John Calipari didn’t say it in so many words in his post draft day interview, so I’l spell it out for those connected with the University of Kentucky men’s basketball program.
Welcome to the D-league.
And I’m not talking about grade-point average.
Winning national championships is nice. Winning, period, is nice. But if, as Calipari terms it, “we’re about these kids,” then nights like NBA draft night, when UK had five players — including four freshmen — taken in the first round, are even better.
“I’m not saying that winning national titles is not important — it is,” Calipari said. “But if you told me we’d win a national title and no one gets drafted, or you go 0for20 against West Virginia and five guys get drafted, you tell me what you’d want. I know that makes the old guard mad that I’d even say that, but if it’s really about these kids, this would be a great day.”