Matt Jones KSR- The one sure way to the NBA

The One SURE Way to the NBA

by Matt Jones @ 9:29 pm. Filed under Blue Blooded Opinions

Much has been made over the past few years of Calipari’s amazing run in recruiting while in Lexington. Since arriving three years ago, Calipari has put together four straight #1 classes and has made Kentucky the dominant name in recruiting circles year in and year out. While Calipari doesn’t get every single player he wants, every year he gets 4-5 of his top 7 choices, and that ensures that he enters each season stockpiled with talent. Many people, including Calipari critics searching for any thing that could bring the coach down, try to explain the success with one theory or another, as benign or nefarious as the viewpoint of the individual doing the asserting. But for me, the easiest explanation is also the most correct. If you come to Kentucky and are one of the top 6 players for John Calipari, you are virtually guaranteed to play in the NBA. Read that sentence again. If you come to Kentucky, and are either a starter or the sixth man for Calipari, you are virtually assured of playing professional basketball at its highest level. That is astounding, but also true. Just look at the last three Calipari teams:

2009-2010:

PG: John Wall
SG: Eric Bledsoe
SF: Darius Miller
PF: Patrick Patterson
C: Demarcus Cousins
6th: Daniel Orton

2010-2011:

PG: Brandon Knight
SG: Deandre Liggins
SF: Darius Miller
PF: Terrence Jones
C: Josh Harrellson
6th: Doron Lamb

(Practice Player: Enes Kanter)

2011-2012:

PG: Marquis Teague
SG: Doron Lamb
SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF: Terrence Jones
C: Anthony Davis
6th: Darius Miller

It truly is astounding, but it is a fact. The best six players on every Calipari team will have a professional NBA career. What other coach can say that? In today’s college basketball, no one. And going back through history, it would be hard to find more than a handful of examples (none immediately leap into my mind) of any who have come close. And the magic doesn’t look to stop this year. Who are the top six this season?:

2012-2013:

PG: Ryan Harrow
SG: Archie Goodwin
SF: Alex Poythress
PF: Kyle Wiltjer
C: Nerlens Noel
6th: Julius Mays

Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com has written that he believes all five of UK starters are certain to play in the NBA and from my vantage point that seems almost assuredly correct. When you factor in an historically weak NBA Draft next year (some say it could be the worst ever), any of those on the border of the draft in another year might find next year’s might appealing. The one outlier could be Julius Mays, but at this point, would you bet against Calipari? Mays can score and his pro prospects certainly don’t look any dimmer at this time than Josh Harrellson’s did before his final year.

Even if Mays does become the one holdout, look at the likely 2013 crew Calipari will bring in…Andrew and Aaron Harrison, James Young, etc…isn’t it almost certain that team’s top six ends up in the NBA? Bottom line, trying to explain why Kentucky has recruiting success doesn’t take a solid basketball mind and it certainly doesn’t take a national journalist trying to slay the Calipari dragon. It is a simple syllogism:

A. I am a top recruit who will be a top 6 player at Kentucky

B. Every top 6 player at Kentucky plays in the NBA

C. Therefore I will play in the NBA

Where is my Letter of Intent?