Column: Calipari’s recruiting strategy ultimately doesn’t work

When it comes to recruiting NBA-caliber talent to a college team, there is not a better head coach right now than Kentucky’s John Calipari.

But crafting a team around such top-heavy talent, while it may have success in the short-term, is not a sustainable long-term philosophy.

Since Calipari arrived in Lexington in 2009, he’s turned the Kentucky basketball program into what many consider an NBA farm system. He recruits the nation’s top high school talent — John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Terrence Jones, etc. — and even focuses on players with sights set on the NBA after just one year in school.

“If you recruit guys you know are going to be there for four years, you’ll probably be in the NIT,” Calipari said in an interview with Sports Illustrated in July. “That’s not a good thing at Kentucky. You recruit the best players you can, and if someone is going to take them in the first round, then I tell them to go.”

That recruiting philosophy works to an extent, but it has a ceiling. Calipari’s bet is that he can convert NBA-caliber athleticism from freshmen — his five freshmen this year were Rivals.com’s highest-rated class — into NCAA success.

But UK will never be an experience-laden squad with Calipari. The good-but-not-great players that stick around and fill out the roster aren’t there.

Consider the Big Ten, which is widely regarded as the strongest conference in college basketball this season. Why? Because Michigan State, Illinois, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Minnesota are experienced groups.

Before the Robbie Hummel injury, Purdue, Duke and Michigan State were widely considered the trio to compete for a national title. All have multiple experienced players on the court.

Consider the NCAA champions since the one-and-done rule. Syracuse and Carmelo Anthony in 2003. North Carolina and Marvin Williams in 2005.

Not Kentucky and John Wall last year. And despite their ridiculous freshmen talent this year in Jones, Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb, the Wildcats aren’t close to being a favorite to win it all this year.

Calipari is bringing in similar classes in the future. Three of the top six 2011 high school recruits on Rivals.com are committed to Kentucky. Each is projected as a 2012 NBA Draft lottery pick by various analysts.

That’s not to say IU isn’t going after similar talent. Hanner Perea, a top-10 2012 recruit for IU, could very well be a one-and-done player.

Five-star IU recruits Cody Zeller and Yogi Ferrell could bolt before four years.
But there are also IU recruits like Austin Etherington, Ron Patterson and Peter Jurkin who will supplement the future stars.

So when Kentucky plays Saturday against IU, the Wildcats’ talent will more than likely shine through.

But in the long term, the top-heavy talent strategy will catch up to Calipari.
Despite the revolving door of talent at Kentucky, IU may have a better chance to celebrate a national title first.

Email: nmhart@indiana.edu