HOUSTON - for everything that is notable that kemba Walker this season reached almost only UConn Huskies implementation by nine games straight elimination and the Final Four, the possible still more surprising that it has even started it.
Good guys who rarely stick around NCAA long enough to be junior, and still less graduate at the beginning, that begins to explain why only Walker returned. Of course, he spent most of last season to the UConn Huskies to suspend three elders, and his NBA prospects were much less confident a year - in no small part size of Walkervery generous if 6-foot-1.
But his return likely as much on his coach, Jim Calhoun, if all of these factors combined.
"I know where he is now in the design, top 10 somewhere, and it should probably, if any, to go," said Calhoun. "Who should be determined by our success, your success, your growth and maturity as a player and a person."
Given that children of the NBA collective bargaining move from high school directly to the pros five years ago, the phenomenon of "one-and-done" enabled sports his ear, especially on traditional powerhouse programs. Coaches such as Calhoun and John Calipari to Kentucky - his opponent in the second semi-final Saturday night and on the trail of recruitment - had to decide whether to recruit players for which college little more that a year prep school for the pros.
"In General, in the recruitment process, we will go after the kid best we can." When we hear, "coach, I will only"... Well, do really speak us this way to UConn Huskies. "
They certainly are in Kentucky and not by pure coincidence, previous stop Calipari, Memphis.
"I don't like the" fact "rule, never have," said Calipari, who had all five starters from last year's team lost--four of them, first year students, led by no. 1 overall Pick John Wall - in the NBA. "." He figures to lose at least two freshman, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones of this edition.
"But my choice is to recruit players who are not good enough," he added. "I do not die."
The selection of NCAA Committee when they had no idea of the parentheses three weeks ago, but the most unpredictable tournament wound up deliver more forward-looking Final Four ever.
The first semi-final between Virginia Commonwealth and Butler probably signals the arrival of the mid-majors on a regular basis, suggests a way to success is to recruit second-level players that stick long enough to develop in experienced, cohesion of the teams that particularly dangerous in a one-out format. However, the confrontation of Connecticut-Kentucky may well determine how the major powers should probably to a wave of reached - reload and rely entirely on new talent each season, as Calipari is making, or line drawing on one-donessuch as Calhoun.
In a way, Walker Calhoun is the best argument. UConn Huskies coach proved to be a long line of NBA players treat them - among them, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Rudy Gay. Although each of them left school early, not a failure to turn it into at least two seasons.
Calipari has a long and very impressive list of NBA - Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, wall and DeMarcus Cousins, to name a few, but almost all a left after season freshman.
"I am for the next 15 years Brandon Knight coached." I do not want Brandon Chevalier to leave. "I want him here," Calipari said. "But at the end of the day, these guys have their decisions."
"What do you think?", he said a moment later, almost defiant. "At the end of the year, they were ready, I encourage them to go." Because if it is my son, this is what I hope that a coach would. »
How things have changed: a smart coach once said the best freshman thing is they are sophomores. The worst thing about the best freshman is more that they are not.
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Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for the Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke (at) ap.org
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