John Calipari wants Kentucky's recruiting efforts to get 'even better'
Since 2009, John Calipari has assembled ESPN.com's top recruiting class five times. Kentucky's incoming class for the 2016-17 season is ranked No. 1 by ESPN.
But he's not content. Calipari recently said he wants to enhance the allure of an institution that has dominated the recruiting ranks in the one-and-done era.
Calipari said his staff will rethink the evaluation process going forward.
"When the season ended, I asked each member of my staff to come up with three good ideas about how we can improve our recruiting, as well as three ideas on how we develop and train," Calipari wrote on his blog Saturday. "I'm not afraid to try new stuff, to change or overhaul everything -- even if we're having success."
Duke is the only school to challenge Kentucky's reign on the recruiting front in recent years. In May, five-star recruit Marques Bolden picked Duke over Kentucky to complete an impressive 2016 class for theBlue Devils
Earlier this summer, Hamidou Diallo (No. 12 in the 2017 ESPN 100 rankings) compared the pitches made by both schools in a conversation with the Louisville Courier-Journal.
"Kentucky's pitch was just the NBA thing," Diallo told the publication. "Duke's pitch was, 'If you come to Duke, you're going to be set for life. It's more than just basketball.' [John Calipari's] pitch was, 'He gets guys ready for the next level.' Look at the numbers: It shows. It's the best place for you if you want to make it to the NBA."
Calipari appeared to respond in an earlier blog post, although he subsequently denied as much when he said he would not tell prospects "you'll be taken care of for the rest of your life."
In the blog post, Calipari said he is exploring new ways to develop and attract recruits because the program ultimately "wants it all."
"We now are looking at different approaches to home visits, evaluations, and exactly what the characteristics are that we're looking for," Calipari wrote. "Our recruiting has been pretty solid. Well, let's make it even better."
