John Calipari must have a four-leaf clover in his pocket. Or a lucky buckeye. Or a rabbit’s foot. When it comes to late-in-the-shot-clock roster building this summer, Kentucky’s basketball coach turned up charmed.
It wasn’t as if Cal executed a master plan. He certainly didn’t expect (or hope) good friend Bob Huggins’ career would come to such a sad and abrupt end, thus causing West Virginia forward Tre Mitchell to enter the transfer portal where Kentucky was more than happy to welcome a talented player with 92 college starts into the fold.
On paper, Mitchell is exactly what Kentucky’s doctor ordered. He’s a 6-foot-9 forward boasting both experience and production. UK is his fourth college landing spot after two years at UMass, one at Texas and one in Morgantown. On a Kentucky team badly in need of college knowledge, Mitchell knows the ropes.
Let’s not make Mitchell into Larry Bird here. The Pittsburgh native averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 30 minutes a game last season for the 19-15 Mountaineers. He’s a career 34.7% shooter from three-point range. He had a high turnover rate (20.4%) last year at WVU. He scored 20-plus points in three games last season and produced double-doubles in two.
Playing for Huggins, you know Mitchell is tough, however. Huggs left Mitchell on the floor for all 40 minutes in WVU’s 67-65 loss to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And given Mitchell’s background, this is not the first time he’s had to adapt to a new system, new surroundings and a new set of teammates. Transition shouldn’t be a problem.
What could Mitchell mean? His addition, plus shooting guard Antonio Reeves’ return to a team with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, prompted CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish to move Kentucky from 25th to 17th in his “25 and 1” rankings.
“That’s a lineup with three five-star freshmen (Robert Dillingham, Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner) and two experienced pieces (Reeves and Mitchell) who have already averaged double digits in points at the high-major level,” Parrish wrote.
“Those newcomers will pair with Antonio Reeves and give John Calipari a chance to make the Final Four for the first time since 2015,” Parrish added.
Indeed, Calipari’s task now is to take advantage of his late good fortune. Once again, he’s charged with making his shiny pieces fit. He’s done it before. He’s juggled egos and finished sophisticated puzzles.
Despite Kentucky’s recent NCAA disappointments, Cal is still a Hall of Fame coach with a national title and six Final Four appearances to his credit. This year’s “Back to the Future” approach with a roster heavy on potential one-and-done talent, supplemented by a few veterans, harks back to his early glory days in Lexington.
The college hoops landscape is much different now, however. Transfer portal. NIL. Chaos. Surprises. Raise your hand if your bracket had San Diego State, Florida Atlantic and Miami in last season’s Final Four. In recent years, the team wearing pieces of the net around its neck on championship Monday night tend to be older and more experienced.
And there are always the great unknowns. Always. Take Aaron Bradshaw, the heralded 7-foot center who underwent foot surgery after suffering an injury in the McDonald’s all-star game. Bradshaw might or might not be healthy in four to six weeks. Is this situation another Jarred Vanderbilt waiting to happen? Or is it a mere preseason blip? Foot injuries can be fluky and lingering. Time will tell.
And remember, Kentucky is 17th in Parrish’s rankings. Not even top 10. In fact, No. 17 puts the Cats fourth in the SEC, according to Parrish, behind Arkansas (No. 11), Tennessee (No. 14) and Texas A&M (No. 15).
Still, bottom line, the Cats’ outlook is much brighter now than it was even two weeks ago, before Reeves showed back up on campus and Mitchell plopped into the Cats’ lap.
Kentucky now has a roster that gives the Cats a chance.
That’s a good start.
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