Kentucky basketball mailbag: Pitino and Iona vs. UK, the outlook on transfers, and more
Last week’s call for reader questions related to the Kentucky basketball program and its future recruiting efforts yielded lots of great topics of conversation. Welcome to the third and final part of this mailbag series. The first part dealt largely with the stay-or-go decisions surrounding some of UK’s current players, and the second part hit primarily on the Wildcats’ recruiting outlook.
Part three is a mixture of interesting questions related to the Cats:
This one came from Twitter: Will UK schedule Iona so Cal can continue his dominance over Rick?
Let’s hope that one ends up on the schedule in the near future. Rick Pitino, in case anyone missed it, was named the head coach at Iona a few days ago, and he said on “The Dan Patrick Show” that John Calipari immediately reached out to wish him well in the new gig. Pitino also said that he would like to schedule Kentucky, specifically mentioning the early season Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden.
“I hope John would entertain that,” Pitino said.
Dick Vitale later took to Twitter to second the former UK/U of L coach’s suggestion.
Calipari addressed the topic on his final radio show of the season. He seemed to dismiss a trip to New York, but he left the possibility of a UK-Iona matchup open.
“He didn’t talk schedule. I didn’t talk schedule,” Calipari said of the congratulatory phone call. “I saw Dickie V go crazy about having us play there. I would imagine having Iona come to Rupp would be something that would be considered. And I would expect our fans to be positive, as they always are. They were even positive when we got beat by Evansville.”
Calipari then rambled on about UK’s “wacky” schedule and the need to add some home games to the neutral-site affairs that are often booked far in advance.
Pitino has shown a reluctance to come back to Rupp in the past, other than the obviously necessary once-every-two-years visits when he was coaching the Cards. Would he reconsider as head coach of Iona? How would the UK fans treat him?
I don’t think Pitino would get anything close to a universally positive response from the Rupp crowd — in 2020, at least — but it does seem that the more time passes, the more Kentucky fans who were around for his tenure are appreciating what he did for the program and forgetting some of the stuff that came next. Especially now that he’s no longer Louisville’s coach — and that he remains on bad terms with that institution — it seems more and more UK fans are willing to let bygones be bygones. Some, of course, will never forget. But it’s reasonable to envision a scenario where Iona Coach Rick Pitino gets a more-positive-than-negative reaction in Rupp. (And if he threw an “L’s Down” gesture on the Hunt Brothers “Hunk Cam,” the place would probably erupt).
If Pitino stays at Iona for at least a few seasons, I bet we see the Wildcats and the Gaels meet on the court. Pitino would get a marquee opponent. Calipari would get a guaranteed early season game against a well-coached team (that probably wouldn’t beat his Cats). And maybe some could get a little closure. It sure would be fun.
Kentucky and grad transfers
Another one from Twitter: Are any of the names in the transfer portal so far possibilities for UK? Also, with the NBA’s uncertainty could the NCAA extend its decision deadlines for potential grad transfers testing the waters?
The first possible transfer to be linked to Kentucky was UNLV guard Amauri Hardy, who averaged 14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this past season and made 63 three-pointers — one more than UK leader Immanuel Quickley — while shooting 33.3 percent from long range. Hardy is also the brother of top Kentucky recruiting target Jaden Hardy, but the Herald-Leader was told over the weekend that UK would be an unlikely landing spot for Amauri, who is looking to be the starting point guard at his next school.
If Quickley returns — and there’s still a good chance of that — it’s unlikely UK would add to its backcourt. Even if Quickley doesn’t come back, the Cats will be welcoming in five-star point guard recruit Devin Askew, making it tough to promise a guaranteed starting role to a transfer.
The Cats are largely in a holding pattern with transfers as they wait on postseason decisions. There are a lot of other talented guards out there — one reader asked specifically about Harvard’s Bryce Aiken — but that’s all irrelevant if Quickley returns.
Even if EJ Montgomery comes back for another year, UK could entertain the idea of adding a bulkier, more physical post player — something next season’s roster is not projected to have. A Reid Travis-type would seemingly be a good fit for the 2020-21 squad. I was told last week that 6-foot-8, 245-pound Quinnipiac transfer Kevin Marfo — the nation’s leading rebounder this past season — will be one to keep an eye on. Yale transfer Jordan Bruner — 6-9, 205 pounds — isn’t exactly the bruiser type but he did average 9.8 rebounds last season, and Duke and Kansas have already reached out to gauge his interest.
If Montgomery does leave — something that’s not expected — UK would almost certainly need to add at least one more frontcourt player.
The timing of all of this is going to be strange. The coronavirus pandemic has brought recruiting to a halt. Potential transfers are not allowed to visit campuses. College coaches are not allowed to meet in person with any players. And, as mentioned in the second question here, those calendar disruptions extend to the NBA, which has postponed all league activities.
ESPN reported late last week that the pre-draft process will look a lot different this year. As it stands, the deadline for college players to withdraw from the June 25 draft is set for June 3. But there’s still a chance the draft date could change — especially if the NBA is able to restart its season and the playoffs go longer into the summer — and a different draft date could mean a later withdrawal date.
One major problem for college players testing the pro waters this year will be the probable lack of individual workouts, the NBA Combine, and other avenues to make an impression on league decision-makers. So, the deadlines could change, but there might not be a whole lot to be learned in that extra time.
John asked this one on Twitter: How will Jaden Hardy’s brother’s transfer impact his recruitment? UK needs to get Jaden in the ’21 class. Most important recruit, in my opinion.
There’s no doubt that Hardy is an important Kentucky target in the 2021 class. He’s the No. 1 shooting guard in a group that — so far — seems to be lacking much top talent at the position. John Calipari and his coaching staff have made it clear to Hardy that he’s a priority recruit based on their past visits to see him in the Las Vegas area. He and Seattle power forward Paolo Banchero have both received a ton of early attention from the Cats.
Amauri Hardy — Jaden’s older brother — announced late last week that he would be leaving UNLV as a probable grad transfer for next season and wanted to go somewhere that would allow him to be the starting point guard in 2020-21. Kentucky was linked to his recruitment a short time later, but I was told Friday that it would be unlikely to see the older Hardy brother in a UK uniform next season.
Where does that leave Kentucky with Jaden Hardy? Normally, this wouldn’t be much of an issue. If Amauri Hardy does indeed play next season, it will be his final year of college ball. In that scenario, the Hardy brothers would never team up in college, so why would Amauri’s decision have any real impact on Jaden’s? Well, that might not be the scenario that plays out. There’s also a possibility, I was told, that Amauri transfers and sits out next season as a redshirt — whether he’s eligible to play or not — opening the door to play with his brother in 2021-22. (Before anyone asks, there’s no indication whatsoever that Jaden is entertaining a reclass to 2020).
Even if Amauri does play for his new school next season, the continuity of both brothers playing at one college could become a factor in Jaden’s recruitment. It’s also important to note that the Hardy family moved from Michigan to the Vegas area to support Amauri when he started his college career at UNLV. The two brothers have a close-knit connection.
Kentucky emerged as a favorite in Jaden Hardy’s recruitment over the past few months. That won’t necessarily change if Amauri ends up at another school, but it’ll definitely be a situation worth watching, and it won’t be a surprise if some new predictions for Jaden start coming in as a result of Amauri’s decision.
Kahlil Whitney
Dionne sent this one via email: Why do you think Kahlil Whitney couldn’t succeed at UK?
I definitely think he could have succeeded at Kentucky, if he had stayed and under different circumstances. But it became pretty clear pretty early on that Whitney just wasn’t going to be a major go-to guy on this Kentucky team. It was apparent that the Cats needed as much scoring as they could get. Immanuel Quickley proved he could play that role, and he earned a prominent spot in the lineup as a result. John Calipari couldn’t afford to bench Ashton Hagans or Tyrese Maxey or Nick Richards. And Whitney just wasn’t efficient enough as a scorer to break through or take offensive opportunities from those guys.
Whitney’s former AAU coach, Mike Irvin, summed it up pretty clearly when I talked with him recently.
“Kentucky got off to a rough start this year. They lost to Evansville. They won some games, but the games were close early on,” he said. “So Coach Cal is trying to figure out his team. And in figuring it out, he’s got a lot of personalities to worry about over there. He can’t worry about (just) one. So he has to put the best chemistry on the floor. And Kahlil might not have been good in that five. He has to find all that out, and what happened was it left Kahlil the odd man out.”
Irvin suggested that — if Calipari had given Whitney a much larger offensive role — things could have been different. But that was never going to happen with the other, more accomplished scorers on the roster. “So now we’re on the phone for a different reason,” Irvin said.
Whitney’s lessened offensive role shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone who followed his recruitment. There were signs along the way that he might struggle to score at the college level and might not necessarily be the best fit for UK’s 2019-20 roster. “There was some concern there that he’s a guy that is probably a ‘4’ man who needs shooting around him,” ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony told me last month, noting that UK’s team wasn’t really built to accommodate Whitney, who was seen as a slashing, athletic player that could excel in space.
Whitney could have made up for the offensive struggles with his defense and rebounding. He was long, athletic, had often been active in his prep days. But that didn’t happen either. When it became clear that Whitney — a possible NBA lottery pick coming into the season — was on his path to a largely diminished role as a freshman, some in his camp started suggesting he should look at other options.
There was clearly still a hope that Whitney might be able to impress an NBA team or two in the lead-up to this year’s draft, but the uncertainty in that process adds even more uncertainty to Whitney’s future. It will be interesting to see what happens next in his basketball career.
Andrew Wiggins and UK
An email question from Jordan: Can you discuss some of the recruits who wanted to come to UK (or everyone thought was coming to UK) but for whatever reason went elsewhere and why?
There have been quite a few of these in recent years where that early buzz — or sometimes even late buzz — in Kentucky’s favor fizzles away and turns into a commitment to another school. Some reasons for these cases have been obvious, like Memphis’ hire of Penny Hardaway and the effect that had on one-time UK lock James Wiseman. Others have simply been the product of incredibly indecisive players like Jaden McDaniels (keep in mind, these are still high school kids making tough, life-changing decisions).
Some recruits simply beat to their own drum — Jaylen Brown is a good example here — and pick schools that make sense to them even though others might not understand the choice. (Brown has been one of the most interesting, thoughtful recruits I’ve ever covered, by the way).
There have been cases like Luke Kennard, who grew up in a family filled with Kentucky fans but realized once the recruiting process got going that someplace else would be a better personal fit. The appeal of staying close to home — and/or trying to elevate a local program — have led UK targets like Miles Bridges, James Blackmon Jr. and Stephen Zimmerman elsewhere.
In a few cases, perceived UK leanings have been the result of not-great reporting or social media/message board narratives run amok. And, yes, some recruitments that UK “missed” on have been due to more questionable, behind-the-scenes maneuverings by affiliates of other programs.
The most interesting Kentucky miss — and one that doesn’t necessarily fall into any of those categories — was the pursuit of Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 player in the 2013 class and probably the most dynamic prospect we’ve seen in the past several years.
There hasn’t been a recruitment quite like that of Wiggins, who played several games in Kentucky during his senior season — as part of the nearby Huntington (W.Va.) Prep super team — and entered the season as the Wildcats’ clear No. 1 target. John Calipari was at many of his games. There were even rumors — unfounded, obviously — that Wiggins was a “silent commitment” to the Cats and it was just a matter of time before he publicly declared for UK.
His recruitment — with a final four of UK, Kansas, North Carolina and Florida State, his parents’ alma mater — dragged on and on. Speculation was rampant over where he’d end up. Many assumed that place would be Kentucky. Others saw FSU as the top competition.
Through it all, Wiggins said almost nothing of consequence about his recruitment. I watched him play and interviewed him countless times throughout that season, and he never really dropped any hints. I still haven’t come across a high-profile prospect who disliked talking about the recruiting process more than he did.
I also obviously kept in touch with people in his camp throughout that recruitment, and the consensus was that he really was undecided for much of it. Going into the all-star portion of the postseason, however, I was told by someone very close to the recruitment that he was indeed leaning toward Kentucky. Then, something changed.
The story was that Wiggins played through those all-star events — the practices for those games are always more informative than the games themselves — and determined that there might not be as much of an opportunity for him to be showcased at UK, which already had what was being billed as perhaps the greatest recruiting class of all time, fronted by alpha personalities like Julius Randle, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison who were all used to having the ball.
Wiggins ended up at Kansas. He led the team in scoring, averaged 12 shots per game and went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft. (The Jayhawks were upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament that year).
Kentucky found its chemistry late and made an improbable run to the 2014 national championship game. Randle, the Harrison twins and James Young all averaged double-digit points and combined to take 1,582 shots over 40 games. Young averaged the most shots at 11.25 per game, Andrew Harrison the least of those four at 8.25 per game.
What a Wiggins addition to that squad would have meant remains one of the biggest what-ifs of the Calipari era. Surely Young’s attempts (as well as other players’) would have gone down. Would that team have found its chemistry more quickly with someone like Wiggins in the fold, or would it have taken even longer? Could he have been the missing piece to get them that year’s national title? I’d love to visit an alternate reality where that roster existed to see the results.
