15 Willie Cauley-Stein

Willie Cauley-Stein was born August 18, 1993, in Spearville, Kansas. A gifted two-sport athlete at Olathe Northwest High School, he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds as a junior and became one of the nation’s leading center prospects. Cauley-Stein was equally imposing as a wide receiver, catching 57 passes for 1,140 yards and 14 touchdowns through nine games of his senior football season. Rated among the country’s top 40 basketball recruits, he chose Kentucky over Alabama, Florida and Kansas State.

Cauley-Stein developed from a talented but raw freshman into one of the most versatile defensive players in Kentucky history. He earned Freshman All-SEC recognition in 2013, made the SEC All-Defensive Team as a sophomore and blocked 106 shots during the 2013-14 season, the second-highest single-season total in school history. His sophomore year ended when he injured his ankle against Louisville in the NCAA Tournament, but Kentucky continued to the national championship game and Cauley-Stein returned for another season rather than enter the NBA Draft.

As the veteran leader of Kentucky’s celebrated 2014-15 team, Cauley-Stein helped the Wildcats win their first 38 games, claim SEC regular-season and tournament championships and reach the Final Four. His rare ability to defend guards on the perimeter as well as protect the basket made him the foundation of one of the nation’s best defenses. He became Kentucky’s first player to record at least 200 blocked shots and 100 steals, finished his career second in school history with 233 blocks and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year, SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player, the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American.

Among Cauley-Stein’s most memorable performances was a career-high 21-point, 12-rebound effort with five steals and three blocks against sixth-ranked Texas. He produced 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks against Auburn in the 2015 SEC Tournament, followed by 15 points and 10 rebounds in the championship victory over Arkansas. In the NCAA Tournament regional final against Notre Dame, his late rejection helped preserve Kentucky’s narrow victory and send the Wildcats to the Final Four.

Cauley-Stein entered the 2015 NBA Draft after his junior season and was selected sixth overall by the Sacramento Kings. He earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors and went on to play eight NBA seasons with Sacramento, the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers. His Kentucky legacy remains defined by his athleticism, personality and extraordinary defensive range, which allowed the seven-footer to guard virtually every position on the floor.