During the past three seasons, John Calipari has had the privilege of coaching five supremely talented freshmen. In the 2007-08 season, he coached point guard Derrick Rose. Following Rose, combo guard Tyreke Evans came to Memphis, with the hopes of becoming an elite prospect in the 2009 NBA Draft. Finally, after he left Memphis to coach at Kentucky, he recruited guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe and power forward DeMarcus Cousins to play at Lexington.
All Calipari has done with these group of freshmen is transform them into tremendous professional prospects. First, when Rose arrived at Memphis in 2007, he was very raw offensively, with no legitimate jump shot. In addition, he had an undisciplined mindset, as scouts felt that he would take too many plays off. However, Calipari developed Rose into a terrific offensive player, as he averaged 15 points and five assists per game. Furthermore, Rose’s leadership on the court propelled the Memphis Tigers to a 38-2 overall record and a berth in the NCAA National Championship game, where the Kansas Jayhawks upended the Tigers in overtime.
Nonetheless, Calipari effectively developed Rose into a coveted NBA prospect, as the Chicago Bulls selected Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Rose has averaged 18 points and six assists in less than two seasons of professional basketball and was even selected into the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
After Rose’s departure, guard Tyreke Evans came to Memphis with the hope of developing into a professional prospect. Despite losing several players on the Final Four team, Memphis was still able to have a successful season, thanks to Evans’s overall play. Evans led Memphis to a 33-4 overall record, a perfect record in conference play, and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
While struggling early in the season, Calipari helped groom Evans into a premier scoring guard. He finished the season averaging 17 points, 5.4 rebounds, and four assists per game. In his final game with Memphis, Evans saved his best performance for last, scoring 33 points in a Sweet 16 loss to the Missouri Tigers. Evans decided to enter the 2009 NBA draft after just one season in Memphis, and the Sacramento Kings selected him with the fourth overall pick. Evans has had a stellar rookie season up to date; averaging 20.1 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Furthermore, Calipari brought in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe, in an attempt to revitalize the Kentucky basketball program. So far, Calipari has become a hero in Lexington, as Kentucky is off to its best start this millennium with a 26-1 record. The freshmen have played an essential role in the rebirth of Kentucky, as they have combined to average 44 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. In addition, these three freshmen project to be lottery picks in the 2010 NBA Draft, if they choose to come out.
John Calipari has never been afraid to take chances on highly-touted freshmen, considering that they may bolt to the NBA after only one year. Freshmen phenoms like Rose and Evans choose to play under Calipari over other coaches because of Calipari’s uncanny ability to mentor them. Each of these freshmen who have played under Calipari has drastically enhanced their overall game under his tutelage. It is what makes Calipari one of the premier coaches in college basketball.
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