Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari has become notorious for his program producing a great number of one-and-done players and though some have gone on to enjoy NBA success, like New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis, others have not fared as well.
Sure enough, Calipari appeared at a coaches clinic last weekend and said that in his coaching travels, he saw just four players leave for the NBA way too early. Calipari’s comments were reported on Twitter by SNY’s Adam Zagoria.
'I've had 4 kids absolutely should not have left and left' for NBA. Cal
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 8, 2016
Sure enough, Kentucky fans then took to Twitter to speculate who those four were, with Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb being among the popular picks.
@AdamZagoria Goodwin, Teague, Orton, and probably Dakari
— Kyle Travis (@KdotTravis) April 8, 2016
@AdamZagoria Teague, Lamb, Orton, Johnson
— 🔵Matt Davenport⚪️ (@BlueMattD15) April 8, 2016
We could go on and on about which of Calipari’s players left for the NBA too early, but that would be counterproductive. The fact of the matter is that in college basketball, players have a number of factors to consider when deciding whether to turn pro. Are they good enough to play in the NBA? Though they still have developing to do, will they be guaranteed playing time if they return in spite of a strong incoming recruiting class? The list goes on.
And at a school like Kentucky, where John Calipari has proven to be one of the best recruiters in the country, players need to consider those factors much more than others. Some may have left too early, yes, but their hands were probably forced given the situation and transferring may not have been an option.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
