32 Kent Hollenbeck

Kent Hollenbeck was born Kent Marvin Hollenbeck on August 24, 1950, in Knoxville, Tennessee. A 6-foot-4 guard from Bearden High School, Hollenbeck was one of the most heavily recruited players in Kentucky’s 1968 class. A two-time Associated Press All-State selection, he averaged 35.1 points per game as a senior, set a Bearden record with a 60-point performance, earned All-America honors and was named Tennessee’s “Mr. Basketball.” Roughly 130 schools contacted him, including Vanderbilt, North Carolina and UCLA, but Hollenbeck chose Kentucky after long admiring Adolph Rupp and liking the Wildcats’ fast-paced style. He immediately made an impact with Kentucky’s freshman Kittens, scoring 440 points in 21 games for a 20.0-point average while shooting 52.9 percent from the field, and was named a first-team freshman All-American by New England Cage World.

Hollenbeck’s first varsity season began unevenly, but his exceptional speed and quickness gradually made him an important part of Kentucky’s backcourt. Kentucky’s own scouting material called him the fastest player on the team, and he sparked a 72-71 road win at Georgia with a season-high 12 points before earning a starting role for the final three games of 1969-70. As a junior, he became one of the primary scorers on Kentucky’s 1970-71 SEC championship team, finishing with 308 points in 22 games while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. He earned third-team All-SEC honors from UPI and the Adolph F. Rupp Trophy as Kentucky’s best varsity free-throw shooter. Hollenbeck also made 26 consecutive free throws during one seven-game stretch and set a Kentucky record by making 40 of 44 free throws in SEC play. A severe groin injury late in the season cost him the final five regular-season games and left him short of full strength when he returned for NCAA Tournament play.

His finest varsity scoring performance came on February 15, 1971, when he poured in a career-high 28 points against Georgia, hitting 10 of 16 shots from the field and eight of nine free throws. He also scored 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting in Kentucky’s 121-80 rout of Mississippi, a record-setting night at Memorial Coliseum. Expected to be one of the veteran leaders on Adolph Rupp’s final Kentucky team in 1971-72, Hollenbeck instead saw his senior season devastated by recurring problems with his left foot. After repeated injuries and fractures, he managed only five games and 27 points, though Kentucky still captured the 1972 SEC championship in Rupp’s 42nd and final season as head coach. Hollenbeck finished his Kentucky varsity career with 436 points, 113 rebounds and 93 assists in 52 games.

Following Kentucky, Hollenbeck was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 146th overall pick in the 10th round of the 1972 NBA Draft and by the Virginia Squires in the 14th round of the ABA Draft. He later worked in real estate before retiring and eventually settled on Sanibel Island, Florida. Reflecting years later on why a Knoxville native chose Kentucky instead of Tennessee, Hollenbeck summed it up simply: “I wanted to play for the best.”