John Calipari hugged Devin Booker after Phoenix made him a first-round draft pick. (NBA Photo)
Former Kentucky player Devin Booker will be looking for a big bounce back in Game Four of the NBA Finals tonight in Milwaukee after he scored a playoff-low 10 points in Sunday’s 120-100 loss. Phoenix still has a 2-1 lead in the series going into tonight’s game when Booker might see a familiar face — Kentucky coach John Calipari.
“We haven’t been in touch much this Finals run. I actually think he’s coming to the next game. I think I heard that,” Booker said Tuesday.
He said he learned a lot from Calipari during his one year at Kentucky.
“Just how to be a pro. I was 17, 18 years old at the time, so you’re only there for — well I was — for one year, and that’s not a lot of time to spend on a college campus. But he’s trying to push the most information he can to you in a short amount of time and understanding what your goals and your dreams are,” Booker said.
“Before I went there, he had me tell him what do I want out of this program, what am I looking for. And for me, that was to be a pro. So he holds you to that standard every single day. That’s how you push and that’s how you get to that level, is somebody consistently being honest with you.”
