Gilchrist already? It's all part of Calipari's master plan
The first time I read about Michael Gilchrist was in a Philadelphia newspaper.
It was July 2007. He was 13 and talking about his desire to one day play for John Calipari at Memphis.
Few days later, I was hanging around late on the first day of the LeBron James Skills Academy, talking to Chris Douglas-Roberts, who played for Calipari at Memphis. We were two of only about eight or nine people still in the gym. We were sitting on the bleachers watching LeBron James play on the court with his first son, LeBron James Jr., who was almost 3 years old at the time. William Wesley was there too, of course. Why wouldn't he be? I think former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried was also there, but I don't remember exactly.
Either way, that's not the point.
The point is that eventually Douglas-Roberts introduced me to a tall kid, just said, "This is my little cousin, Mike." I quickly realized that the Mike I had just met was the Michael Gilchrist I had just read about, and it doesn't matter that he and Douglas-Roberts aren't really cousins. What matters is that Gilchrist was "a part of the family" way back then, which is why it was no surprise when the Class of 2011 star formally committed to play for Calipari at a Wednesday press conference.
The timing of the commitment?
That was a surprise -- and further proof of Calipari's brilliance.
Yes, I know you're tired of hearing about Calipari. And that you think he's a cheater. And that you're sure one day he'll lead Kentucky to a Final Four only to have it vacated, just like he did at UMass and Memphis. I've read your emails. I know what you think. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't spend a few hundred words explaining what happened, because what happened is, like I said, brilliant.
As you know, Calipari has taken a beating since losing to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. A case can be made that the 2009-10 Wildcats -- featuring five possible first-round draft picks -- are the most talented team ever to not make a Final Four. So the criticism has been constant considering basketball is a hot topic in Kentucky 365 days a year.
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Recruit Knight commits to Kentucky Parrish: Gilchrist's special day |
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· Junior Gilchrist verbally commits to Kentucky · Top recruits | Top classes | Recruiting report blog |
Can he coach?
Can he take us there?
Are we sure he's the right guy?
The questions just wouldn't stop. But they'll stop now because Kentucky fans are going to be too busy celebrating a commitment from the best prospect in the Class of 2011 -- not to mention a commitment from Class of 2010 star Brandon Knight, widely considered the nation's best point guard -- which brings me back to the timing and the brilliance. There's no real reason for Gilchrist to commit this early; he can't sign until November, and several basketball insiders thought he might actually wait until next spring. Still, Gilchrist committed Wednesday -- on what would've been his late father's 44th birthday -- and sent the UK faithful into a frenzy, meaning Calipari has, in a span of 18 days, gone from being ridiculed for not having his team properly attack West Virginia's zone to being celebrated for orchestrating one of the biggest recruiting moments in school history.
He has, as they say, flipped the script.
And you don't know Calipari if you don't think this is all part of a larger plan -- a plan, it's worth noting, that could also help entice fellow Class of 2011 star Marquis Teague to go ahead and jump on board, too. Calipari is a master at this stuff, one of the best I've ever seen at shaping the message the way he wants it shaped. The guy has his flaws, no question. Again, I've read your emails. But there's not a doubt in my mind that one of the reasons Gilchrist committed now is because Calipari needed him to commit now to help shift the conversation. Kentucky fans are no longer worried about losing to West Virginia or losing five underclassmen. Instead, they'll spend the next few weeks and months non-stop talking about enrolling Knight this summer and Gilchrist next summer, then they'll start debating whether Calipari will ultimately win two or three national titles in the next five years.
It's crazy.
I know it's crazy and you know it's crazy.
But we all know it's going to happen exactly as I described.
John Calipari knows it, too.
Which is why it's happening in the first place.
