John Calipari has all the time he needs now. No more games to coach. He should fly to Brooklyn on Sunday, then come to Boston next week.
Study Connecticut — the Huskies are everything Kentucky isn’t.
A true powerhouse. A focused and determined team that has somehow been better than it was last year during its dominant run to the national championship. A coach who makes adjustments on the fly and is unrelenting in how much he demands out of his players.
Calipari could learn a lot about team building from Dan Hurley. A lot of coaches can. Hurley has the blueprint. Development and the right transfers. The Huskies, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, aren’t flush with five-star recruits. They are built on stud transfers (Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer), quality multi-year players (Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan) and one blue-chip freshman (Stephon Castle). Experience and talent together wins now, not one without the other.
“Number one, you’ve got to insulate big-time freshmen like Steph Castle around the core of returners to your program every year and then supplement with the portal,” Hurley said after Connecticut did what Kentucky couldn’t, manhandled an outclassed opponent, taking down No. 16 Stetson, 91-52, to advance to the second round against No. 9 Northwestern on Sunday. “So you can’t miss on high school kids, you can’t miss on player development. I think you’ve got to do it in a strategic way.”
He added: “It’s hard to be an elite team if it’s all portal or all high school. You’ve got to have a core of guys that return to your program every year that you build around.”
Kentucky is the perfect example of how much this sport has changed. Despite the annual tradition of five-star prospects choosing to spend a few months in Lexington prior to jumping to the NBA, the Wildcats haven’t reached the Final Four since 2015. They are 1-4 in the NCAA Tournament the last three years. There isn’t much player development going on there, unless you think turning projected lottery picks into actual lottery picks counts. Kentucky fans certainly are getting tired about hearing how many NBA players Calipari is producing as his March failures pile up.
It’s not just Kentucky. Duke, the other Blue Blood that has dominated recruiting over the last decade, last won it all in 2015. That was also the last time a freshmen-dominant team were crowned champions. Even that loaded Duke team in 2018-19 featuring Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett couldn’t get to the Final Four.
There are a lot of factors in this sea change. Top prospects have had other options, in particular the G-League Ignite team, which is disbanding after this year. Others have gone overseas. Teams are older now, in part because there are players using a fifth year of eligibility made available by the COVID-19 year.
The elimination of G League Ignite, and the COVID-19 year expiring could possibly change that to an extent. But freshmen owning the sport feels unlikely, since the transfer portal now allows for high-major teams to load up rosters with experience even more. It’s difficult to ask freshmen to beat juniors and seniors, even if there is a talent divide. Kentucky saw that against Oakland. Its top freshmen got tight.
“There’s a lot of pressure in these NCAA Tournament games,” Hurley said. “It’s unlike anything else in sports for these freshmen — you know, to go on the court and to be a 2-seed versus a 15 or a 3 versus a 14 and the arena turns on you. And now you’re surrounded by a bunch of other young freshmen that have never swam in these shark-infested waters.”
Castle has shined by being surrounded with older players who have been there before, and not being asked to carry the load. He is counted on to defend, share the ball and score when opportunities present themselves. Going to a Duke or Kentucky didn’t interest him. He was content with a secondary role, knowing it could lead to big things for himself down the road.
“It’s helped me tremendously this year playing with a lot of guys who have a lot of games under their belt. They’re super mature, they know how to play the game and they’ve been there before,” the Big East Freshman of the Year said. “You ‘ll see it throughout the tournament, it’ll make a difference.”
Indeed, Connecticut is expected to be playing for a few more weeks, as it chases history as the first repeat winner since Florida in 2006-07. Kentucky, meanwhile, is dealing with yet another March disappointment. Next year, it will be relying on another top recruiting class, more one-and-done freshmen who Calipari hopes can grow up fast.
Odds are, Kentucky will be in the same spot at this time next year. The current model isn’t working. Connecticut’s plan certainly is.
