Cauley-Stein Explains Why It's Calipari, Not Kentucky That Drew Recruits

Arkansas coach gets biggest endorsement possible with recruits

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Fred Gulley III (12) looks at Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) following a scramble for a loose ball during a game at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas defeated Kentucky 73-60. / Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A one-on-one interview with former Kentucky star Willie Cauley-Stein shows exactly why Wildcats fans were wrong when they said players came to Lexington for the jersey and not the man current Arkansas coach John Calipari was while at Kentucky.

In the interview posted by HS Top Recruits shows Cauley-Stein gushing not about the basketball side of things, although he does acknowledge the general guarantee a player has of being drafted if they join a Calipari team with the right attitude and work ethic.

Instead, he goes on and on about all the things Calipari did outside of basketball that avoided potential issues and established a mindset for success off the court that affects the game if not handled correctly. The things Cauley-Stein directly addresses should provide comfort to any Razorbacks fans who might have been apprehensive about bringing the former Kentucky coach on board.

"So I think with him, it was, I mean, we had so many meetings of like, what to do with money, what to do in crisis," Cauley-Stein said. "This is meetings that he would have, like, random meetings."

In addition to general life discussions, he took time to lay down strict rules to protect his players that they didn't like in the moment. However, Cauley-Stein said he now appreciates what was done and is glad Calipari stuck by it.

"We do see all these stories, horror stories of, you know, rape allegations and stuff like this," Cauley-Stein said. "Like, he was not gonna let that happen. Yeah, 10 o'clock curfew, no girls in the lounge, no, like. That stuff right there just protected us. Like, yeah, we were upset about it at the time. I'm looking 10 years now, and I'm like, well, we were never in a position to even get in trouble."

Yes, Cauley-Stein learned a lot about basketball during his time under Calipari, but that isn't where he sees the true value in playing under the man. He stresses to those who want to listen that the gains from playing for his former coach come from his time building men off the court.

"He kind of put that at the forefront, just like teaching us how to live outside of basketball," Cauley-Stein said. "That's the main thing that I got from him."

Whatever you want to say about coaching ability, this right here is what makes him the man he is and why families love him.

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— HS Top Recruits (@HSTopRecruiting) July 28, 2024

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