Ron Mercer: a flash and he was gone

When the Kentucky Wildcats hired Rick Pitino, his main objective was to bring Kentucky its first national title since 1978...in 1995, Pitino made good for the Big Blue faithful...one of the key players on that national title team was all-everything freshman Ron Mercer...

Pitino recruited Mercer from the state of Tennessee where he was a Parade and McDonald's All-American...during his freshman year, Mercer averaged 8 points per game but showed his talent during the Final Four as he was named to the All-Final Four team...

Mercer's stock rose during his sophomore season as he averaged 18.1 ppg...

Mercer left Kentucky after his sophomore year and was the 6th overall pick by the Boston Celtics...his growth on the court did not continue in the NBA as he played for seven different teams during his nine year career...his time in NBA ended after the New Jersey Nets cut him in August 2005...Mercer earned about $35 million during his time in the bigs...