NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time
By Brian Rauf
Louisville Basketball Mount Rushmore: Darrell Griffith, Wes Unseld, Pervis Ellison, Derek Smith
Darrell Griffith
Darrell Griffith is an easy first edition to the Louisville Cardinals’ Mount Rushmore. He’s the school’s all-time leading scorer and led them to their first national championship in 1980, winning National Player of the Year that season as well.
That season, “Dr. Dunkenstein” recorded a school record 825 points, which is the only time any Louisville player has even eclipsed 700 points. His jersey was retired shortly after that 1980 national title before he had a quality NBA career with the Utah Jazz.
Wes Unseld
Wes Unseld was a two-time consensus All-American during his three years with the Cardinals, but was dominant the entire time, averaging 20.6 points and 18.9 rebounds per game for his career. The Cardinals made the Sweet 16 in both 1967 and 1968 with Unseld leading the way, but failed to advance any further.
The then-Washington Bullets drafted Unseld with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft and he remains one of the franchise’s legends, winning NBA MVP in 1969 and leading the franchise to their only NBA title in 1978.
Pervis Ellison
“Never Nervous” Pervis Ellison was a star for Louisville for all four years. He was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player during the Cardinals’ 1986 National Championship run and remained one of the country’s best players from that point on. Ellison was a three-time First-Team All-Conference performer and was a consensus First-Team All-American in 1989.
Injuries limited his NBA career, but was named Most Improved Player in 1991 after averaging 20.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.
Derek Smith
Along with Griffith, Derk Smith was a starter on the 1980 National Championship team and is sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,826 career points. He was also a three-time all-conference performer, demonstrating his maintained level of high play.
However, one of the “Doctors of Dunk” secured his place on this list for another reason. Many believe that he and Louisville teammate Wiley Brown invented, or at least made popular, the high-five!