NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kentucky’s 79-74 win over Alabama on Saturday guaranteed that seniors Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins will play in their fourth straight SEC Tournament championship game.
A win on Sunday would place Hawkins and Willis in rare company since Kentucky hasn’t won three-straight SEC Tournament championships since 1997-99. Scott Padgett, Wayne Turner and Heshimu Evans were seniors for that group.
Evans transferred from Manhattan and didn’t play during the 1997 season but played a key role on Kentucky’s 1998 national championship team. Padgett didn’t play in 1996 because of academic issues, but he was a member of Kentucky’s 1995 SEC championship team, meaning he finished his career with four SEC Tournament championships. Only Chris Harrison and Andre Riddick (1992-95) join Padgett with that feat since the SEC Tournament restarted in 1979.
That leaves Turner as the lone member of that group who played in four consecutive SEC Tournament finals.
Hawkins, a native of Richmond, Ky., said it’s still hard to believe that he’s been on so many successful teams at Kentucky. Winning one more SEC Tournament championship would be a big deal for him.
“It means a lot to me,” Hawkins said. “It’s going to be unbelievable if we’re able to win again. Being able to make it (four) times in a row is mind blowing to me, to be honest.”
Willis was a hero in last season’s 82-77 overtime win over Texas A&M. The Mt. Washington, Ky., native hit a three-pointer with 1:01 left in the game to give Kentucky the lead for good. Playing such a large role on a championship team gave Willis a sense of pride, he said.
“I think since my sophomore year we’ve won it,” Willis said. “I feel like I’m here at the end so we might as well win it again.”
Mychal Mulder, the other senior on the Wildcats’ roster, transferred to Kentucky after spending two seasons at Vincennes University. He won’t be in the same rarified company as Willis and Hawkins, but winning tomorrow is still important to him.
“It means a ton to me to play in the SEC championship game two years in a row,” Mulder said. “To bring the championship back two times in a row would be great. But the most important thing to us is that last championship in April. It’s important, but we’re really focused on going forward.”
