Thursday Headlines: Vernon Hatton Edition

Feb 9, 2023 - 11:40 AM

Kentucky Basketball legend Vernon Hatton will be recognized as as a member of the 2023 Southeastern Conference Legends at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee next month.

Hatton will represent Kentucky in the ceremony, where each SEC team will have a representative. He will be recognized at halftime of Kentucky’s first game in the SEC Tournament, along with a group recognition on Friday of the tournament.

The program is making a comeback after being gone since 2020. Hatton was expected to be recognized in 2020 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hatton helped lead UK to the 1958 national championship, its fourth in school history. He averaged a team-high 17.1 points per game for the 23-6 national title team. Hatton scored 30 points to guide UK past Elgin Baylor-led Seattle in the championship game.

he Lexington native was tabbed All-America First Team by Converse Yearbook and the Helms Foundation in 1958 and was a member of the 1958 Final Four All-Tournament Team and the NCAA All-Regional Team. Hatton was also an All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches and a second-team selection by the media.

Hatton scored 1,153 career points and averaged double-figure scoring in all three seasons of varsity basketball.

He was selected in the second round of the 1958 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals and played four seasons in the NBA.

His No. 52 jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena as one of Kentucky’s retired jerseys and he was a part of the inaugural class for the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Tweet of the Day

After 24 games, you kind of just are what you are. Outside of the win at Tennessee, Kentucky has beaten most of the average-to-bad teams and lost to all the good ones. More than anything, their struggles defensively put a hard cap on what they can be.
— Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) February 8, 2023