Yesterday, I wrote that John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats would most likely experience a high number of players lost to the NBA. When interviewed on Monday afternoon, the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats said that he would expect a minimum of five players to leave, though it could be as many as seven. He also stated that he told Tyler Ulis he would build next year’s team around him, making it pretty clear that Ulis would be staying. Nothing has changed on the point guards front, however, some news came out today that would indicate more players leaving than previously expected.
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In an interview today, Calipari said that he was gathering information for eight of his players, and now expects six to seven of them to leave. The one he is pretty sure is staying would be senior Alex Poythress, who’s knee injury scared off most NBA scouts. Additionally, Calipari said that Tyler Ulis and Marcus Lee did not request NBA scouting information, so those three should be the core of the 2015-2016 Kentucky Wildcats roster. Check out what head coach John Calipari had to say about the situation below.
"“I think it might be 6 or 7. I would say I was on the phone today with probably 10 NBA clubs. Kenny (Payne) was on with a bunch, some of the other coaches jumped on with some people. We’re getting our information together, we’ll let each family member talk directly with to the NBA directly if they choose to. The kids, they worked and they put themselves in a great position and now they have choices to make.”With that said, combined with the rumors that Dakari Johnson has said he will make a decision by weeks end, it looks as though there will be six Kentucky Wildcats gone for sure. Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, and Dakari Johnson all appear to have played their last game in a Kentucky Wildcats uniform. And if that is the case, then we wish them all the best. The wildcard of the seven that Calipari mentioned is Devin Booker. If he decides to leave, he’d be a lottery pick for sure. However, if he were to return, he would be the number one option for a top-10 team in the country, giving him the opportunity to GREATLY improve his draft stock. Both options provide some strong points, so it’s a guessing game at this point on what the shooting guard will do.Regardless of what each player decides to do, there is one thing for sure. John Calipari will have his team back and ready to play come next March. He’s made the Elite 8 every time his Kentucky Wildcats have made the NCAA Tournament, and has made the Final Four 4 of those five years. As the head coach said earlier, “This is Kentucky. We do whatever we want.”Next: John Calipari Speculates on Who's Staying and Who's Going for Kentucky WildcatsMore from Wildcat Blue NationKentucky football: 3 players who need to step up in week 4Kentucky basketball: 4-star recruit visits campus, has unique connectionKentucky vs. Vanderbilt Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 3Kentucky football: The good, the bad, and the ugly in win over AkronClaim $100 Sign-Up Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket with FanDuel Kentucky Promo!Published on 04/07/2015 at 10:00 PM EDTLast updated on 04/07/2015 at 8:02 PM EDT “I think it might be 6 or 7. I would say I was on the phone today with probably 10 NBA clubs. Kenny (Payne) was on with a bunch, some of the other coaches jumped on with some people. We’re getting our information together, we’ll let each family member talk directly with to the NBA directly if they choose to. The kids, they worked and they put themselves in a great position and now they have choices to make.”"