Kentucky's John Calipari is Master of Recruiting Game

Mark Zerof, USA TODAY SPORTS
Mark Zerof, USA TODAY SPORTS

There are a number of Hall of Fame coaches in college basketball today. Some of the greatest coaches of all-time currently coach college basketball. But perhaps no one plays the recruiting game quite like John Calipari.

On Monday, Calipari released his annual “recruiting manifesto”, where he indirectly addresses recruits. The manifesto is released on Calipari’s personal website, and it’s a chance for him to tout what he and his Kentucky Wildcats have accomplished over the past year, while wooing recruits at the same time.

This comes just one week after Calipari was front and center at the NBA Draft, watching six of his former players being drafted, including four in the lottery (Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles and Devin Booker). While Calipari was there to support his now former players, he was also there to send a message to future recruits. That message is simple – if you want to make it to the next level, Kentucky could be the place for you.

No program has sent players to the NBA like Kentucky over the last six seasons, and Calipari uses that fact as a selling point to recruits. High school juniors and seniors who play at the highest level are hoping they can get to the NBA quickly. Seeing Calipari send so many players to the league is definitely a bright spot for these recruits.

Calipari’s critics say that he cares more about getting players to the NBA than he does about winning. That’s simply nonsense. Calipari recruits talented players, develops them and, in the process, he wins games. While they came up short of a national title in 2015, Kentucky did tie the NCAA record for wins in a season with 38.

Nobody plays the recruiting game as well as Calipari, and his recent appearances and manifesto prove once again that he is the master of the recruiting scene.

Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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