Chuck Hayes Birthday

Notice the sun shining a little brighter today? It’s because one of the most beloved players in UK history turns 25 today and you might as well spend the rest of the night celebrating. Chuck Hayes selected UK over Kansas and came to Lexington in 2001 as somewhat of an unknown in a recruiting class including McDonald’s All-American Rashaad Carruth, Kentucky Mr. Basketball Josh Carrier and Ballard’s Adam Chiles. Despite being a Parade All-American and California’s Mr. Basketball, ESPN ranked Hayes as the 83rd overall player in the class and the 18th best small forward behind a group of players who don’t exactly get your blood pumping. And, in case you were living in a cave for the past seven years…

All Hayes did at UK was win 81% of the games he played in while posting career averages of 9 ppg and 6.8 rpg and providing the steady leadership and hustle that made him a fan favorite. In his time in Lexington, Hayes tied Alex Groza for the record for most games started by a Wildcat (110) and was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team, all three All-SEC teams, the SEC Tournament Team, the NCAA All-Region team and earned 2004 SEC Defensive Player of the Year Honors. He also played on the 2003 Pan-Am Games team. Hayes finished his career ranked 7th in rebounds, 8th in steals, 9th in blocked shots, and 35th in points. After leaving Kentucky, Hayes was named as the MVP of the Portsmouth pre-draft camp, but went undrafted. But, in typical Hayes fashion, he led the NBDL in rebounding (12.2) for about half a season and then earned a spot on the Rockets where he has become a fixture in their rotation.