By LARRY VAUGHT
National college basketball writer/radio show host Aaron Torres has an interesting perspective on future University of Kentucky basketball recruiting.
“Just one man’s humble opinion, but unless a kid is a surefire top 10 pick (in the NBA Draft), don’t think John Calipari should ever recruit a high school player again,” Torres posted on Twitter after UK’s blowout win at Kansas.
Torres noted that Fred Hoiberg built Iowa State into a perennial Big 12 contender with transfers almost a decade ago and Eric Muscleman, now the head coach at Arkansas, took Nevada to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with transfers and is relying heavily on transfers still at Arkansas.
“The bottom line is that I think this is where the sport is headed. No one is going to be able to develop players, because players don’t want to be developed. They want to go to a place where they know they can play right away, and if they can’t play they’re going to leave, knowing there’s no barrier to playing somewhere else,” Torres said.
“So as I said, if he’s a surefire Top 10 pick, or Top 10 prospect, like a TyTy Washington, Shaedon Sharpe, Karl-Anthony Towns, take him. But if he’s a fringe guy, who probably won’t be in the NBA in a year, it’s probably not worth the investment.”
Torres, who is on 600 radio stations nationwide with FoxSports, believes Calipari has been a “bit behind on his willingness to take transfers” and that this season with Kellan Grady, Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler and Davion Mintz is probably working out better than Calipari ever imagined.
“Now, rather than getting a player who isn’t physically or emotionally ready — and in many cases, both — you get a grown man, who has played at a higher level, handled the academics of college, lived away from home, all that good stuff,” Torres said.
“The question now is whether Calipari is willing to do what is best for the program, and best to compete at the highest levels of college basketball or does he still want to be the one-and-done factory and goes back heavy into the high school ranks.”
Calipari has signed high school standouts Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston and Skyy Clark for next year and also has Shaedon Sharpe already on campus who still insists he will be playing for UK next year.
Torres is not surprised UK has developed into an elite team because Calipari has always developed talent and now he is working with “more refined, more mature” players because of the transfer portal
“Obviously the ceiling long term of these players isn’t as high, but again, John Calipari’s job isn’t to put the most guys in the NBA. It’s to win the most games at Kentucky possibile,” Torres said.
“Again, I’m not surprised it’s worked. What I’m surprised by is that he hasn’t committed to this philosophy full-time going forward. We’ll see what happens in the 2023 high school class and beyond, but it’s hard to deny that this looks like the most complete Kentucky team since 2015, and probably its most realistic title contender since then as well.”
Grady, one of five UK players averaging in double figures, believes Calipari has appreciated having the oldest team he’s had at Kentucky.
“He reminds us all the time he is having a ball coaching us and is incredibly excited every day to each this team,” Grady said. “I think part of that has to do with he has an older group and guys who have played 60 to 120 or 150 college games.”
Grady said there are things Calipari doesn’t have to explain, or explain only once, because this is a veteran team.
“Overall I think the overwhelming factor is we are a high character group and all care about the team’s success more than we do our individual success and I think that is what he appreciates most,” Grady said.
Well, there might be one more thing.
“They get my jokes,” Calipari said.
However, he does enjoy the maturity this team has.
“They understand they have a responsibility to each other. They are not so consumed with themselves because they have been through this,” Calipari said. “This team is cheering for each other because the clutter that comes at them is not all about them. They are adults. They can shut phones off. I have had older teams in the past. I just haven’t since I have been here.”