USA Today via Reuters
Jan 5, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Dontaie Allen (11) passes to guard Devin Askew (2) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Arden Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 5, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Dontaie Allen (11) passes to guard Devin Askew (2) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Arden Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Kentucky Wildcats are having a disastrous season. With a record of 5-11, they are currently on course to have their first losing season since 1988-89. They lost to the Missouri Tigers last night, in a close five-point loss, their fifth loss in the Southeastern Conference.
Former Wildcat and NCAA champion, Jack Givens, believes that the team’s struggles are because of the lack of a veteran presence. Givens spoke about how during his playing days, an older player explained to him he shouldn’t take scoldings from the coach to heart. Then he compared how the current team has no veterans to say such things to the freshmen.
He said, “For these young guys, when Calipari screams at them, gets on them, they take it personally. So then they go in a hole and they’re never going to be productive. That’s the difference between having some vets who’ve been there, done that, as opposed to all these new guys and nobody except Brooks knows what Calipari wants from them. And that’s a tough adjustment.”
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What's Kentucky missing this year?
According to Jack Givens, it's because they don't have that veteran that can show the younger guys what it takes to withstand Coach Cal's wrath.@Spotify https://t.co/oE8GcngXpW@ApplePodcasts https://t.co/DFgsOEkG5X pic.twitter.com/k5mQFZTnSJ
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 4, 2021
One and done culture: The glaring problem with the Kentucky Wildcats
When Coach Cal took over, the one and done approach worked initially. The Wildcats reached the Final Four stage four times between 2011-2015, including a National Title win in 2012. But since 2015, this success has gone down evidently. They haven’t made a Final Four appearance since then, and this season, they are going to miss the tournament for the first time since 2013.
Former Kentucky star and Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, opened up about Coach Cal’s approach regarding this recruiting. He talked about how after their freshman year, Coach Cal told them they wouldn’t play college basketball again. He also mentioned how Calipari didn’t care about winning, but only developing players.
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While players benefit in one way through that approach, it is not a winning mentality that they follow. In recent years, the NCAA tournament winners have all had reliable upperclassmen to lead the team. The last freshman-dominated team to win the title was Duke in 2015, but they had senior Quinn Cook to lead them.
Unsurprisingly, the other two teams who pride themselves in their one-and-done culture, Duke and UNC, are also struggling. The sooner they change this approach, the better it will be for them.
