Calipari: If UK evaluated players like NBA, 'they'd think I was nuts'
Last week’s NBA Combine brought to mind a recent tweet by ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla. His tweet suggested that college basketball coaches should not take the ever-present lists of top prospects too seriously. The tweet implied that such lists were merely part of a cottage industry built around the insatiable interest some fans have in recruiting.
“If I were recruiting & evaluating potential college players, I would rely 95% on my eyes & my staff’s eyes, & 5% on recruiting lists,” the ESPN analyst tweeted. “No offense, but too much politics in the rankings. Plenty of under the radar guys out there.”
In a follow-up phone call, Fraschilla said college coaches sometimes depend on recruiting lists more than on the so-called eye test. They should follow the NBA’s example.
“The thing that surprises me about college basketball, even at the highest level, is how few teams treat recruiting and evaluating like they do in the NBA,” he said.
The professional level of evaluation was on display last week at the NBA Combine. Players were run through a series of physical tests, measured, interviewed and observed by NBA staffers, and also examined by a medical staff. Last Sunday’s UK Notebook detailed how an NBA evaluation can extend to a player’s demeanor on a ride from the airport or how polite he is at a restaurant.
Less scrutiny can occur in assessing would-be college players, Fraschilla said.
“Now that all these (high school and AAU) games are on video tape, I’m surprised that these (college coaches) don’t lock themselves in their conference room with their staffs and watch tape of all of these highly ranked guys,” Fraschilla said. “And say, ‘I know this guy is ranked No. 7, but he can’t do this and he can’t do that, and he didn’t play hard.’
“More often than not, they’ll go by where a guy is ranked rather than what their eyes are telling them. And I think they’ve out-sourced evaluation in many cases to the scouting services. And that would never happen in the NBA. The mock drafts mean nothing to NBA evaluators because they know what they’re looking for better than the guys who do blogs, scouting reports and the talking heads on TV like me.”
Kentucky Coach John Calipari said he did not look at the recruiting lists. “We have our own lists,” he said.
UK’s staff is aware of rankings, he said, but not constrained by the rankings. “We look at a kid that someone may say is No. 18,” Calipari said. “And I say, what? No! That’s a top-10 kid for us.”
The various lists rating prospects serve a purpose. Fraschilla called them a “guide post” for identifying players that a coach should evaluate.
“They shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all that they sometimes are for some schools,” he said of the lists.
Jerry Meyer, an analyst for the 247sports recruiting service, said he did not understand what Fraschilla meant by his tweet.
“Like they look at ranking lists and start calling kids and offering them scholarships just because they’re ranked high?” Meyer asked. “Well, that’s never been done in the history of the world. I mean, not that.”
The lists serve as an aid to college coaches who must operate within time restraints imposed by the NCAA.
“The fact is a lot of coaches, they don’t have enough time (to thoroughly evaluate like the NBA does),” Meyer said. “What are you going to do? Scour the whole country by yourself?”
Calipari suggested that the NBA has the advantage of being a monopoly. All players aspire to play in the NBA, so they accept the NBA’s greater scrutiny. If a college coach comes across as prying, the prospect has other viable options.
“If I went in and interviewed a kid and asked probing questions in front of his parents, I’m probably not getting that kid,” Calipari said. “If I made him take a psychological test, for some reason I think they’d look at me like I’m nuts.
“So we probably have less tools to make the decision. But, you know, we’re only offering seven, eight scholarships a year. Of those seven or eight, we’re hoping we get three or four.”
Recruiting and NBA evaluating seems as much art as science. Anyone can find appeal in a top-20 prospect.
The trick is identifying “the guys maybe 20 to 100 that would be either outstanding complementary players or just under-the-radar great talents, but are ranked lower for a variety of reasons,” Fraschilla said.
The high school coach’s style did not fit the player. Or the high school team was so good, the player did not show his full range of talent.
Fraschilla pointed out that Jevon Carter had only one high-major college offer: from West Virginia. He became a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12.
College coaches should spend more time finding the Jevon Carters rather than depending on recruiting reputations, Fraschilla said.
Of course, for all the scrutiny, the NBA makes mistakes, too.
“Kwame Brown,” Meyer said of the No. 1 pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA Draft. “You can name a ton of guys. That was Michael Jordan (who led the Wizards at the time). I thought he was infallible.”
In limbo
The player with the most complicated college-or-NBA decision probably is Brian Bowen II. Of course, he got caught up in the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting.
Reports of a six-figure payment ended his commitment to Louisville. Ultimately, it cost Rick Pitino his job as coach. Bowen transferred to South Carolina, where he practiced but did not play as he awaited an NCAA ruling on his eligibility.
That wait continued as he participated in the NBA Combine. Obviously, a ruling on his college eligibility could be factored into the decision on his basketball future.
“I haven’t gotten any in-depth details, honestly,” he told reporters. “I’m just hearing the minimal and being given the minimal.”
The scandal prompted questions from NBA teams at the Combine.
“They just want to get to know me as a person,” he said. “You see a lot of headlines. People put out I’m such a bad person and everything. But I want to give off that I’m a pretty good person overall. . . .
“I wanted to continue going to school. I finished with a 3.5 GPA, so it was big for me.”
Bowen expressed no animosity toward Louisville.
“It was good . . . ,” he said of his time at U of L. “I loved the school. I loved the fans. I loved my teammates. They were great people.”
Condolences
To the family of former UK player Bret Bearup, who died suddenly last week of a massive heart attack.
“Was found laying in bed with a book in hand and reading glasses on,” his widow, BethAnn Bearup, wrote in a text message.
Despite not playing a large role on UK teams, Bearup was a fun-loving presence. His presence all but guaranteed smiles and laughter.
“He lived to laugh,” Rex Chapman said. “And that was the thing that drove Joe B. (Hall) crazy.”
There seemingly was no off switch on Bearup’s sense of humor, which charmed the media if not the UK coaching staff. He was a refreshing counter to the ultra-serious world of Kentucky basketball.
“Really, really, truly one of the most unique people,” Chapman said. “Bret was a legend. They broke the mold. Genius.
“I’m just heartbroken.”
For those who want to remember Bearup with a charitable donation, he had established a non-profit that gives books to under-privileged and homeless children. BethAnn said that its website is www.shelteringbooks.org.
Condolences
To the family of former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, who died on Tuesday.
First memory that came to mind was a brief conversation before Kentucky played an NCAA Tournament game in 2012. As is his annual custom, UK Coach John Calipari had again expressed his disdain for the SEC Tournament. At best, unnecessary. At worst, an obstacle to winning the national championship.
To Calipari’s eye, the SEC Tournament held all the excitement of taking out the garbage. An unavoidable chore. “You almost feel an obligation,” he said that year.
So what did the SEC commissioner think of his most high-profile coach belittling the league tournament?
Slive smiled broadly and said he supported free speech and the First Amendment.
Fresh start for Wynyard
Former UK player Tai Wynyard has found a new home to complete his college career, and a former UK assistant coach is there to welcome him.
Wynyard announced Friday that he will play for head coach Herb Sendek at Santa Clara (Calif.) University.
Wynyard, who played two seasons at Kentucky, will have two seasons of eligibility at Santa Clara.
Sendek was an assistant to Rick Pitino at Kentucky from 1989-90 through 1992-93. He is entering his third season as head coach at Santa Clara.
Wynyard, a 6-foot-10 product of New Zealand, played in only eight games for Kentucky last season as the result of a back injury and a late-season suspension. As a freshman, Wynyard played in 15 games.
Happy birthday
To former Tennessee Coach Buzz Peterson. He turned 55 on Thursday. . . . To Ron Mercer. He turned 42 on Friday. . . . To Enes Kanter. He turns 26 on Sunday (today). . . . To Jamaal Magloire. He turns 40 on Monday. . . . To Rob Lock. He turns 52 on Tuesday.
This story was originally published May 19, 2018 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Calipari: If UK evaluated players like NBA, 'they'd think I was nuts'."