Five thoughts on the 2014-15 Wildcats from Calipari
LEXINGTON, KY. – University of Kentucky basketball fans won't have to wait long for their first peek at the 2014-15 Wildcats, thanks to the team's televised trip to the Bahamas to play exhibition games against international competition Aug. 10-17, but there are still six whole weeks of offseason through which to slog.
Into that void stepped the Southeastern Conference with its summer basketball teleconference on Monday. UK coach John Calipari was scheduled for a seven-minute appearance but, naturally, went more than 10 minutes – with a backlog of still-unanswered questions – when the league had to move on and let the other 13 guys have a turn.
Here are five thoughts from Calipari to help get you through these dog days of summer:
1. He likes his team. "For the first time, I've had players return that had a chance to put their names in the (NBA) draft," Calipari said. Although that's not entirely true — as Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones did the same in 2012, then Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein in 2013 (and again this year) – the Cats did have a whopping six potential draftees return for next season.
Among its scholarship players, Kentucky will have four freshmen, six sophomores and two juniors. Calipari started five freshmen most of last season.
"So we're in the unique situation where we have veterans," he said. "I'm excited about it. The returning players and the freshmen are getting along well, so it's all good."
2. Don't ask about the arena. Calipari can go on and on (and on and on) about almost any topic. But good luck getting anything out of him about the stalled Rupp Arena renovation project, which was beyond the design stage when UK effectively killed it by backing away from a new long-term lease.
"I wasn't in town" when all that happened, Calipari said, "and really haven't read anything." He said he got a basic overview of the situation from the school's deputy athletic director. "I just hope everybody gets together and does what's right for the city and the university."
And that was it. Calipari said 45 words when asked about Rupp on Monday compared to 858 in response to two questions about the NBA raising its age limit for early entrees.
3. Bahamas a business trip. Calipari said many teams don't care about the level of competition they face in their once-every-four-years international trip allowed by the NCAA. It's more about the added practice time. He said it didn't matter to him who the Cats played when they went to Canada in 2010.
But this year, UK will face the Dominican Republic national team, ranked 26th in the world, the Puerto Rican national reserves and a French professional team twice each. With an eye on finishing the job after losing in the national championship game last season, Calipari wants his team tested early.
"Those guys are older," Calipari said. "They'll be hard games for us to win. But we're doing it as much for the games (as for the trip), which is kind of unusual."
4. Calipari has seen your list, ESPN. And he's not a fan. You know the one, the list ranking Calipari the 10th-best coach in college basketball when it comes to preparing players for the NBA. That despite the fact that Kentucky just had its 18th and 19th NBA draft picks (Julius Randle and James Young) – and 14th and 15th first-rounders – in five years under Calipari.
He hears critics who say he doesn't develop talent or can't really coach – rather rolls the balls out and lets super-talented teams do the rest – and shrugs it off.
"I'm good with that. That doesn't bother me. Say it," Calipari said. "As long as they keep continuing to be drafted, and when they got to the league they're on the All-Rookie teams, they're the Rookie of the Year, they're on Olympic teams; one's the MVP of the NBA. I mean, they're prepared in that sense."
5. Willie Cauley-Stein wants more. Calipari has a rule: If you're going to be a first-round pick, and especially if you're a potential lottery pick, get out. Take the money and run. He figured Cauley-Stein, a skilled sophomore 7-footer who already passed up the draft once, would heed that advice.
"The conversation we had the next morning after the national championship game was congratulating him. 'I'm proud of you,' " Calipari said. "He was a top-15 pick. And he came in my office the following day and said, 'I want to come back.' "
It shocked Calipari, but he couldn't argue with Cauley-Stein's logic.
"He said, 'One, I'm having a ball. Two, I'm not ready for that league, to do what I want to do. Three, I want to win a (championship) before I leave,' " Calipari remembers. "Well then it's good reasons to come back."
Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.