By: DMoore

DMoore — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:45:13 +0000

“the coach also claims as a players-first program that he must protect his players…What are his players at risk of, exactly?”

I think there’s actually a significant risk here, to both Kentucky’s players, and to Kentucky’s long term approach.

Currently, Kentucky’s success is built on landing the most coveted players each year. The key to getting those players to come to Kentucky is that it is seen as the best path to being a high draft pick in the NBA as quickly as possible, while playing on a championship contender.

What is being forgotten is how difficult it really is to get even highly talented freshmen to play at a high level. Remember that prior to this year, only Carmelo Anthony had been the only one and done player to start for an NCAA championship team. Usually, freshmen struggle greatly — having to adjust to a much higher level of competition, to a much faster game, to not being the most talented player on your team, to playing with an entirely new group of players, even to being homesick. What Calipari has done is truly unprecedented.

The problem is that the approach has been so successful that they return far less than they have any previous year. They return the 7th man from a team that stuck to playing their top 6 as much as possible. They return a transfer point guard who was good, but not great, as a freshman at NC State (and was not missed by that team at all last year).

Non-conference games come at the beginning of the season. In November and December, this team will still be figuring out roles, and the players will still be adjusting to college level basketball. Frankly, this team won’t be ready yet to face a potential number one team at that point of the year — how well will they even know Kentucky’s offense or defense at that point of the season?

In the early season, Calipari will need to instill confidence in his team, so they develop trust in their teammates, their coach, and themselves. They need to face Indiana at the end of the year, after that’s been developed, not at the beginning.

There is also substantial risk to the players at the beginning of the year. Nerlens Noel averaged 12 points and 7 boards in high school, and he didn’t have to face Cody Zeller. Anthony Davis was a once in a decade talent who was ready to come up big against John Henson at the beginning of his college career. If the freshmen look bad playing top talent before they’re ready, it damages their NBA draft stock. It will not look good for Kentucky, or Calipari, if the number one high school prospect doesn’t go high in the draft, or worse, needs to stay in school a second year. Ok, maybe Andre Drummond has proven you can only fall so far, so fast as a freshman.

This would undermine the whole foundation of what Kentucky’s success is built on. I think Calipari knows this team just isn’t ready yet, and he needs a little more time to prepare them.

By: uncgrad2012

uncgrad2012 — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:10:05 +0000

You know UK will always have at least one home and home rivalry with U of L. It’s entirely possible they will have two when UNC comes back on the schedule in 2013 (although I suspect that one might be bound for neutral sites as well). Also, UK truly does turn over its roster each year under Coach Cal at a truly unique rate.

Anyway, my point is: still better scheduling than Duke.

Comments on: Calipari Pushes ‘Nontraditional’ Scheduling Agenda, A Loss For Everyone Involved

By: DMoore

By: uncgrad2012