Is It Time for John Calipari to Change His Recruiting Strategy?

[Joneslab]

Good long article by Ben Roberts in the LHL.

No new information we haven't talked about here, but goes over what's ailing Kentucky now, how to fix it, and the problems that may arise if/when Cal does try to fix it.

https://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-recruiting/article247907755.html

[George]

Yes.

[Joneslab]

The article does get into something that I think may make it impossible to fix: the fact that the NBA thing is completely baked into Cal's whole recruiting pitch.

How do you change the pitch when the NBA is the pitch?

[Lighthouse]

The NBA is always going to be a factor because they look after themselves and probably couldn't care less about our beloved college basketball. The only way Cal will change is for him to somehow care more about Kentucky than he does the NBA. But to answer the question, Yes.

[Matt Dillon]

This is a little off-topic, but related. When I saw Ben's article, on Twitter, this just hit me. I'll probably get ripped up one side and down the other but, here goes, I seriously question just how good of an x's and o's coach Cal is. Before everybody and their granny began taking the one and done route, we were fielding all-star teams every season. As more and more schools began to recruit the one and dones, the playing field became more level. Can some of you that follow college bb tell me whether or not this is when UK's dominance began to wane?

[Joneslab]

Cal was probably a very good X's and O's coach once upon a time back in his UMASS days, but I think in the last couple of decades he's remade himself as a guy who became way more interested in the psychological parts of the game.

Since he started to recruit elite talent, he seems to be of the mind that tinkering with them too much is only going to hold them back. So instead of putting in layers of sets and reads and trying to micro-manage games, he tries to simplify the system and kind of get out of their way. Then he does all this psychological motivation stuff to try and unleash them.

The problem is that sort of thing works for elite players. Most guys need coaching.

You can watch a game played by most college teams and then turn on a UK game and you see really wild things about Kentucky, notably how free-flowing they are and how they really don't counter a lot of stuff from the bench. It isn't AAU like necessarily the way Penny Hardaway does, but it's definitely basic. It also tends to not change too much throughout a 40-minute game. Cal likes to play the game in one way for 40 minutes and hope his talent pulls him through.

When you have equal talent, sometimes the game comes down to coaching. I think this is something Cal is probably not interested in a whole lot; he'd rather be involved in the arms race for NBA talent. This team doesn't have a lot of it and it has needed some serious coaching, and obviously we haven't see that yet.

[justford]

I believe at UK it is more about recruiting than coaching. The actual coaching time is spent blending egos into a team concept. Any time left can be x and o plays.

[DA#23]

On paper we run a motion offense predicated on the dribble with a defense that uses man coverage with a ton of switching. Ideally we have guys who are athletically superior and are able to do this, and when we don’t it’s Cal’s job to recognize and adjust.

Will mentioned above that we play the same way throughout the game.

I disagree. Prior to the current team one of two main gripes with Calipari was micromanaging and playing stall ball toward the last bit of the second half when we had a lead. Letting the air out so to speak.

At any rate, I think you see a few things going on. One is that at the level of recruiting we have done a poor job at assessing the skill levels of some these guys. They come in needing way more development before they can hope to hang at the D1 level...and for whatever reason we are not being honest with them about it AND we are not giving them the coaching we need.

That helps lead to issue number two which is way too much turnover in the roster. No one stays here long enough to be coached and developed, and it also becomes obvious that no one is coming here for the coaching anymore. Which is sad.

Thirdly, we aren’t nabbing every stud recruit that we go after any more. Which removes the last vestige of hope left for this current model. If you aren’t bringing in ready made teams that can step in and play like juniors, seniors, while also being ready to take on some coaching in a wildly short period of time, then you’re toast.

No, you aren’t toast. Your name is Joe UK Fan, you’re 1-5, and you are sitting here on a Friday afternoon dreading the inevitable butt kicking that’s coming tomorrow.

[40bill]

I agree Cal was a better COACH at UMass. The very elite players he goes after at times havent really been "coached"...their career has been get the ball, score, listen to the cheers. Not saying they arent great kids, it's just a different step in life. I imagine these guys in some way are bewildered and insulted when some of us talk "discipline"...because they got where they were by freakish physical gifts and being able to light up a scoreboard....SOMEtimes against inferior talent.

Throw in the growing mindset if you come to UK and DONT jump to pro after a year or at most two there is something wrong with you....along with a coach shooting fireworks for every fresh that does go.....well...theres a recipe there.

[DA#23]

Could you imagine this team having to play against any of the last three teams Calipari had at Memphis? Scorched eart type of result.

[Joneslab]

Will mentioned above that we play the same way throughout the game.

I disagree. Prior to the current team one of two main gripes with Calipari was micromanaging and playing stall ball toward the last bit of the second half when we had a lead. Letting the air out so to speak

Generally though Cal is very much a "don't touch it or you'll break it" kind of coach.

Doesn't switch defenses. Doesn't really change his offensive philosophy. Doesn't really do anything unless catastrophe is staring us in the face.

That doesn't mean he's not an "X's & O's coach." X's and O's can be brilliant before the game just as they can be during.

But just in terms of in-game adjustments, Cal doesn't really do a lot of that. Never has. He screams sets from the sideline like a maniac in Bedlam, but he doesn't change the design of the game.

Another thing Kentucky's teams don't do is set a lot of screens, which is historically antithetical to basketball at this level. I noticed the other day against Notre Dame that Kentucky went almost the entire game and didn't set one screen.

[Joneslab]

Going back to the first question, I think all coaches and Calipari specifically need to start putting more of an emphasis on shooting.

This is where the game is going. It really always has been; if you can't shoot, you can't play at the high levels unless you're an otherwordly phenom or a niche player.

But if you look at the NBA, it's all shooting. Shooting from all five spots. The best college teams do this too. Everybody's a threat. Court's very stretched out. Threes from everywhere.

Cal as we all know covets athleticism and versatility over everything. Makes sense: those are the guys who have traditionally been drafted.

When you see DIII player Duncan Robinson out there for the Heat tearing it up, it's a signal that we're in a new era. It's that way in college too. To survive in this game Cal will absolutely have to put more emphasis on players who can shoot the basketball.

[DA#23]

In general he doesn’t incorporate much that allows teammates to help each other. That comes back to the level of skill some of these guys have, at least in part.

[DA#23]

I do think that Cal is going to have to adjust, as Will says with regard to how the game has changed, and this will require the change in recruiting strategy.

Who is going to play with Sky Clark and Nolan Hickman? Hopefully some guys that can shoot.

[lilproUK98]

Going back to the first question, I think all coaches and Calipari specifically need to start putting more of an emphasis on shooting.

This is where the game is going. It really always has been; if you can't shoot, you can't play at the high levels unless you're an otherwordly phenom or a niche player.

But if you look at the NBA, it's all shooting. Shooting from all five spots. The best college teams do this too. Everybody's a threat. Court's very stretched out. Threes from everywhere.

Cal as we all know covets athleticism and versatility over everything. Makes sense: those are the guys who have traditionally been drafted.

When you see DIII player Duncan Robinson out there for the Heat tearing it up, it's a signal that we're in a new era. It's that way in college too. To survive in this game Cal will absolutely have to put more emphasis on players who can shoot the basketball.

Cal yesterday in the presser: "I told some guys they can't shoot anymore threes."