In a recently released video on Coach Cal’s website, incoming freshman guard Archie Goodwin shares a bit about why he ultimately chose to come to Lexington, and unsurprisingly it seems that there was one key factor in his decision: Coach Calipari himself.
The phenomenon that continuously draws the nation’s top talents to UK has been dubbed “the Kentucky Effect”, but in recent years it could just as easily be called “the Calipari Effect”. Of course, the two have become intertwined in the past three years. Kentucky has long been a basketball powerhouse, but Calipari has managed to streamline the program and revive it’s acclaimed status both on and off the court.
In the video, Goodwin talks about his long-held admiration for his new coach, who he remembers watching during his career at Memphis. Interestingly enough, Goodwin also received an offer from Memphis in 2011, but turned it down in favor of playing under Calipari.
The 6’5” Arkansas native also touched on Calipari’s ability to mold players to their full potential, citing examples such as Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans at Memphis, and more recently John Wall and Brandon Knight here at Kentucky. He also says these players seemed to be comfortable within Calipari’s system, which was another key factor. Of course, these are some of the bigger names in basketball, but if Goodwin hopes to follow in their footsteps then he has undoubtedly come to the right place.
As the newcomer begins warming up for the upcoming season with his new teammates, he lets fans know that he plans to aim high, and he wants people “to expect us to win a championship…or multiple championships”. Those are some words the Big Blue Nation likes to hear.
See the full video here:
[URL]http://www.coachcal.com/15712/2012/07/fearless-focused-and-vocal-goodwin-ready-to-lead/[/URL]
