Coach John Calipari has proved that year in and year out he can recruit the best of the best, one and done after one and done. This is great, players want to play for a coach that can put you in the NBA, and Calipari is certainly the guy, but at some point, you have to recruit for the future and for the university. I know Coach Cal says that he will recruit the best of the best, as he should, but his entire class year in and year out should not be four 5 star players. Recruiting is not hardly a science, as players who are ranked high can be busts, and players that are ranked low, can be superstars, ie. Dwane Wade. But instead of recruiting just the best talent at each position, maybe Calipari should take a page from the Tom Izzo/Coach K playbook, and recruit the best players that fit your style and that fit your program.
If Calipari continues to recruit the way he has in the past, Kentucky will have the best players in the country year in and year out, but at the same time, will have the least experienced players year in and year out. In the future, wouldn't it be better to have a class of four players that look something like: three 4 stars and a superstar one and done type player. We all know that a superstar recruit can have an immediate impact on a programs success, but what about future success within the program. Not to toot the same horn over and over, but if you look at Michigan States recruiting classes, they are normally what I explained an ideal class to be, a few solid guys who can contribute as Freshman, but will get better and better down the road, and more importantly, leave their respected university with a degree. Say what you want about Izzo and his style of play, but Michigan State has reached the Final Four 6 out of the last 12 seasons, that is getting it done. If you have a class where you have the opportunity to get four guys like we did in the 2009 class, take it, but this should not be a yearly thing. If Cal can recruit a couple program guys to go along with a couple elite guys, not only will we have great talent, but the programs graduation rate will improve and the team will be more tournament built for the future.
As a student at the University of Kentucky, a lifelong resident of the commonwealth, and someone who has bled blue my entire life, I pay roughly 10,000 dollars a year to the university that I have loved my entire life. I want the players that play for our program to realize that they have 30,000 fellow students and millions of Kentuckians that would kill to have their opportunity, not just the opportunity to play for college basketballs greatest program, but the opportunity to receive a free education from the commonwealths flagship institute. I am proud of what we accomplished this season, but I would also hope that we have a program where the players understand what "Kentucky" means, and how great it is to wear that across their chest.
Basically, what I am trying to say is, maybe the best talent is not the best for the program, build for the future, and take pride in our university, the commonwealths college.
We'll still be one of the more young and inexperienced teams next year if we lose as many players to the NBA as its looking like.
ReplyDeleteBut inexperience wasn't our problem. Our lack of a consistant jump shooter is why we lost.
Cal can get 5 star point guards like he's picking them off a tree. He needs to focus some of that recruiting "swagger" of his towards reeling in some 40% from beyond the arc and 85% from the charity stripe type players. Just imagine how dangerous the dribble drive would have been if we had a Jodie Meeks type out on the wing for Wall (or Bledsoe or Knight or whoever it'll be nextseason) to kick it out to after he penetrated.
Luckily, Brandon Knight's long range jumpoer is supposedly better than Wall and Bledsoe
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