4 Gerald Fitch

Gerald Fitch was born on August 12, 1982, in Columbus, Georgia, and grew up in Macon, where he starred at Westside High School. As a senior, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4.4 steals while leading Westside to a 28-5 record and the Class 4A state semifinals. The Associated Press named him Georgia’s Class 4A Player of the Year, and Fitch chose Kentucky over Clemson and Florida State.

Fitch became a four-year starter under Tubby Smith and developed into one of the Wildcats’ most dependable guards. A strong rebounder for his position and a dangerous perimeter shooter, he averaged 11.0 points and 4.2 rebounds over his Kentucky career. He helped the 2002-03 Wildcats complete a perfect 16-0 SEC regular season, win the SEC Tournament and reach the NCAA Elite Eight, then led Kentucky in scoring as a senior and earned first-team All-SEC honors.

Among Fitch’s signature performances were a career-high 36 points against Tennessee Tech in November 2003 and 25 points against IUPUI in Kentucky’s opening game of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. His final championship moment came in the 2004 SEC Tournament, where he scored 18 points in the title-game victory over Florida and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

After Kentucky, Fitch played for the Miami Heat during the 2005-06 NBA season and built a lengthy international career that took him to leagues across Europe, Asia and Latin America. He later returned to Macon and entered coaching, serving on Mercer University’s staff before becoming a college head coach at Central Georgia Technical College.