ESPN: Pitino tops Calipari in prepping players for NBA
It’s not that Louisville’s Rick Pitino and Kentucky’s John Calipari appeared on ESPN’s list of “Best college coaches at NBA prep.” It’s where they appear.
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman recently polled a number of NBA executives who came away with a surprising opinion of how Calipari in particular gets players to the next level. Mr. One-and-Done (or Succeed and Proceed, as Calipari now refers to it) ranks 10th, one spot behind Pitino.
“NBA general managers prioritize natural talent over just about everything else,” Goodman wrote. “But the NBA folks also take a look at where the player came from — the college program and, specifically, the coach. Some guys prepare their players for the transition to the NBA while others don’t arm their kids with enough to make a seamless adjustment.”
Florida’s Billy Donovan, a Pitino pupil, topped the list, followed by former UCLA coach Ben Howland and Michigan’s John Beilein.
“(Calipari) has no peer when it comes to recruiting, and while many NBA guys don’t feel as though the players improve as much on the court, they feel as though the experience off the court prepares them for the move,” Goodman wrote, quoting one NBA executive who said, “Cal’s guys are all ready for NBA life. Media, attention, 24/7 news cycles. That’s where he does a great job.”
As for Pitino, “He churned out high-level pros back when he was at Kentucky and has done fairly well in Louisville with guys like Earl Clark, Francisco Garcia and Gorgui Dieng,” Goodman wrote. “Pitino spent plenty of time in the NBA and has his guys prepared from a conditioning and mental standpoint.”
The list comes after a year in which UK products Anthony Davis and John Wall played in the NBA All-Star Game. Also, DeMarcus Cousins, Brandon Knight and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist made the NBA’s All-Rookie teams. There are three former U of L players in the NBA now: Dieng, Garcia and Peyton Siva.
An NBA executive had this to say to Goodman about Pitino: “He may be a victim of his own greatness by getting the most out of his guys while in college and then their talent level and deficiencies show up at the next level.”
The rankings:
1. Billy Donovan (Florida)
2. Ben Howland
3. John Beilein (Michigan)
4. Tom Izzo (Michigan State)
5. Fred Hoiberg (Iowa State)
9. Rick Pitino (Louisville)
10. John Calipari (Kentucky)
Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199; follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.