting up 10 points and eight rebounds a game for them along with quality defense, but he never stayed healthy and was plagued by leg injuries throughout his career. Bowie was the number two pick in the 1984 draft, and today we only really know him because of the guy drafted right after him: Michael Jeffrey Jordan.
Heck, Hakeem Olajuwon went one pick before, and Charles Barkley went three picks after. How do you pick second in a draft with Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Charles Barkley and end up with Sam Bowie? Portland fans have never figured out an acceptable answer.
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