Recruit Like the Best: Kentucky's John Calipari

March 27, 2014 at 12:55 PM by Rob Stevenson

John Calipari, Head Coach of Kentucky's storied basketball team, has enjoyed wild success as both an in-Screen_Shot_2014-03-27_at_12.49.28_PMgame coach and a recruiter. Year after year, Coach Cal attracts the nation's best players and puts his freshmen up against the best teams in the country. Since taking the reigns in 2009, Calipari has led the Wildcats to 4 NCAA tournament appearances--including one title winning season. Tomorrow night, Calipari returns his squad to the Sweet 16, as his young team of studs takes on last year's champs, Louisville.

Calipari has received a great deal of criticism for his use of "one-and-done" players, which is to say, players who spend one year at college and then go directly to the NBA. Calipari regularly defends this strategy, claiming his only focus is in making players' dreams come true. Herein lies the secret to Cal's recruiting prowess: he thinks of his talent in terms of their long term development and makes known his commitment to their goals.

Screen_Shot_2014-03-27_at_12.36.35_PM

 

 

DeMarcus Cousins, star Center for the Sacramento Kings and former Kentucky Wildcat, had this to say about Calipari's parting advice:

 

 

"Coach Cal said that if I want to do what's best for him, and to put food on his family's table, I should stay in school, but if I want to do what's best for my family, I have to go to the NBA." 

It can be difficult to look past your own organization's long term needs, but remember how unlikely it is that any of your candidates will retire as employees of your company. Demonstrating an interest in your candidates' careers will give them the confidence that you are not merely filling a req, but placing them somewhere that will help them on their way to their career ambitions.

Delving deeper into his recruiting strategy, Calipari echoes the words of Steve Jobs:

When you're trying to build or change a culture, what do you do? I always say you take players from state championship teams because they only know one thing: winning.

This one feels obvious, but the importance of starting at the very top can't be understated. A handful of superstars--like the ones Calipari puts on the floor every year--will always run rings around a gaggle of B-teamers.

What other lessons can we learn from the recruiting aces of the NCAA? Leave a comment or tweet @EnteloRob!

New Call-to-Action

 

comments