Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Calipari Attributes 96-4 Home Record to Draft Picks, Wants Towns to Be Best Big Man in the Country
With Kentucky’s 65-57 win over Vanderbilt Tuesday night, coach John Calipari now has a record of 96-4 at Rupp Arena.
That is the best record for any Kentucky coach through 100 games. Rick Pitino and Adolph Rupp both went 94-6, while Joe B. Hall and Tubby Smith were 88-12.
Calipari attributed it to the number of future NBA players he’s coached.
“It means we have had 19 draft picks,” he said after his top-ranked team improve to 18-0 on the season. “It means we have had a team full of draft picks now. That I’ve had the best players in the country here the last five years, now going on six years. And they have accepted being coached, they accepted each other. Selfless kind of kids.”
Speaking of draft picks, Calipari said he wants New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns, projected as the No. 3 pick in the Draft by DraftExpress.com, to be the “best big man in the country.” That would mean he would surpass Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, the projected No. 1 pick by virtually everyone.
“That he plays pick and roll as good as any big man,” Calipari added. See, if you can’t play pick and roll, you understand that next level it’s you got an issue. I want him to be someone that when you watch him, he’s unbelievable in pick and roll. That, if you don’t double team him in the post, he’ll score. That he’ll get, if he doesn’t score, he’s going to get you to foul. He’s not playing that way right now. A guy that there’s times we can put him in pick and slide him to the elbows and let him shoot some jumpers.”
He added: “My vision is, by the end of the year, he is the best big guy in the country.”
While the Harrison twins have fallen in mock drafts and several NBA personnel suggested they should spend another year on campus, the twins were key in helping Kentucky win this one.
The twins outscored Vanderbilt by themselves, 11-9, over the final six minutes, making 6-of-7 free throws.
Aaron finished with 14 points.
“Yeah, I think he played so well in the second half,” Calipari said. “That’s who he is. And I thought his brother played that well, too. They both played with unbelievable energy. They were aggressive and attacked. They played smart. They didn’t try to make crazy plays. They made easy plays that they could make. But Aaron basically threw dagger after dagger.”
Photos: Mark Zerof / USA Today Sports
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
With Kentucky’s 65-57 win over Vanderbilt Tuesday night, coach John Calipari now has a record of 96-4 at Rupp Arena.
That is the best record for any Kentucky coach through 100 games. Rick Pitino and Adolph Rupp both went 94-6, while Joe B. Hall and Tubby Smith were 88-12.
Calipari attributed it to the number of future NBA players he’s coached.
“It means we have had 19 draft picks,” he said after his top-ranked team improve to 18-0 on the season. “It means we have had a team full of draft picks now. That I’ve had the best players in the country here the last five years, now going on six years. And they have accepted being coached, they accepted each other. Selfless kind of kids.”
Speaking of draft picks, Calipari said he wants New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns, projected as the No. 3 pick in the Draft by DraftExpress.com, to be the “best big man in the country.” That would mean he would surpass Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, the projected No. 1 pick by virtually everyone.
“That he plays pick and roll as good as any big man,” Calipari added. See, if you can’t play pick and roll, you understand that next level it’s you got an issue. I want him to be someone that when you watch him, he’s unbelievable in pick and roll. That, if you don’t double team him in the post, he’ll score. That he’ll get, if he doesn’t score, he’s going to get you to foul. He’s not playing that way right now. A guy that there’s times we can put him in pick and slide him to the elbows and let him shoot some jumpers.”
He added: “My vision is, by the end of the year, he is the best big guy in the country.”
While the Harrison twins have fallen in mock drafts and several NBA personnel suggested they should spend another year on campus, the twins were key in helping Kentucky win this one.
The twins outscored Vanderbilt by themselves, 11-9, over the final six minutes, making 6-of-7 free throws.
Aaron finished with 14 points.
“Yeah, I think he played so well in the second half,” Calipari said. “That’s who he is. And I thought his brother played that well, too. They both played with unbelievable energy. They were aggressive and attacked. They played smart. They didn’t try to make crazy plays. They made easy plays that they could make. But Aaron basically threw dagger after dagger.”
Photos: Mark Zerof / USA Today Sports
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And like ZAGS on Facebook
