Kentucky Basketball: Why John Calipari Is a College Hoopster's Dream Coach

Coming off of three straight number-one rated recruiting classes, there can be little doubt that John Calipari is the hot name among college coaches on the recruiting trail.  He may not be the best coach in the country nor the most successful, but there is no argument that he is the best recruiter.  Kids love playing for him and he is always among the favorites to sign almost anyone he desires.  As soon as he offers a kid a scholarship then the recruiting services automatically vault Kentucky near the top of that kid's list.

Of course, to rival fans this means only one thing: Calipari is a cheater.  He has to be.  "Look at the vacated Final Fours and his association with World Wide Wes" they claim.  "He has to be cheating."

But does he?  Does it really take cheating to become the guy that high school kids want to play for?  I don't think so, and here are a couple of reasons behind why I think Calipari has separated himself from the field in recruiting.

For starters, look at Calipari's history of getting guys to the league.  Just a few weeks ago Calipari had four players drafted by NBA teams.  Four!  And here's the kicker...this was a down year compared to the last draft.  Do you remember two drafts ago?  The John Wall draft?  On that night Kentucky had an astounding five players all drafted in the first round.  Combined, that's nine guys drafted in the last two years alone.  Throw in his guys from Memphis like Derrick Rose and in a few years you would probably be able to win an NBA title with Calipari players alone.

And what kid that has to go to college for at least one year wouldn't be impressed by that?  Look at how many underclassmen leave school early even though there is no chance that they can all get drafted.  Almost everyone playing D1 basketball thinks they are good enough to go pro, but only Calipari has shown that this is possible.  He can realistically say that at Kentucky, if you play for me and do what I ask you will go pro.

Add to that the fact that Calipari's teams play a fun style of basketball that incorporates a lot of one-on-one play that allows guys to show their NBA skills.  Calipari often says that in his system he can't hide you.  Either you can play or you can't.  But if you can play, you will be rewarded.  Young kids love that opportunity.  Most elite players don't mind coaching, but they also don't want to be pigeon-holed into playing certain roles in an inflexible system.  And unfortunately, that is what most coaches want. 

Calipari, on the other hand, is not a control freak when it comes to playing with some style and sizzle.  It shows in how much fun his teams have on the court.  Bottom line: come to play for Calipari and you will get to showcase your skills and have fun doing it.  They just can't say that at places like Indiana.

Finally are the extras that recruits love.  Calipari is surrounded by stars like LeBron, Drake, Jay Z and many more guys that get the attention of any recruit.  Let's say that a high school kid can go to one school and after a win he might get to meet Bernard King (Tennessee) compared to another school where he might get to meet LeBron James (Kentucky).  Don't get me wrong, as a guy that loves hoops meeting Bernard King would be awesome.  But for a high school kid does it come close to meeting King James?  I don't think so. 

And then there are the wins.  Oh my the wins.  Play for Calipari and you are setting yourself up to be on a team that will win somewhere around 30 games a year and have a great shot at a Final Four.  You'll not only be a winner, but you will be a star...and you will be around stars.  It's really enough to make your head spin.

Again, this doesn't make Calipari the best.  But it does make him the most popular.  And it makes him a dream coach for anyone having to pass through college basketball for a season or two before heading to the pros.