1978 National Champion Mike Phillips Going Into Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame

Mike Phillips was an intimidating inside force on UK’s 1978 national championship team. (UK Athletics Photo)

For those of us familiar with Kentucky’s 1978 national championship team, we know how valuable and underrated center Mike Phillips was.

He was often overshadowed by All-Americans Jack Givens and Kyle Macy. Kentucky’s other big man, Rick Robey, was a higher profile NBA prospect. Teammate James Lee was a hometown Lexington star and fan favorite.

But ask anyone who saw that team or played on that team and they will tell you Phillips was a warrior inside with his physical presence when it came to scoring and rebounding. Givens also says if a player was guarding him too closely, he would often have Phillips set a physical screen that would make the defender back off.

Phillips died unexpectedly at his home in Madisonville in 2015 at age 59 but his legacy lives on. The former UK star will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame June 10 in Columbus.

The 6-10 Phillips was Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in both 1973 and 1974. He led Akron Manchester to a 26-0 record and the state title as a senior.

Kentucky won 102-21 in his four seasons. He was on UK’s 1975 national runner-up and 1976 NIT championship team. Kentucky lost in the Elite Eight in 1977  before coach Joe Hall’s team won the 1978 national title.

Phillips scored 1,367 points at UK despite never being the primary scoring option. He shot 54.9 percent from the field, UK’s seventh best all-time mark.

He scored 7.8 points per game on UK’s 1974-75 senior dominated team but increased that to 15.6 points per game as a sophomore (Robey went out with a knee injury). He could score in a variety of ways, including a nifty hook shot. Against Tennessee he had 35 points and 28 rebounds when Robey was out with his injury.

Phillips averaged 36 points and 17 rebounds per game for CB Mollet in his first professional season overseas in 1981.  His pro career lasted 12 seasons, all in Spain, and included seven consecutive years when he averaged at least  28 points and 12 rebounds per contest.