Calipari hopes star-studded frosh returns Kentucky to glory

John Calipari is turning to a familiar formula in order to get Kentucky back on top of college basketball.

Calipari is betting on Kentucky’s top-ranked recruiting class’ upside, along with a few upperclassmen, to bring the program back to relevance. The youth-led approach previously proved fruitful for the Hall of Famer, who largely popularized the one-and-done movement.

Calipari’s lone Division I title in 2012 was fueled by a trio of first-year players, notably Anthony Davis. Two years later, the legendary Wildcats head coach guided the school to another national championship game, with Julius Randle leading an all-freshmen starting five. College debutants Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker subsequently powered Kentucky to a dominant 38-1 mark during the 2014-15 campaign, including a second straight Final Four appearance.

This season’s Wildcats roster is built like those squads, with potential top-10 2024 draft picks Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner being complemented by super senior Antonio Reeves and West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell.

“If you ask me, ‘Experience or talent?’ I’ve always taken talent, but you’re always looking for experienced talent. The transfer portal may get you a little bit of that now,” Calipari told reporters, including theScore, at the second annual GLOBL JAM in July, where Kentucky represented the United States in an under-23 international tournament.

Calipari added: “My best teams had veteran players along with freshmen.”

Assembling a highly skilled group is half the battle. If Calipari doesn’t get his players to buy into his vision and work with one another, the Wildcats aren’t going anywhere, regardless of how many top prospects are on the team.

Tyler Ulis, serving as a student assistant coach while he completes his degree, was one of nine future NBAers on the program’s loaded 2014-15 squad. The 5-10 floor general was a McDonald’s All-American and one of four five-star players in that recruiting class.

Ulis would’ve been an opening-night starter on most teams but was forced to come off the bench after starting point guard Andrew Harrison returned for his sophomore year.

It never became an issue; Ulis put his squad first, like many of his teammates. He embraced running the second unit and frequently closed games, giving Kentucky a dynamic 1-2 backcourt punch. The Wildcats won the SEC’s regular-season and tournament title and almost completed an undefeated campaign.

“We respected each other as players and made each other better at practice every day,” Ulis told theScore. “We understood that we would have to share minutes, share the ball. Me and (Booker) never started a game that year. We had fun winning.

“I feel like that’s what it was. We weren’t selfish. We weren’t thinking about ourself. Everybody thought about the team.”

Kentucky played with that same attitude throughout its gold-medal run at GLOBL JAM. The Wildcats weren’t hesitant to share the rock, consistently making the extra pass if it meant turning down a good shot for an even better one. Their contagious ball movement resulted in an extremely efficient offensive attack.

Calipari’s group averaged 91.8 points on 47.7% shooting as it went undefeated in the four-game competition. Kentucky tallied an assist on 103-of-142 field goals made, with a chunk of those dimes coming off clean 3-point looks created by the team’s swift passing.

The Wildcats knocked down 37.6% of their threes and 11 triples per contest, which is in stark contrast to the way Calipari’s teams have operated in the past.

Kentucky’s finished in the NCAA’s top 100 for 3-point makes per game only once since Calipari took over at Lexington in 2009. The Wildcats haven’t averaged more than 19.9 attempts from deep during that time; they lean heavily on mid-range jumpers.

Kentucky hit only 6.3 threes on 18 attempts per game last season, and blasted through those marks at GLOBL JAM, averaging nearly 30 treys as part of a modernized offensive approach that also featured more shots in the paint.

Reeves and Mitchell shot 56.3% and 44.4% respectively from deep, while Edwards, Wagner, and Reed Sheppard each flashed their range during the tourney.

Injuries to key centers Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso forced Calipari to deploy four- and five-out lineups. The 64-year-old insists his team’s style of play won’t change when the big men return.

“You coach your team to who they are,” Calipari said. “If you’ve got a bunch of really good 3-point shooters, then you shoot more threes.”

Mitchell’s floor-spacing has helped change the Wildcats’ outdated offense for the better. His playmaking ability at the five is something his predecessor Oscar Tshiebwe wasn’t able to provide despite being one of the sport’s top players over the previous two seasons.

Mitchell owns a career 14.4 assist percentage and dropped 18 dimes to eight turnovers across four appearances in Toronto at GLOBL JAM. He demonstrated great vision when facilitating from the elbow, hitting Wagner on backdoor cuts or frontcourt partner Jordan Burks on high-low feeds.

While Calipari’s liked what he’s seen from Mitchell at center, the latter has no problems sliding down to power forward once Bradshaw and Onyenso are healthy. Mitchell started at the four during his lone season at West Virginia and is confident both players will enjoy sharing the floor with him.

“I play in the moment. I see everything that’s going on,” Mitchell told theScore. “So if a dude is open – no matter how short that window may be – I’m gonna try and get it to him.”

Mitchell added: “I’ve been in a lot of places where that four (or) five doesn’t necessarily pass the ball extremely well. I know what it’s like to have somebody buried in the post and have somebody look you off. But when they get back, they’re going to be the first person I look for.”

Kentucky’s rotation is filled with versatile players like Mitchell. Reeves is a proven 3-point sniper who can create his own shot. Wagner’s a combo guard with superb playmaking and scoring ability. The New Jersey native is a terror when attacking downhill, using his quickness to penetrate the paint or pulling up in the mid-range when the situation calls for it.

Fellow top-25 recruits Rob Dillingham and Sheppard also took turns serving as the team’s floor general in Wagner’s place. While Dillingham didn’t play up to his level offensively, he looked comfortable as a facilitator, dishing eight assists to one turnover in a group-stage win over Canada. Meanwhile, Sheppard was flying all over the place defensively, showing great anticipation as he picked off passes and blocked multiple 3-point attempts. He often initiated the fast break the other way off turnovers he generated.

Edwards is another player capable of leading in transition, and displayed great ball-handling skills and court vision for a player his size. He has the potential to be Calipari’s most effective freshman with his slashing, strong off-ball defending, second effort on the glass, and improved outside stroke.

The X-factor for the 2023-24 Wildcats, though, may be Adou Thiero, now 6-8 and approximately 35 pounds of muscle heavier after the offseason. Thiero’s work in the gym showed, as he routinely ploughed through defenders in the paint and didn’t shy away from contact during the summer event. The sophomore’s got the athleticism to finish over opposing players at the rim and the size and frame to play one through four. Thiero’s all-around game stands out for Calipari.

“You’ve got five guys at all times on the floor (who) can pass, shoot, drive, and make decisions,” Calipari said.

Calipari is well aware of the talent at his disposal and wants his players to feel empowered. He’s given them freedom to go off script, even if it results in a mistake or two.

It’s all reminiscent to the way the 2015-16 Kentucky squad went about its business. That was a player-led team with Ulis serving as a connector and extension of Calipari. The Wildcats spent half that season in the AP Poll’s top 10, including a two-week stint at No. 1. Meanwhile, Ulis earned numerous accolades, including consensus first-team All-American honors.

Ulis was able to bounce different ideas off Calipari midgame based on what he was seeing on the floor, and was often given the green light to put suggestions into action.

Calipari’s asked his current group to trust their instincts and similarly take charge.

“I had the sophomore season I had because (Calipari) gave me the ball and literally let me pretty much do whatever I want. And that’s the kind of coach he is,” Ulis said. “When he has players who can make plays, who are smart, he doesn’t want to get in the way of that. He lets them do their thing and coaches when he needs to.”

Dillingham echoed support for Calipari’s hands-off approach. The longtime Kentucky bench boss continued to give the five-star recruit minutes amid his summer struggles from the field.

Dillingham rewarded Calipari’s patience in the GLOBL JAM gold-medal game, with a crucial six-point flurry in the final minute of the third quarter tilting momentum back in the Wildcats’ favor.

“A lot of people don’t have a rope, so it’s like you play scared, and you’re scared to come out of the game,” Dillingham told theScore. “Playing with Coach Cal, he gives you confidence to just play however you play, so it’s definitely easy playing for him.”

Kentucky’s first big test of 2023-24 is Tuesday, when it takes on No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic.

The Wildcats’ frontcourt depth will be challenged by the Jayhawks, who added two-time All-Big Ten first-team selection Hunter Dickinson to go along with Kevin McCullar and KJ Adams. While Mitchell did an admirable job manning the five in Canada, he’s naturally a power forward and doesn’t offer the same amount of rim-protection as Bradshaw and Onyenso.

Rebounding is another area of concern as opponents posted 3.5 more boards per game at GLOBL JAM with Kentucky’s centers sidelined.

Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the Wildcats, though, is their inexperience.

UConn’s starting lineup last season featured one senior and a pair of juniors. Three other upperclassmen had key roles off the bench during the Huskies’ march to their fifth national championship.

Kansas’ 2021-22 title run was inspired by a slew of vets. Fourth-year guard Ochai Agbaji was the team’s leading scorer, third-year guard Christian Braun was a steady two-way presence, and super senior Remy Martin saved his best basketball for the postseason to put the Jayhawks on top.

Only four freshmen have started for the past 10 national champions.

Reeves and Mitchell are two of Kentucky’s three scholarship players over the age of 19, but Reeves still feels like a rookie. The reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year says he got good vibes from the incoming frosh when they began recruiting him over video games to return for a fifth season.

Reeves has been impressed by their selflessness, collective work ethic, advanced feel for the game, and willingness to spend time together off the court.

He may be the locker room’s “big bro,” but Reeves knows the Wildcats’ Final Four aspirations likely rest with their teenage phenoms.

“We can go far. Just the level of talent that we have from these guys. I didn’t expect it coming in. (Mitchell) probably didn’t expect it either,” Reeves said. “These guys are fine. You can just tell (based on) how they play on the floor together. They know each other very well. They played high school ball together and the chemistry is there. So (Mitchell and I) just fit into the group.

“They just want to hoop. They just want to stay in the gym,” Reeves added. “They want to listen to coach. They want to listen to us vets and that just makes our job easier at the end of the day.”