Kentucky Basketball: Stop and Smell the Roses
By Terry Brown
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
It’s human nature to always look forward to what’s “next.” ESPN the Magazine even devotes an annual issue to the very theme of what and who is “next” in sports. The NCAA Runner-up banner has barely been properly hung in the rafters of Rupp Arena and the Big Blue Nation has already begun the annual rite of spring: “Who’s gonna stay and who’s gonna go pro?”
The way head coach John Calipari has set up the men’s basketball program at the University of Kentucky, it’s not wholly unexpected that such debate would occur. By becoming the master of the “one and done” recruits, the high turnover rate in Lexington is inevitable. Star players come in, star players leave to go to the NBA, more star players return. Lather, rinse and repeat. What gets lost in this annual time period is the fact that these young men aren’t robots, nor do they belong to the university or the fans. Each player individually, with counseling from close friends and family, must make a decision that his best for him. Period.
While it would be nice for every young man that plays for the Wildcats to stay 3-4 years, the landscape of basketball, particularly at the college level, has changed. Young men, still in their teens, have to make life altering decisions. Some of the young men come from backgrounds where that NBA rookie contract could potentially be life changing. How can anyone even presume to make those decisions for someone else?
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Short of the occasional phenom, such as LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, just about every young man that enters the draft has pros and cons, an upside and a downside. And, folks on the outside can pretend to know how someone will “make it” at the professional level, but we really don’t know. With 100% certainty, it’s impossible to predict who will and won’t have lengthy, productive NBA careers and who won’t. Draft position is an indicator, but there have been just as many first round busts as there have been second round or undrafted players to make a huge impact. In the end, there are so many variables that lead to success (team drafted by, coach, player’s own work ethic) that one year, or sometimes more, of college aren’t always the best indicators.
The bottom line is that the decision to stay at UK or go pro is solely the responsibility of the players. In the end, some players will leave, some will stay and new players will arrive in the fall. It’s the circle of life for the Big Blue Nation, one that all fans should be familiar with. Fretting about who’s going to stay and who will leave isn’t very productive and can somewhat diminish the memory of the remarkable run that this team provided everyone. Trust in Calipari to restock and reload the roster with some of the top high school talent and, as just witnessed this last season, trust in Calipari to coach ’em up once they arrive on campus. And even if Coach Cal leaves, trust in UK AD Mitch Barnhart to bring in another coach to keep Kentucky Basketball elite.
Right now, stop and take a minute to smell the roses. The Wildcats just finished one of the more improbable runs in NCAA Tournament history and it smells wonderful.