John Calipari and Rick Pitino have different views of the One and Done rule, but it isn’t about the rule itself.
It is about the difference in opinion by the two about relationships with those types of players where they disagree.
Pitino told Eric Prisbell of USA Today that he doesn’t tell recruits that Louisville is a one and done school and thinks it is hard to build a relationship in 7 months.
When asked by phone if he would want to coach a team that featured at least three one-and-done players, Pitino said: “You know, I wouldn’t care if the pros say the young man is one and done and he goes. But I don’t go in the home and say, ‘You’re a one-and-done and my program is a one and done program.’ I don’t do that.
“I go in and recruit the young man and if he asks me how I would feel about it, I say, ‘If you’re good enough, that’s up to the pros, go ahead and do it.’ I don’t talk about it. I don’t look at it. One of the things I enjoy is building relationships with guys, and I don’t want to get to know them for seven months and they move on because I never get to know them.”
It doesn’t sound like Coach John Calipari agreed with those remarks:
When told of Pitino’s comments regarding one-and-done players, Calipari told USA TODAY Sports: “That’s not true (that you can’t have relationships). Obviously the relationships I have with my guys, you need to go talk to them. Why? I have been loyal to them. I have loved them when they were here and loved them when they left. It’s not about me, it’s about them. I don’t go in and talk about one-and-done. It never comes up in meetings. I don’t have to. It’s the white elephant in the room … If you can’t get those kids, that’s the kind of comment you make. That’s what you say.”
