Top 15 Players to Play for Head Coach Tubby Smith

NCAA Basketball: Top 15 Players to Play for Tubby Smith

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 17: Head coach Tubby Smith of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts in the second half while taking on the Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 17, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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NEW ORLEANS – MARCH 16: Keith Bogans #10 of University of Kentucky drives upcourt during the Championship game against Mississippi State at the SEC Tournament at the Louisiana Superdome on March 14, 2003 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The University of Kentucky defeated Mississippi State 64-57. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

3. Keith Bogans

Career stats: 14.2 ppg 4.1 rpg 2.3 apg

After winning the title in 1998, expectations were high for Smith and Kentucky to keep things going. That’s where Bogans came in, instantly becoming a key player for the Wildcats in his freshman season.

Over the four years at Kentucky, he was a consistent double-digit scorer and two-way player, ultimately winning the SEC Player of the Year Award in his senior season after leading the team to an undefeated conference campaign.

2. Gary Collier

Career stats: 13.9 ppg 5.1 rpg 1.3 apg

Few players in recent memory had as prolific a senior season as Collier did in 1994, where he averaged 22.9 ppg and 6.7 rpg in route to winning the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year for Tulsa. His best work came in the Big Dance, where he scored 34, 25, and 35 points respectively.

Collier was part of the beginning foundation for Coach Smith with the Hurricanes, and without him, there might not be another 20 years of Division-1 Coaching.

1. Tayshaun Prince

Career stats: 13.1 ppg 5.6 rpg 1.9 apg

It was a close call between him and Collier, but Prince get’s the edge because of the level of competition he had to deal with in the SEC. He was able to win the Conference Player of the Year his junior season, before having a memorable 31 point, seven assist game in the NCAA Tournament against Iowa.

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The two-time All-American was an incredible player for Kentucky. His name may be getting pushed back a bit by the numerous “one and dones” that are coming into the program, but older Wildcat fans know how valuable he was around the new millennium. Tubby Smith had a front-row view to his great college career.

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