| 1995-96 |

1995-96 - (Won 9; Lost 4) - Coach: Delray Brooks

1995-96 Junior Varsity Roster

1995-96 Junior Varsity Stats

1995-96 Junior Varsity Results

With a varsity team full of talent, Rick Pitino put together the first JV Basketball Team in 20 years for . . .
Necessary Improvement

By Stephen Trimble (The Kentuckian, 1996)

The 1995-96 basketball season featured the first Junior Varsity basketball team in more than 20 years. Coached by Kentucky assistant coaches Delray Brooks and Winston Bennett, campus intramural and playground stars pulled out their sneakers for a shot at a Kentucky jersey and all the perks - not to mention all the work.

Part-time varsity players Nazr Mohammed, Oliver Simmons, Cameron Mills and Jason Lathrem reaped the big minutes and statistics. However, who on Ft. Knox's basketball squad or Lees College's crew could stop Mohammed with his mountainous frame, Simmons with his solid pivot move, Mills with his picture-pretty jump shot, and Lathrem with his rebounding and defensive skills.

Nothing could stop them. Referring to Mohammed, Hargrave Military Academy coach Scott Sheppard said, "He's just like a big house under the basket. They just passed it into him and he turned around and scored." Hargrave lost 107-93.

Then there was Michael Yang and Brian Underwood, two no-names that competed for the starting point guard spot. Both would win - at different times. Yang with flashy scrambles through full-court presses and Underwood with his offensive control of the half-court. A game in Memorial Coliseum was like reading a bedtime story. The story was good whether the team, which finished 9-4, won or lost. You did not hope to see Mills swish a three-pointer; that was gravy. But you crosed your fingers to watch someone like Dustin Miller, a Peachtree City (Ga.) buddy of Kentucky varsity guard Jeff Sheppard, go 7-7 field goal shooting en route to 16 points. Then you heard his blue-collar reaction. "Ik just try to do my job," Miller said. "Whenever I get a chance to play, I try to step it up."

The team ended the season embarrassingly after losing to Oak Hill Military Academy (Va.) - a high school team. Oak Hill's Randy Barnes hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to snap Kentucky's five-game winning streak.

Wins and losses were not the aim of the team, though. Improvement of the varsity cubs was. Did the experiment work?

"I can't tell right now," Mills said after the Oak Hill game. "We'll find out when we practice with the varsity players,"

In the meantime, the no names made names for themselves.

Forward Oliver Simmons goes up for two against Lees College.	Guard Cameron Mills attempts a finger roll for two points.

Center Nazr Mohammed aggressively blocks the shot of his opponent.	Freshman forward Jason Lathrem uses his offensive moves to shake off his Fort Knox opponent.

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