Calipari on Trae Young: "I didn't even realize he was this good"

Trae Young has been the star of college basketball so far this season. The Oklahoma freshman averages a double-double in points and assists, and already tied the NCAA record for assists in a single game with 22. For a long time, it looked like Young was a lock for Kentucky, but Sooners head coach Lon Kruger sold him and his family on being able to take every shot he wants, whereas John Calipari simply couldn’t promise Young that kind of freedom in Kentucky’s system.

Today, Calipari was asked about Young in the wake of his spectacular 39-point, 14-assist performance vs. TCU on Saturday and told reporters he’s happy for him, but hopes Kentucky doesn’t have to face him come March.

“I knew how good he was, but I didn’t even realize he was this good. The biggest thing in this, and it’s a great lesson. Lon Kruger — whom I have unbelievable respect for — said we’re going to play through you. It’s all going through you. You’re going to shoot when you want. And he did not lie. He did not lie. What he told that kid — it’s kind of like Bobby Cremins, who used to recruit at Georgia Tech. He would tell a kid what he was going to do, and then he did it.

My [pitch] was, you’re not going to be the only guy, you’re going to have to share the ball. Hopefully if he had come here, I would have realized early, this kid needs a little more room than some other guys that I have. Hopefully I would have realized that. But I knew he was good, which is why we recruited him so long, but I didn’t realize he’d be able to do what he’s doing, which is basically 80% of their baskets, 70% of their baskets, he either scores or assists. That’s a ridiculous number. And he’s got teammates that are letting him play and it’s helping them and they’re winning. And he’s got a coach, who, again, one of the best in our business, said here, this is what we’re going to do, and he went out and did it.

I’m happy for Trae. I hope we don’t ever have to play him. He’s a great kid from a great family. [Our approach at Kentucky is] I undersell, overdeliver.”

Somewhere, the selection committee is already conspiring to make sure Kentucky and Oklahoma are in the same bracket.

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