Elite recruits still see John Calipari as a coach who can get them to the NBA. (Photo by Jeff Houchin)
Kentucky didn’t make the NCAA Tournament in 2021. Kentucky lost in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament to Saint Peter’s. However, that apparently has not damaged UK’s perception with big-time recruits as much as some Kentucky fans believe.
“You have to remember that coach Cal (John Calipari) gets players to the NBA,” said Yahoo.com/Rivals.com basketball writer Krysten Peek. “All five-star recruits want to make the NBA and want to do so as quickly as possible.”
“They see coach Cal as a coach who gets players there and has had a lot of success doing it. It (recent NCAA Tournament issues) has not hurt recruiting. Kentucky still has national TV, plays in a competitive conference and has coach Cal.”
Peek says recruits watch what Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey and other former UK players are doing in the NBA.
“Recruits pay attention to players if they are successful in the NBA and take note of that. That’s where they are interested in playing,” Peek said. “Now I do think what has happened puts more pressure on coach Cal and his staff to do something with the group they have coming in. If that does not happen, next year’s recruiting could be more of a valid concern.”
6 Responses
This article reinforces the problem of CCC at UK. He is all about getting players to the NBA not as much concerned about UK winning. I wonder how many might have made the NBA if they had gone to another school? Let me answer, all of them!!! CCC would like for every player on the roster to be 1 and done. What a grand ole time he would have on draft night if that were to happen.
I noticed that neither Kirby Smart nor Nick Saban were at the NFL draft last night even though GA had 5 players and Bama had 2 players drafted in the 1st round. I. Am sure CCC was befuddled if he watched.
I think both can be true Cal wants to get players to the NBA and win a national championship. But as a UK fan I feel like the former is more true.
Looks like Jai Lucas is out. Apparently going to Duke. We are definitely playing second fiddle to them.
18 y.o. young men have just a few priorities- I was one not too long ago! Why do we assume, (almost forcibly insist upon them) that instant money is the number one priority?
Yeah, I liked money well enough at 18, but it wasn’t my number one obsession to make it all right then.
I loved sports, but not because it was a conduit to big money (which I didn’t any much of). Sports just had the possibility of money as a bonus.
How many kids play sports just to get rich with the NBA as the only goal, no matter how they get there?
I am not sure we are sending the right message to these kids.
Cal gets players to the NBA because it helps him get the best players as possible to play for him at UK and help UK win. Period. It’s to his and UK’s advantage for our players to get to the league. As the article says, recruits come to UK so they can get in the league. They don’t care about our tradition, they are trying to get better, play with and against the best, be on national TV for exposure and finally, get drafted. Who could blame them? Sure, Cal plays up the narrative that he’s trying to help kids; that is true in a sense. But, don’t ever believe that Cal is only concerned with getting kids to the league; he is doing it to help UK win. That is the number one reason. A kid getting to the NBA puts no money in Cal’s pocket; but, winning at UK does. How is that so hard for people to understand?
With you David. No reason winning and sending players to NBA can not work hand in hand