It shouldn’t have been a surprise when Kentucky coach John Calipari gave Hamidou Diallo his blessing after the freshman guard declared for the NBA Draft last weekend.
Although Diallo, one of the top prospects in the Class of 2017, was being counted on to help ease the departure of De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and the absence of the team’s top seven scorers next season, Calipari understood the reasoning behind Diallo’s decision to test the waters and participate in the NBA Combine next month in Chicago. As of now, the 6-foot-5 guard hasn’t sign an agent, leaving the door open for a possible return next season.
John Calipari has maintained his philosophy of running a players first program during this off-season (Tammie Brown Photo)
The somewhat surprising announcement by Diallo was puzzling for some considering he never played a game for the Wildcats last season. Some criticized Diallo’s motives, while others applauded his decision to get what amounts to a free evaluation from NBA coaches, scouts and administrators during the three-day combine.
Long before Diallo announced his intentions to enter the draft and one day before Kentucky’s 75-73 loss to eventual champion North Carolina in the NCAA South Region finals last month, Calipari made it clear the decision-making by players is beyond his control.
“With this, it’s disrupting,” Calipari said at the time. “It’s not the norm. It’s not what it’s supposed to be. But, if you really care about these kids, and you really care, it’s more about them than anything else.”
One day after Diallo’s announcement, rumors surfaced concerning Bam Adebayo’s future. Like Diallo, Adebayo declared for the draft earlier this month, but opted against hiring an agent. Adebayo announced Tuesday that he has changed his mind and is going to remain in the draft, thus ending his college career.
Calipari has long suggested he’s not proponent of the “one-and-done” system, but uses the approach on the recruiting trail, to bring top-notch talent to Kentucky before many of those players make the jump to the next level. He’s taking advantage of an NBA rule that prohibits high school players from making the jump from high school to the professional ranks.
With the exception of a handful of players, many of Calipari’s first-year players trade their college backpacks for a lucrative paycheck after one season of college, and who could blame them? They have the opportunity to earn a modest living playing basketball and can return to school anytime to earn a degree. That gives the payers a chance to live out their dream financially and also take college courses, many online, after leaving campus.
Read More at Keith’s Blog: Out of the Blue
Although the revolving door has been continuous during his tenure at Kentucky, not all of Calipari’s players bolted after one season. Terrance Jones and Daron Lamb returned for a second season and helped lead the Wildcats to their eighth national championship five years ago. Jones and Lamb teamed with Anthony Davis and veteran Darius Miller to give Calipari his first NCAA title as a coach.
Although Calipari has proven he can win with freshmen, he also has been willing to make adjustments to fit his personnel as part of his “players first” philosophy.
The Kentucky coach enjoyed an unprecedented regular-season during the 2014-15 campaign, while employing a rare 10-man rotation known as the “Big Blue Platoon.” The Wildcats ended the regular season with a perfect 31-0 record before losing to Wisconsin in the NCAA national semifinals. The Wildcats finished with a remarkable 38-1 record despite coming up short of reaching their ultimate goal.
Calipari, one of the modern-day trendsetters in college basketball and the subject of a recent “30 for 30” documentary on ESPN, continues to be successful in the collegiate ranks, all while defying tradition. He can win with veterans and he can succeed by starting from scratch.
“I think probably throughout my career, I’ve been disruptive,” Calipari said. “Like, every once in a while, I speak my mind and walk into different leagues and jobs and have to build and go and have to disrupt.”
The disruptive approach at Kentucky has resulted in unparalleled success during Calipari’s first eight seasons with the Wildcats. Look for that trend to continue in the future.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter
