Kelly Oubre's Father Says His Comments Were Not Meant Against Kentucky/Calipari

by:Matt Jones10/09/13
oubre You may have read earlier today here on KSR, some comments from 2014 recruit Kelly Oubre's father about his son's recruiting process. If you missed the earlier post, he said: “That’s one of the reasons behind choosing Kansas. Coach Self doesn’t kick you out if you are not ready. I don’t care too much for it (one-and-done) because if you look at it over the last couple drafts, the success of the guys one-and-done is few and far between. Every once in a while you find guys who can make it through. I’m more concerned about his education after maybe a two-year stint or three-year stint. How close is he to that degree and having a greater business mind going into the next level, whatever that is?” added Oubre Sr. “I think the first year in college as well as the pros, maybe two, is a learning curve. That learning curve can be cut considerably if he stayed and developed in college.” Many people (myself included) read those comments as a subtle jab at John Calipari and the Kentucky program, specifically the notion of "kicking out" a player that is not a one and done player. But rather than just let those statements hang out there, I called Kelly Oubre Sr. tonight to ask him to clarify his thoughts. He said that he meant no shots at Kentucky or Calipari, who he says he respects a great deal, and instead was talking about something else: "It was not a statement at all in reference to Kentucky. Eight schools were in the running for my son. The media turned into the big two. But some of the other schools were talking about one and done but Calipari was not one of them. Me and Calipari share the same view on the one and done situation. We both don't think it is a good idea." Oubre Sr. noted that Calipari and Bill Self were two of three coaches (along with Billy Donovan) who he felt were not only honest with his son but were the type of men that he wanted coaching him and mentoring him at the next level. "I wanted a coach who was the head of his ship and ran his own program. Those three, were the ones that I saw do that. And they didn't spend their time talking about "one and done" but talked about their programs" Oubre Sr. noted that some of the other eight programs that recruited his son focused on letting him "showcase his skills" and be a star in one year. And that turned, Oubre Sr off, but Self and Calipari had a different approach: "What pushes the kid out is the money. Other schools talk about why my son shouldn't go to Kentucky or to another school and focused on the other places, but the two schools in question right now (UK and KU) don't talk about the other guy. They weren't little guys getting in a big dog fight, they were big guys comfortable in their own skin. And that is what I wanted to see." Finally, Oubre Sr. said, his son felt at home after his Kansas visit and decided to end the process before visiting Kentucky or Florida. When I asked him after all of this discussion about "one and done", what would happen if his son had the opportunity to go to the pros after one year, he said: "The lure at the next level is the money. If you are know you are going to be a lottery pick, then at that time we sit down and re-evaluate that thinking. But as of now, I am not a big proponent of it, because I believe the first year is a learning curve." All in all, I found Oubre Sr. to be a very thoughtful man who was genuinely upset that his comments may have come out the wrong way. He ended the conversation by saying, "Make sure and tell the Big Blue Nation that we wish them the best of luck. I love John Calipari and really respect him and those fans are amazing."

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