Kentucky head coach John Calipari is expected to be named the head coach of the U.S. team for the FIBA Under-19 World Championships this summer, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello.
The tournament, which will be played July 1-9 in Cairo, will consist of a team of players 19 years or younger. So incoming freshmen, high school seniors, and current college sophomores will all be eligible to compete.
For Calipari, who doesn’t exactly need a leg up on recruiting, this will give him an inside track in connecting with some of the top high school players in the country. Not only will he get a chance to coach up the best rising basketball talents in the country, but he might also have a shot at coaching prospects he’s recruiting to Kentucky.
In 2015, the U-19 roster featured Allonzo Trier, Terrance Ferguson, Harry Giles, Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum. All were uncommitted at the time, and all were elite high school recruits who were coached by Arizona’s Sean Miller. Of that roster, Ferguson and Trier went on to sign with Miller, although Ferguson opted to play overseas. Obviously a chance to connect with these players, some of which may be uncommitted, is a perk that comes with the job.
While many might see this as an unfair advantage for John Calipari and a Kentucky program that has finished with the No. 1 ranked recruiting class every year except two since 2010, it’s a luxury that has been taken advantage of by prominent coaches over the years. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski has coached the U.S. men’s national team, Arizona’s Sean Miller, as mentioned above, led the U-19 team to a gold medal at the 2015 World Championship, and Texas coach Shaka Smart coached the Under-18 group last year.
