The 1926-27 Kentucky Wildcats basketball season was a disappointment by any definition. Former star player Basil Hayden led them to a 3-13 record and was replaced by John Mauer in what was his first college coaching job.
Mauer had previously been a coach at Batavia High School before being tabbed as the Wildcats new basketball coach. He took over a young squad fresh off a bad year, and expectations weren’t high.
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The 1927-28 season isn’t one that’s remembered as an all-time great, but it was an important one. It was the beginning of what would become a dynasty. Mauer would start something that Adolph Rupp would continue and take to even higher levels. They would start a streak of winning seasons that would last until the late 1980’s.
A coach from the high school ranks
Mauer played for the University of Illinois where he shined. Fresh out of college, Kentucky came calling, hiring him to take over after a 3-13 finish the year before.
With a nearly all-new team, Mauer had a lot of work to do, but surprised many by turning things around quickly. The Wildcats rebounded quickly, and put the program on a winning track for good.
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Two leading scorers
The new coach needed a new roster after most of the previous team left. Finding scoring was a major goal after the previous team struggled on offense. He would get it from two players, who each averaged in double figures. It was the first time that happened in school history, and would aid their successful run.
Irvine Jeffries would only play one season for the basketball season before pursuing baseball instead. Cecil Combs would be an All-SEC player for the Cats, and have three solid years with the team.
The roster and stats
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Irvine Jeffries (Soph): 11.5 ppg
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Cecil Combs (Soph): 10.3 ppg
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Paul McBrayer (Soph): 5.2 ppg
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Hays Owens (Soph): 4.4 ppg
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Paul Jenkins (Sr): 3.3 ppg
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Stanley Milford (Soph): 3.3 ppg
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Lawrence McGinnis (Soph): 2.6 ppg
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Claire Dees (Jr): 0.1 ppg
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June Lyons (Soph): 0.0 ppg
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Fred McLane (Soph): 0.0 ppg
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Len Miller (Soph): 0.0 ppg
The results
The Wildcats opened the season with a win over the Clemson Tigers, showing what they were capable of. Combs scored 10 ten points in what would end in a 33-17 blowout. They were clearly still finding their way, but the promise was there.
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Game two was a setback. Miami (OH) came to Lexington and outlasted the Wildcats 36-31. Combs was in foul trouble and they could have used him. It was a terrific, exciting game, though, and would set the stage for a winning streak.
Berea College proved to be an easy win, falling 37-16 to Kentucky. Centre College was next, and it was another double-digit victory for the Cats. Combs had 15 points in both games.
Vanderbilt was Kentucky’s third straight win, and again, it wasn’t close. Combs exploded for 19 points, and Owens added 13 in the win. They would get a fourth win in a row two days later in a close contest with Virginia. They trailed late, but closed with a 6-0 run to take it.
The winning streak came to end end against Navy with the Wildcats falling 32-26. Kentucky led by six at the half, but only scored 10 second half points. A second straight loss followed, this one against Maryland. It was their first ever meeting, and Kentucky suffered an ugly 37-7 loss to fall to 5-3 on the year.
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Jeffries’ debut came in Kentucky’s next outing, against Tennessee. He scored 22 points in a 48-18 win over the Volunteers. Combs was held to 0 points, but McBrayer picked up the slack, scoring 12 points.
Washington & Lee was a closer contest, but Kentucky held on for a 34-28 win. Combs led the way with 12 points while Jeffries had 9.
Kentucky fell to 7-4 with a 48-29 loss to Indiana. It was a close game in the first half, but the Hoosiers dominated the second half and pulled away. The Wildcats struggled on defense, and had no answer for James Strickland, who scored 19 points.
The second matchup with Vanderbilt resulted in a bounceback win for Kentucky. Jeffries and Milward each scored 15 points in the 54-28 win. Then, another dominant victory over Tennessee made it a clean sweep against the state, and gave Kentucky a 9-4 record.
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Georgia Tech handed Kentucky defeat number five, 35-31. It was the Wildcats’ third game in four days, and it showed on the court, though they still kept things close.
Kentucky closed the regular season with a 30-20 win over Centre College. Combs had 19 of Kentucky’s 30 points, but the Lexington Herald called it “the worst game they have played this season.”
Up next was the Southern Conference Tournament. They opened with a win against South Carolina where Kentucky scored 56 points, their highest total of the year. Combs scored 21, while Jeffries and McBrayer added 12 apiece. They followed that with a 33-16 win over the Georgia Bulldogs. Kentucky’s defense was stifling, and they advanced to the semifinals against Mississippi. Unfortunately, that’s where things ended for the Cats. They fell 41-28 to the Rebels, who dominated the second half.
The Wildcats final record for the 2027-28 season: 12-6
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Those who left Kentucky after the season
Irvine Jeffries led the team in scoring, but moved on to baseball. He played in the majors for a few seasons, and coached in the minor leagues after that. He died in 1982.
Paul Jenkins also went into coaching after his playing career ended. He coaches in Kentucky, Ohio, and eventually Florida where he became an athletic director. He passed away in 1985.
June Lyons only played in three games in his only season with the Wildcats. He died in 1985 at the age of 77.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky basketball year-by-year review: 1927-28 season
