On the cusp on this year's Final Four, which again features Coach John Calipari and his Kentucky Wildcats for the 2nd consecutive season, and which is also Calipari's third trip in five years, (he took Memphis there in 2008), it's only fitting to discuss his consistent ability to sign the top high school talent over the last decade.
When Calipari arrived at Memphis in 2000, after a brief NBA stint, he inherited a team that had gone 15-16 the year before in Conference USA. His first season, 2000-2001, they went 21-15. Following that season, however, despite Memphis not making the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year, Coach Calipari was somehow able to lure the highly touted, McDonald's All-American, DeJuan Wagner to come and play for the Tigers. Coach Cal was also able to land the #76 recruit in the country, Anthony Rice. The following season, Memphis improved to 27-9, but again missed the NCAA's. Wagner left after that one season, a trend that continued among Calipari recruits, and became the 6th pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.
In the following recruiting class, perhaps not knowing Wagner's plans to leave early, Calipari was only able to sign two lower ranked recruits, #72 Jeremy Hunt and #84 Almamy Theiro. Memphis, however, finished 23-7 in 2002-2003 and earned a #7 seed in the NCAA Tournament (losing to Arizona State in the first round). The top recruit in 2003 was Sean Banks (ranked #33 overall) out of Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey. The Tigers finished 22-8 in 2003-2004, again earning a #7 seed for the Big Dance and advancing to the second round before losing to Oklahoma State. In 2004, Coach Cal was able to sign another McDonald's All American, Darius Washington, Jr., along with the #38 recruit, Ronald Steele. The Tigers fell off a little the following year, finishing 22-16 in 2004-2005, missing the NCAA's.
This is where things start to get interesting. Despite a season finishing barely over .500, despite missing the NCAA Tournament and despite not earning anything higher than a #7 seed over the last nine years, Memphis and Coach Cal were able to land a phenomenal recruiting class, ranked #6 overall, in 2005. Coach Cal signed #27 Shawne Williams, #41 Chris Douglas-Roberts and #66 Antonio Anderson. With Washington and Steele returning, Memphis improved to 33-4 in 2005-2006, and earned a top seed for the tournament, losing to UCLA one game short of the Final Four. Calipari then added three more Top 100 recruits in 2006, with #41 Willie Kemp, #72 Pierre Niles and #84 Doneal Mack. The Tigers again finished 33-4 in 2006-2007, this time grabbing the #2 seed for the tourney and again losing in the Elite Eight, this time to Ohio State.
With back-to-back outstanding years, and with the core of his team returning, things looked bright for Calipari and Memphis going into the 2007-2008 season. And that was before Calipari signed Derrick Rose out of Chicago, one of the top five players in the country. Added to the mix, along with recruit #55 Jeff Robinson, Memphis reeled off its best season yet, finishing 38-2, earning a #1 seed in the NCAA's and falling one Mario Chalmers three-pointer short of winning a National Championship. Well, in theory actually. If you recall, that 2007-2008 season, with an NCAA record 38 victories, was subsequently vacated by the NCAA after it was discovered that Rose had a fraudulent SAT score and his brother Reggie received more than $2,000 in free travel. Rose Article. Vacation of a season was nothing new to Calipari, however. Back in 1996, his UMass team, featuring Marcus Camby, was also stripped of its season and its Final Four banner for NCAA violations, although Calipari was not personally implicated there (snicker). Camby Article.
Following the 2008 National Championship Game, and before the NCAA violations came to light, Rose left for the NBA, where he was the #1 overall draft pick and future winner of the Rookie of the Year Award. Calipari, not skipping a beat, brought in the #3 ranked recruiting class in 2008, which included #2 Tyreke Evans, #38 Wesley Witherspoon, #54 Angel Garcia, and #78 Matt Simpkins. Memphis again finished 33-4 in 2008-2009, earning a #2 seed in the NCAA, before losing to Mizzou in the Sweet Sixteen. Following the season, Calipari skipped town for Kentucky, cognizant of the Rose investigation. When the NCAA sanctions came down, Calipari was already living the high-life in Lexington, receiving no personal sanctions.
Evans left Memphis for the NBA, where he was the #4 pick overall by the Sacramento Kings, and earning his own Rookie of the Year Award in his first season.
And so the Calipari-Kentucky era began in 2009. Before Cal's arrival, the Wildcats already had commitments from some top notch recruits, including #19 Daniel Orton, #52 Eric Bledsoe and #64 Jon Hood. After his arrival, Calipari was able to sign #3 DeMarcus Cousins and #1 John Wall (both of whom were also considering Memphis before choosing the Wildcats - hmmm, they must have really liked Cal's coaching style). This was the first of three consecutive #1 ranked recruiting classes for Calipari at Kentucky. Kentucky went 35-3 in that first season, earning a #1 seed for the NCAA's before losing in the Elite Eight.
Once again, it was in with the new, and out with the old for Calipari. Wall, Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Bledsoe and Orton all left school early (four after just their freshman seasons), and were first round draft picks in the 2010 NBA Draft (Wall going #1 overall and Cousins #5 overall). Have no fear, however, as top ranked recruits #4 Brandon Knight, #7 Enes Kanter, #11 Terrance Jones, #26 Doron Lamb and #50 Stacey Poole were waiting in the wings for the annual mass exodus. Struggling a bit (lol), Kentucky went 29-9 in Calipari's second season, reaching the Final Four before losing to eventual champion UConn in the national semi-finals (Kanter missed the season after being ruled ineligible for his professional play in Turkey). After the Final Four, Knight, Kanter, DeAndre Liggins and senior Josh Harrellson all left for the NBA Draft (Kanter the #3 overall pick and Knight the #8 overall pick) (Poole also transferred to G Tech after the season).
In 2011, Calipari outdid even himself. With Lamb, T. Jones and Darius Miller already returning, the Wildcats signed four of the top twelve high school players in the country, including #1 Anthony Davis, #3 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, #8 Marquis Teague and #12 Kyle Wiltjer. So far in the 2011-2012 season, Kentucky is 36-2 and the odds-on favorite to win the whole thing. The question looms, however, then what? Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist are already projected to be the #1 and #2 picks in the NBA Draft. I don't think there is any question that Jones and Lamb, and probably Teague, are leaving too, and will be first round picks. Calipari has already signed shooting guard Archie Goodwin (#15 overall) and small forward Alex Poythress (#16 overall) out of the Class of 2012. What this author finds most interesting, however, is the fact that at this late date, five of the top twenty high school players in the country, including the two top ranked players, are uncommitted, but all of whom have Kentucky on their respective lists.
The #1 ranked player, Nerlens Noel, who just re-classified to the class of 2012 from the class of 2013, is a a 6'10" shot blocking machine. Check him out HERE. The #2 ranked player in the country, 6'6", lefty, Shabazz Muhammad out of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, is going to be the next great thing in basketball. Don't believe me? Check the video HERE. There's also #7 Anthony Bennett, #18 Amile Jefferson and #20 Tony Parker.
My thoughts are, all five, or at least three to four of these high school players, are waiting for Kentucky to finish their season and for Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, Teague, Lamb and Jones to declare for the draft, so they can sign with Calipari and the Wildcats. Giving Cal his fourth consecutive #1 ranked recruiting class. But what is it with this guy? Why do all these top ranked players want to play for John Calipari? Is he that great a guy? I doubt it. Is it the prestige of Kentucky? Doubt it, UCLA, UNC, Duke, Kansas are pretty prestgious basketball schools and don't attract this consistent level of talent (and BTW, Memphis wasn't exactly a college bball powerhouse before Calipari starting luring top ranked talent). There must be something else. But what? I hope we don't find out the hard way, that being the ultimate trifecta of vacated seasons, therein shaming Kentucky even more than in the 1980's by taking down a National Championship banner from Rupp Arena.
Well this is just awesome! Another wannabe pretending to know what he's talking about. Let me try to educate you on a few things:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, before Cal's first really good recruiting class at Memphis, they didn't "barely go over .500" like you said. They were 22-16. They missed the Tourney sure, but that isn't a bad year. Not a surprise for a great coach to land solid players after a solid season.
The DRose thing seems dirty, but the thing you forgot to mention was that Rose was cleared by the NCAA Clearing House. The NCAA personally said that he was eligible. They checked him out before he came to Memphis and said he could play. Then all of a sudden they try to uncover everything after the fact and the strip him of his Final Four? Seems like covering some tracks.
As for his first year at Kentucky, do some research. Patterson graduated early. Got his degree and left when his draft stock was as high as possible.
His second year there, Kanter wasn't a professional in Turkey. He played for a Turkish team that paid for his room and food which is all fine and well according to the NCAA's definition of an "Amateur". They had given him an allowance to supplement any extra fees that he might encounter, but that was all left untouched in a bank. He was deemed a "professional" because he was given that money....that he never spent.
As for your seeming bad mouthing of all the one and dones, think about this: what's the point of college? To get a degree? NO! Absolutely not. The point is to get a job. Plain and simple. It's as easy as that. Most get a degree in order to get a job but some of the most successful people in the world forwent a degree in order to pursue a job opportunity. Explain how these kids are different. You mentioned Bledsoe. Did you know that Bledsoe lived out of a car for some of his high school career. Did you know that he and his mom lived in a car while he chased his basketball dreams in Alabama. The kid came to Kentucky, excelled next to Wall on the wing, and managed to rapidly raise his draft stock, and you would have him stay at school? No. Of course not. He changed his life and his moms life by forgoing a degree. It's the right thing to do.
As to your snide remark about Cal's coaching style, these kids follow coaches. The coaches are the ones that recruit them, not the schools as a whole. Memphis didn't sign Wall and Cousins, Cal did. It's that easy. They didn't have ties to the school, they had formed a bond with the coach. Listen to Shabazz or Noel talk about their recruiting, it's all about COACHES. Very little about schools.
Your last paragraph was atrocious. Kentucky now has the greatest tradition in college basketball paired with a master mind coach/recruiter who has emphatically put this program back on top of the game while helping players reach their dreams. What more do you want from a school? Nothing. Not a single thing is lacking from Kentucky's pull.
Basically it comes down to this: has Cal messed up in the past? yep. Has every other coach? Yes. Are they all somewhat dirty? Yes because the rules for recruiting are ridiculous. Unfortunately there is now a stigma that goes along with Cal because every little thing that he does wrong is blown out of proportion. It's unfortunate that you would write this trying to bad mouth a man that has dedicated his life to helping young men achieve their dreams. Kentucky is a players first school and that's the pull, that's the appeal, that's why people will come. It's all about the players. No other coach would have gotten Josh Harrelson and Deandre Liggins a spot on an NBA roster. Cal is a fabulous coach who is passionate about the game but even more so about his players.
Wow. Thank you very much for providing this “wannabe” with an "education." You provided so many "facts" that are relevant to my blog post. Let’s address them in turn. First, please explain in what universe a 22-16 record constitutes a "great season," as you so eloquently put it? And at that time, what made Coach Calipari a “great coach,” as you call him? Before signing Rose he had one Final Four with UMass in 1996, and that was vacated. He left UMass for the NBA, where he flopped beyond belief, before winding up in Conference USA and Memphis. So at the time he signed Rose, not may people, outside current Kentucky fans, would have labeled Calipari as “great.”
ReplyDeleteI didn’t forget to mention Rose was cleared to play by the Clearing House. It’s irrelevant. Why? Because he was ultimately caught, the season vacated and the Final Four stripped. The Clearing House did a cursory review. If they don’t have clear and convincing evidence at the time, which is hard to obtain during a cursory review, they let the athlete play so they are not sued for millions later on for jeopardizing draft status. It’s the same reason Fab Melo was ruled ineligible, then allowed to play again, then once again ruled out.
Next, what do I need to research about Calipari’s first season? The blog post doesn’t say anything derogatory about Patrick Patterson. His name is mentioned to support the fact that players left and Calipari needed new talent for the following year. Period. As for Kanter, you are absolutely right. He wasn’t a “professional” basketball player in Turkey. He just received monetary compensation and benefits for playing basketball in Turkey, which no longer classified him as an amateur. Oh wait, it was an “allowance.” Great point. And it doesn’t matter if it was in an account, under his mattress or in a piggy bank. He received money to play basketball. Whatever you want to call it, the NCAA called it professionalism and ruled him ineligible. And BTW, do you think Calipari didn’t know about that? You probably don’t.
Also, the blog wasn’t bad mouthing any of the “one and done” players. In fact, not one derogatory comment was made about any of the players. I am fully aware of Eric Bledsoe’s situation before Kentucky. The blog doesn’t criticize him or any other player for leaving early and entering the draft. Where does it say that these players should have stayed in school? It doesn’t. That’s not even the subject of the blog post. But you are obviously blinded by Blue. High level basketball is a business. And for the top ranked players, it’s their business. If you are guaranteed millions of dollars to play a sport, you should unequivocally pursue that. The point of the post is that Calipari has more “one and done” players since the rule’s enactment in 2006 than any other coach. Is that wrong? If so, name the other coach or coaches that have had more. I’ll wait. Didn’t think so.
And to address your last paragraph, please provide me the links to the articles or news reports referencing when Mike Krzyzewski “messed up.” How about Roy Williams? How about Dean Smith? Bill Self? Thad Matta? You said every other coach has messed up. Coach Cal has a “stigma” attached to him because he’s had TWO FINAL FOURS VACATED in the last seventeen years and he’s only been to four. Let me do that math for you. That’s half of his trips to the Final Four. And it’s still way too early to know whether 2011 and 2012 will hold up. You can make all the excuses you want that it was the players, their families, girlfriends, agents, etc. If you honestly think that John Calipari doesn’t know every single thing that is going on in his programs, there’s really no reason to keep debating with you.
http://www.truthaboutduke.com/encyc.php?encycid=17
Deletethere is link for dirty duke
You are an idiot. Which team do you support?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12096928
Calipari does not bs his recruits, or anyone else. The system, as it stands, allows for students to leave after one year. If the #1 recruit coming out of high school could go straight to the NBA, some would. They must wait a year, and in doing so would like to go to a school where they can be prepared for the NBA. Calipari makes no apologies for his connections to the NBA. He knows what they are looking for and knows thats what these caliber of recruits want, an NBA career. Everyone recruits these high level players, you would be stupid if you didn't. You would also be stupid, and killing your chances of landing them if you tried to push four years of college on them. If a player has the talent to go to the NBA after 1 year, Calipari tells them they should declare. Why would they risk injury, and lose millions, to stay in college? If a player needs another year to get his NBA stock to rise, Calipari encourages them to stay in school. This is the way things work, Calipari is a realist who is working within the system as it stands today. If you have evidence where Calipari has worked outside the system, I would like to see it. Kids made mistakes at programs where Calipari coached. If you have evidence Calipari was involved I'd like to see that, instead of a lot of nonsense and half-baked conjecture.
Here is some more reading for you.
ReplyDeletehttp://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/8586946/
Where did Coach K mess up? Google Corey Maggette. Same situation as Cal and Camby...
ReplyDeleteReally Brad? Which Duke season was vacated? Also, research the facts, Maggette admitted to accepting money while still in high school from his AAU coach. Next.
ReplyDeleteI hate Duke, but I'm not going to overlook facts just to make Calipari look legitimate.
You may have missed the point, dude. Same infraction... a player that started every game of a Final Four season admits he took money from an agent. Yet, what do you know... no vacated wins for squeaky-clean Coach K. And dolts like you ignore the facts and just see that the NCAA vacated wins and therefore think coaches at schools like Memphis, Missouri, USC and the like did something worse than coaches that did the same things yet were treated differently by the NCAA.
Deletehttp://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12096928
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteG Dog - where does the blog say that I think these kids should stay in school instead of being top draft picks? Where do I suggest that? That's idiotic to think that.
ReplyDeleteRead it again. The point of the blog is Calipari's consistent "abilitiy" to lure these top kids every year. Calipari didn't turn John Wall or Derrick Rose into #1 picks. They were top picks before he signed them. Just interesting, to say the least, that he gets them year in and year out. They don't choose Kentucky because it will help them get exposure and drafted. Hope you don't really believe that. Derrick Rose or Wall could have went to Arizona State and still been the 1st pick.
And how are the basketball facilities at ASU? Who coached ASU at that time? How was the PAC-12 during those years? These kids go to Calipari because he tells them he will get them NBA ready and he is all about "his kids". Watch him in an interview. I hate the guy, but he's genuine. He doesn't look like a con artist. And you don't think these kids' parents had any involvement in where they go to school? Look at the whole picture instead of incidents. Quit being a douchey whiner because Calipari doesn't coach your team. Oh and by the way, Duke had Maggette, Williams straight from Williams' own wiki "In July 2005, KU released a report stating that they had violated an NCAA extra benefit rule during Williams' tenure. KU opted against self-imposing penalties," Bill Self? From a Kansas fan's own blog: "Darnell Jackson becomes Self's first commit to Kansas as after receiving over $5,000 in illegal benefits by KU booster Don Davis during his recruitment." Name me a major coach at a major institution who hasn't had something happen under his watch and I'll be the bigger man and apologize. All it takes is a little research (and by research I mean searching on google for "" and actually being versed on a topic, dipshit.
DeleteHaters gonna hate
ReplyDeleteCal recruits and coaches. He does NOT approve scholarships for players.
ReplyDeleteWe know you are biased, so why can't we be biased?
ReplyDeleteTalk to all the professional basketball analysts. They support Cal. They actually know what they are talking about and know he is a good coach and a good recruiter. The reasons for his past vacated seasons were never attached to him and neither had anything to do with him paying to get recruits, which people love to accuse him of. Camby accepted things from agents, nothing to do with Cal. Rose has someone take his SAT so he could take his skills to College and then on to the NBA, since he is required to go to school. If Cal did something to help Rose with this, then I will take that because he helped a deserving man fulfill his life dream by working around the silly "one and done" rules. And that is twice in his 24 years of being a head coach that he had issues, that weren't attached to him specifically, and people claim he cheats all the time. That could be just bad luck in having 2 players break a rule. 2 PLAYERS in 24 years of coaching, it is just absurd to accuse him of being a habitual cheater. So your entire argument is predicated on baseless assumptions.
He is a good salesman and now that he is at Kentucky it just makes it that much easier to get recruits. Not to mention he has tons of connections, he makes UK even more appealing by having Lebron James/Jay-Z/Drake/etc at games/practices/events.
Do some more research and you may change your mind on Cal. He cares more about the players than anything, and now that he is at UK he has an immense love for the fan base here as well. At the Championship celebration at Rupp he came off the bus pumping his fists to the crowd in every direction. He was more excited for us than he was for himself. He understands what it means to the BIG BLUE NATION.
U bunch of cry baby reporters make me sick!
ReplyDeleteYou all are just mad because your precious little big east or acc team didn't win the big dance as you predicted and now are throwing up smoke to try to hide your sorry excuse for a sports reporter/ analist. It would not have mattered who coached UK to the championship, you would still come up with a lame excuse to write against UK. So I say to you all "get used to it and get over it " Uk is back and will continue to rein the greatest! With BBN behind it your words and ink give us something to line our pet cages with.that's all its good for!.. .GO BIG BLUE!
I posted earlier on this and it was deketed by the writer..does the truth hurt?? Cowards would only remove negative comments from their articles!
ReplyDeleteYour 1st comment is right above your 2nd comment. Get a computer that works. No comments are removed from this blog unless they are obscene.
ReplyDelete