By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Former UK great Dan Issel is flanked by fellow "Fantasy Five" dream team honorees Jack "Goose" Givens and Kyle Macy. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

LEXINGTON - Adrian "Odie'' Smith had been at the NBA All-Star Game two weeks ago, where the former Cincinnati Royal and 1966 All-Star Game MVP was introduced and got to glad-hand with former players.

But that couldn't touch the scene he saw Sunday at Rupp Arena.

"With 100 years of (Kentucky) basketball, this brings back so many memories," Smith said of the school's Reunion Weekend festivities. "I don't know of another program that has a tradition like this."

Smith, who lettered at UK in 1957 and '58, was one of the 100-plus former letterwinners introduced at halftime Sunday. The oldest was 90-year-old Evan Settle, who played in 1933 and '34.

Honoring its 100th season of basketball, UK announced its "Fantasy Five," an all-time team chosen by fans who voted via Internet and paper ballots:

• Center: Dan Issel (lettered 1968-70), the NBA Hall of Famer who is UK's all-time leading scorer with 2,138 points. That's in just three seasons.

• Forward: Jack "Goose" Givens (1975-78), who ranks third on the scoring list with 2,038 points and scored 41 points in the 1978 national championship game.

• Forward: Jamal Mashburn (1991-93), the All-American who hastened UK's comeback from probation to prominence.

• Guard: Kyle Macy (1978-80), the two-time All-American who quarterbacked the 1978 title team.

• Guard: Tony Delk, the leading 3-point shooter in school history and 1996 Final Four MVP.

Macy, Issel and Givens were on hand; Mashburn and Delk had NBA commitments.

Among the former players introduced at halftime were Holmes High graduate Dickey Beal (1981-84) and Princeton High grad Todd Svoboda (1993).

"It's been great to meet all these guys and hear the stories from long ago," said Svoboda, who works as an engineer for LexMark in Lexington. "And I got to meet (fellow Princeton grad and current Wildcat) Erik Daniels for the first time. I can certainly relate to a guy from my hometown."