John Calipari has a new NBA-based recruiting pitch, and Kentucky is going to need it. The seven leading scorers from the Wildcats' Final Four men's basketball team announced Thursday they would enter the 2015 NBA Draft in a news conference in Lexington.
The list is led by potential No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns (a freshman) and likely lottery picks Willie Cauley-Stein (junior) and Trey Lyles (freshman). Potential first-rounder Devin Booker (freshman) and likely second-rounder Dakari Johnson (sophomore) entered despite not starting, while twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison (sophomores) also entered.
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"We just wanted to chase our dreams," Towns said at the news conference.
"It's the start of something big for all of us, and it's definitely a tough decision," Cauley-Stein said.
The seven-player entry is historic beyond even Kentucky's robust standards under Calipari. In 2010, the school had a record five first-round picks, all early entrants and led by No. 1 pick John Wall.
This year's class completed a perfect regular season and finished 38-1, with the one blemish coming in a close Final Four game against Wisconsin. The 38 wins were a Division I NCAA men's basketball record. Cauley-Stein, 7-0, was a first-team All-American, while Towns, 6-11, also turned heads with his impressive play in February and March.
“I’m not convincing anyone to stay, and I’m not pushing anyone out the door,” Calipari said. “This is their choice, with their family.”
Johnson was the only player who said he was uncertain of his decision by Wednesday, but he became more sure of it after talking with Calipari and his family.
No one on the team averaged more than 11 points a game, with Aaron Harrison leading the way at exactly 11.0. But the balanced approach and unique platoon system that Calipari employed early in the season gave everyone a chance to shine.
Kentucky's most important returnees, now, are 5-9 point guard Tyler Ulis (freshman), 6-9 power forward Marcus Lee (sophomore) and 6-8 forward Alex Poythress (junior), who could have joined his seven departing teammates had he not torn a knee ligament midseason.
