Kentucky basketball fan’s take: Ranking the 12 best Wildcat rebounders from 1990-2011

The Kentucky Wildcats have had some great players over the years. One problem with comparing the rebounding stats of players that played before 1990 is that is that we don't have offensive and defensive rebounds broken out. We also don't have minutes played for many of the all time great players. Therefore, the focus here is on the players that played after 1990.

To qualify for this list, each player must be in the top 50 on the career rebound list or have had a 300 rebound season. Rebounds per game, rebounds per 30 minutes, defensive rebounds, and offensive rebounds were taken into account.

An offensive rebound is weighted more heavily than a defensive rebound. The reason for this is because an offensive rebound extends a possession, usually leads to a higher percentage shot, and gives the team a second chance at points.

Let's take a look at the greatest rebounders and their season averages from 1990-2011. Here is the list with each player's rebounding averages:

10. Scott Padgett (1994-1999)

1994-95—1.2

1996-97—5

1997-98—6.5

1998-99—5.9

Padgett was a key player on the 1998 title team. He was best known for knocking down big shots. His rebounding numbers don't jump off the stats page but Padgett was a solid rebounder throughout his career. He averaged 6.5 rebounds a game in 1997-98. Padgett is 28^th on the all-time career rebounding list.

9. Randolph Morris (2004-2007)

2004-05—4.2

2005-06—6

2006-07—7.8

Morris was great at scoring in the low post. He was the best player on the 2006-07 Kentucky team. That year he averaged 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Morris is 42^nd on the all-time career rebounding list.

8. Tayshaun Prince (1998-2002)

1998-99—3.8

1999-00—6

2000-01—6.5

2001-02—6.4

Prince did it all when he was at Kentucky. Along with being a great scorer, he averaged over six boards a game for three straight seasons. Prince is 19^th on the all-time career rebounding list.

7. Jamaal Magloire (1996-2000)

1996-97—4.4

1997-98—4.2

1998-99—4.4

1999-00—9.1

Magloire's per game numbers weren't great for his first three years but his rebounds per 30 minute numbers were. His final year, he played a lot more and grabbed nine rebounds a game.

He is 14^th on the all-time career rebounding list and has one season over 300 rebounds.

6. Nazr Mohammed (1995-1998)

1995-96—1.5

1996-97—5.8

1997-98—7.2

Many fans remember Mohammed as the guy who missed all six of his free throws in the 1997 title game against Arizona but he was a good rebounder. Mohammed came in to UK as a project. He weighed over 300 pounds. He didn't get a lot of minutes so his totals weren't as good as they might have been. Still, he is no slouch and is 41^st on the all-time career rebounding list. He snagged seven boards a game in his final year.

5. Chuck Hayes (2001-2005)

2001-02—4.5

2002-03—6.8

2003-04—8.1

2004-05—7.7

Hayes has the most rebounds for any player on this list. He had an impressive career and is 7^th on the all-time career rebounding list. His top season came in 2003-04 when he picked up eight rebounds a game.

4. Jamal Mashburn (1990-1993)

1990-91—7

1991-92—7.8

1992-93—8.4

Mashburn might be the top overall player on this list and was an underrated rebounder. Check out his per game numbers. He is 18^th on the all-time list.

3. Patrick Patterson (2007-2010)

2007-08—7.7

2008-09—9.3

2009-10—7.4

Like Mashburn, Patterson never had a season where he averaged less than seven rebounds a game. He is 13^th on the all-time career rebounding list and had the 23^rd most rebounds in a season in 2008-09. If he didn't play on the same team as DeMarcus Cousins, he would have

2. Terrence Jones (2010-2011)

2010-11—8.8

Jones may be a surprise but he has made his mark in his first season at Kentucky when he had the 16^th most rebounds in a season. He averaged almost nine per game. Jones struggled a bit offensively at times but he always cleaned up the glass.

1. DeMarcus Cousins (2009-2010)

2009-10—9.9

Cousins is another one-hit wonder on this list. He had an impressive freshmen season playing next to Patterson. Cousins averaged almost 10 boards a game. He totaled 375 rebounds which is 8^th most in a season at Kentucky. Unofficially, Cousins had the most offensive rebounds in a season at Kentucky with 155. If he had played three or four seasons for the Wildcats instead of just one, he likely would have ended up with more rebounds than anyone in Kentucky history.

Just missed the cut

Jared Prickett

Josh Harrellson

Keith Bogans

Gerald Fitch

All the stats came from BigBlueHistory.net.

Having grown up in Kentucky, I am a lifelong Kentucky Wildcat fan. You can follow me on Twitter here. Still want more? Go to my blog.

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