John Calipari took a lot of heat this off-season, and rightly so. There is no excuse to ever go 9-16 at the University of Kentucky, but astonishingly that’s what occurred.
Afterward, there could have been excuses. There could have been finger-pointing and drama. There was not.
Instead, Coach Cal made moves, and as of now it looks like everything he’s done has worked. Let’s add it up:
1. One of last season’s biggest problems was shooting. Cal used the transfer portal to bring in a slew of great shooters to add to this year’s squad.
2. His assistant coaches had lost out on the biggest of the big-time recruits. Need proof? The Cats hadn’t signed a top-five player since 2013. So the coaching staff was reshuffled. Orlando Antigua came back, along with his friend Chin Coleman, from Illinois. The pair is already paying dividends.
3. The offense was criticized for being old. It’s led to what UK is calling the 4-out, 1-in — or four guards around the perimeter and one big man, a version of the Golden State offense with shades of Cal’s old-school dribble drive. I realize they haven’t deployed this yet, but just planning for it has convinced some high school guys to come to Lexington.
4. This brings us to closing the deal. Calipari is once again a fixture in high school gyms across the country. The guy is everywhere, seemingly re-energized and killing it on the recruiting trail.
Again, it doesn’t take much looking to find the proof.
Last week, five-star small forward Chris Livingston, of Akron, became the third pledge to UK’s class, one that when all is said and done may be one of the greatest in UK — and in college basketball — history.
The class so far includes No. 1 player Shaedon Sharpe, a shooting guard; Livingston, who is ranked as high as No. 6; and point guard Skyy Clark, ranked No. 17.
Across the country there is a wide belief that Kentucky leads for three more players inside the top 20, including No. 2 Dereck Lively II, a center; followed by top 10 talents Cason Wallace (a guard) and Adem Bona (a center).
If all were to commit, the class would be historic.
As CBS Sports put it, “No program in the modern era has secured commitments from six top-20 talents except one — and that was Kentucky in 2013.”
Say hello again to the good ol’ days of Calipari and college recruiting.
After a putrid season a year ago, this program needed a lift. There were several things that had to be done. And Calipari should be commended, because he’s done them all and more.
In short, he’s more than righted the ship. This was the kind of momentum that won him a championship in 2012.
It looks like he’ll be ready to win another sometime soon.
