Kentucky Wildcats: UK Retires Guard Tony Delk’s Jersey
The Kentucky Wildcats took some time off from their dominance of college basketball (halftime of a rout of Auburn) to honor a fellow Wildcat who was possibly even more dominant during his time at Kentucky. Tony Delk, one of the great players to come through the Kentucky Wildcat program, had his signature “00” jersey retired Saturday night. Few players are more deserving of the honor, especially given Delk’s dominance in 1996 on a Rick Pitino-led Kentucky squad.
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Without the guidance of his brother, David Delk, Tony may have never been and stayed a Wildcat. Tony had apprehension about leaving the state of Tennessee, where he had led all high schoolers in scoring to go to Kentucky, for a place he would be forced to work hard under the tutelage of Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino. David Delk convinced his brother to go and even convinced him to stay when the lure of more playing time elsewhere appealed to Tony. In fact, the reason Tony picked the unique number “00” was in honor of his brother. The results could not have been better.
Tony Delk went on to play with the Kentucky Wildcats all four years from 1992-1996, where he became the school’s 5th all-time leading scorer (14.2 ppg), 2nd leader in steals and became Kentucky’s all time most prolific three-point shooter, hitting 283 shots from downtown. In 1996, his senior year, Delk was a consensus 1st-team All-American, winning SEC player of the year and Final Four most outstanding player as he led the Kentucky Wildcats to win their first NCAA Championship since 1978.
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In that championship game, Tony Delk was a record 7-12 from beyond the arc, scoring a game high 24 points in the victory over Syracuse. But when asked about his dominant year, Delk lauded his supporting cast. “Just the cohesiveness of playing with Derek Anderson, Ron Mercer, Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, who was my roommate for four years. A great point guard in Anthony Epps that got everybody else involved. He sacrificed his game,” Delk said in a press conference before the game.
This unselfishness seems to be something Delk, now an analyst for SEC network after a ten year career in the NBA, also sees in this year’s Kentucky Wildcats team, stating, “I really enjoy watching this team play, mainly because they are unselfish. When I watch this team play, it reminds me of how we played.” When asked about whether how his 1996 team would stack up against the current Wildcats, Delk was diplomatic, noting, “We had a different style than what they are playing right now. They are long and athletic. I thought we were being quicker. We had much better shooters. I will say that.”
Regardless of your opinion on the matter, there is no denying what a special night it was to have Tony Delk become the 43rd jersey to hang from the rafters of Rupp Arena.