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Calipari Era: Power Forward

By Austin Sutcliffe

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Winning is the name and talent is the game when it comes to John Calipari. Most people think flashy when they think of talent such as a John Wall behind the back lay up or a thunderous slam by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. However, the most consistent position under Calipari has to be the power forward.

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Many fan favorites have played the four spot for Coach Calipari but it takes more than just being a fan favorite to crack this top five. This player was able to win a National Championship, but after just two short seasons, decided to take his talents to the west coast. I am talking of course about the Jesuit High School McDonald’s All American Kyle Wiltjer.

The 6 foot 10 power forward came in as not your typical Calipari big man. Most big men come in with an incredible leaping ability and uncanning ability to run the floor. Wiltjer was a crucial piece to the 2012 championship puzzle.

What Kyle was able to do was come in off of the bench and provide three point scoring that stretched the floor. Having played behind an inside threat of Terrance Jones, it made it difficult for a single power forward on the opposing team to guard the dynamic difference.

Not only did Wiltjer take the three, he also made the three. In his freshman season he was able to shoot 43.21 percent from behind the arc while also shooting 43.83 from the field. His numbers started to slip in his sophomore season when he was requested to do more on the offensive end, but what plagued Wiltjer was never his offensive abilities.

Calipari has always had good defensive teams, and though number 33 could stroke it from deep, he was a liability on the other side of the ball. Teams would target him and attack him typically blowing by with ease. After a disappointing sophomore campaign, and a highly touted 2013 recruiting class, Wiltjer decided to part ways with Lexington.

The departure was sad, as the “goonie” was a fan favorite, and he looked to always be having fun. Luckily for him, it was for the best as he had his best season and became a star at Gonzaga this season. He will always still be loved by the Big Blue Nation. He opened up about his departure.

"So you had a monumental decision to make in choosing to leave Kentucky. I know you’ve talked about it before, but I’m curious as to who you turned to for advice while making your decision?When I was going through that process, obviously my parents were a big help—they’re the closest to me. But I was actually talking to Coach Cal [Kentucky’s John Calipari] a lot, too. He was awesome through all of that, a big help. And that’s rare because a lot of coaches, if you asked to leave, they’d turn the other cheek and the decision would be on you. But he wanted me to be successful and wanted me to find the right fit as well."

He has one season left at Gonzaga, make sure to cheer for him as he continues his success story. Stay tuned next week to see who slides into number four!

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