John Calipari might be the best recruiter in college basketball.
With so many 5-star players in the 2017 class, how does anyone plan to stop the Wildcats? Or better yet, stop Calipari from getting such high-profile recruits.
Kentucky has produced some of the best NBA talent of the decade. Names such as Anthony Davis, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and some key role players that include Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Brandon Knight have played under coach Cal.
Calipari has been the mastermind of the whole process. And It appears that his 2017 recruiting class might be his best yet. With commitments from five five-star recruits, this is regarded as one of the best hauls in Kentucky basketball history.
Knowing the history of Calipari, he will look to incorporate his incoming freshman in quite a few ways. Perhaps none of them more than Kevin Knox.
Nobody expected Knox to sign with Kentucky. The number 9 recruit in the 2017 class, everyone had him pegged for North Carolina or Duke. Yet, leave it to Calipari to pull a rabbit out of his hat and amaze us his latest recruiting success.
With Knox on the roster, Kentucky could see as many as six first-round talents in the 2018 NBA Draft. An impressive feat for sure, but that seems to be the norm with these incoming Kentucky freshman.
You’ll be hearing a lot about Jarred Vanderbilt, P.J. Washington, Nick Richards and Quade Green. These names, along with Knox, are the core group of a stellar class. Not to mention, the other two four-star recruits Calipari also obtained.
With all of this star potential, we could see John Calipari employ the same system of previous years. He trotted out a different 5-man rotation at every substitution. While not a common tactic, it worked quite well for the Wildcats. That same year, seven Kentucky players entered the NBA Draft.
Kentucky needed to replace De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe, Bam Adebayo, and Alex Poythress. All of these names were impact players for the Wildcats last season.
It appears Cal’s most recent class is just another re-load of talent. However, he doesn’t ever seem to re-build. Every year Calipari just brings in more 5-star players to replace what he lost.
Without question, the Kentucky 2017 recruiting class has been one of the best in the John Calipari era. With five five-star recruits and two four-star, he’s locked and loaded to get back to the Final Four. It’s just become too common with John Calipari.
Follow Daniel James Gentile on twitter @dgentleman9288