Other Ways Cal is Impressing Recruits in In-Home Visits

by:CMTomlin09/23/16

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Earlier this week we learned, via  USA Today’s high school sports blog, that our own Coach Cal is wowing recruits all over the country via his cutting-edge techniques, which include a virtual Rupp Arena presentation which — according to Tampa Catholic’s Kevin Knox — is both like you are “actually there” and “crazy.” But in this day and age of high technology and savvy youths, sometimes Cal has to pull out other stops to impress recruits. These techniques, according to those in the know, include:

1.  A Bleacher Report YouTube Video About Kentucky’s “NBA Empire”

Cal can say it all he wants, but it helps for high school basketball players to hear it from other sources as well — Kentucky is a breeding ground for professional basketball potential. Knowing how the world views UK is valuable in instilling what Kentucky has become under Cal’s watch.

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2. Fireworks

Nothing will pump up a recruit like an explosives show/metaphor guaranteeing all the thrills and excitement of playing basketball for Rupp Arena. It’s like guard Junior Braddy once famously told reporters in 1989: “Playing ball for Kentucky is like holding four or even five sparklers in your hand at one time. Just imagine how many sparklers you can hold in your hand. That exciting.”

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3. A “Virtual Stein Mart Tour”

A tour of Rupp Arena is one thing, but most recruits are already aware of the noise generated by a rowdy Big Blue Nation. Lesser known is the fact that Lexington hosts one of the only two Stein Marts in the state of Kentucky, a fact beneficial as Stein Mart’s comparable prices continue to impress shoppers in 29 states.

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. Cal’s Sweet Body Mods

It’s a new era; youths of 2016 are more extreme than they were back when an ear tweak and some Freedent would have gained a child’s love forever. That’s why Cal’s always ready with some extreme body mods in his back pocket. You know, as a last resort.

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. A printout of an email Cal received from Kevin James in 2001.

Rumor has it that when Anthony Davis almost spilled lemonade on this, Calipari came very close to ending his recruitment of the future Kentucky superstar. If there’s one thing that’s been made very clear by John Calipari over the years it’s that he treasures the amicable buffoonery of comedian Kevin James. Sources have whispered for years that this is how we landed the Harrison Twins.

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5. Caricatures

According to assistant coach Kenny Payne, when called for Cal is not opposed to heading out to the car for an hour and creating a shockingly accurate illustration of a player to gain a recruit’s goodwill. This is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. And the rest is history. That’s why Cal’s the best in the biz.

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