Andy Katz has a piece on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for ESPN, touching on how MKG’s life experience has sparked a drive which means Coach Cal never has to ‘ride’ him. Andy also touches on how Kidd-Gillie has been a fan of Cal since junior high.
Here’s an excerpt.
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I] John Calipari has coached No. 1 picks, lottery selections and a number of four-year players who elevated their game to a professional level.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]But he may not have become as attached to a player in such a short time as he has to freshman wing [URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/56352/michael-kidd-gilchrist”]Michael Kidd-Gilchrist[/URL].[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]The affection from MKG toward Calipari dates back to middle school when Kidd-Gilchrist watched DaJuan Wagner play for Calipari at Memphis[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]”He came up to me when he was younger and talked about how much he wanted to play for coach Cal at Memphis,” said Wagner, who said he and Kidd-Gilchrist are as close as kin. “I knew that he would be the perfect player for coach Cal and that Cal would love him. The best thing is that he plays hard, and that’s why coach Cal loves him.”[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]Trying to rank who plays the hardest is a moot point. But no one can deny Kidd-Gilchrist’s drive. It comes from something deep within.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
For the rest of the [URL=”http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2012/story/_/id/7752328/michael-kidd-gilchrist-makes-name-kentucky-2012-ncaa-tournament”]article[/URL].
