In the news|April 07, 2015 04:27 EDT
Kentucky Wildcats NCAA 2015 News, Rumors: Seven Kentucky Players Could Leave for NBA
The Kentucky Wildcats failed to realize their dream of becoming the first team to go 40-0 on their way to winning a national title, and after head coach John Calipari met with his players following their Final Four loss against Wisconsin, the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 coach said half of his team could be lost to the NBA.
"I would guess five would be the minimum, but seven is a distinct possibility," Calipari said as reported by The Courier Journal.
According to the coach, junior Willie Cauley-Stein, sophomores Andrew and Aaron Harrison, along with freshmen Karl-Anthony Towns, and Trey Lyles would most likely leave for the NBA, while freshman Dakari Johnson, and freshman Devin Booker, appear to have opened the possibility of also declaring for the draft.
After winning the national title last year, pro prospects the Harrison twins decided to come back for their sophomore season, along with Cauley-Stein. This year, apart from missing out on a chance for back-to-back titles, they could lose the core of their team.
"There's not going to be any brainwashing, forcing, pushing either in or out. I want each kid to make decisions for themselves. I did tell a couple of the kids that it's a man's game; it's not a child's league. If you're not ready for a man's league, you need to come back," Calipari said.
A good number of people think Towns could be the next draft's number one overall pick, while Cauley-Stein is projected to be a lottery pick. Lyles is projected to be a first round pick according to ESPN and DraftExpress. The Harrison twins aren't projected to be picked in the first round, with Aaron deemed to not even be picked at any round, something their coach disagrees with.
"I believe they will be when you get the workouts and the interviews and you see their size and their athleticism and all that"”when you them and say, 'Those are two of the greatest kids; where did all this other stuff come from? Where's this narrative? It's not true,'" Calipari said. "And then I think what'll happen is they'll both be in the first round. But even if they're not, it'll be shortly thereafter. "¦ There's so many variables, but I would be surprised if both of them weren't first-round picks," Calipari was quoted in The Courier Journal.