ST. CATHARINES, Ont.– Kentucky Hall of Fame coach John Calipari has never had to worry about rebuilding since he arrived in the Blue Grass, even though he has become the king of one and dones.
Coach Cal has shown the unique ability to reload at every position with blue chip talent.
The latest future star to commit is five-star junior point guard Tyrese Maxey, who announced his loyalty to the Cats this spring, before his senior year at Dallas South Garland High.
The 6-3 Maxey, who averaged 22.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals as a junior and had 46 points in a Texas state semi-final loss, has been on a roll lately, emerging as one of the best players in the Nike EBYL and playing his way into the starting lineup of USA Basketball’s U18 team. Maxey was electric here last night, scoring 12 points early last night as the Americans improved their record to 2-0 after rolling to an insane 118-26 victory over Panama here at the Meridian Center.
Maxey has been the USA’s best player over the first two games. “He’s unselfish,’’ USA basketball coach Bill Self from Kansas said. “He can really score the ball, but he’s played like a controlled guard. He hasn’t taken any bad shots.’’
For Maxey, the stress of recruiting is over. He will eventually suit up for his dream school.
“I knew that’s where I wanted to be,’’ he said. “I didn’t want to waste any other coaches’ time. I know their job is hard and I didn’t want them to keep recruiting me even though I knew where I wanted to go. So, I told my family I wanted to commit and get it over with. I’m probably the happiest person in the world right now. I’m at peace.’’
Maxey chose Kentucky over Michigan, Michigan State, Texas and Oklahoma. He was so excited, he seriously considered reclassifying to 2018 and joining UK’s team this season. The Cats had just lost freshman and likely NBA first round draft pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from Canada and the starting point guard spot was up for grabs. But he would have been competing against three other five-star players at his position—sophomore Quade Green, incoming freshman Immanuel Quickly and likely reclassifying Ashton Hagans, who is currently in the 2019 but is expected to join the Cats this fall.
At one point earlier in the spring, Maxey hinted he might reclassify too. He took the necessary coursework to graduate early but ultimately decided to stay put.
Maxey, who doesn’t turn 18 until November, could always change his mind, but for now, he seems committed to staying in high school and attempting to make the McDonald’s All-American team. “I talked to my family about it. We came to the decision it would be better for me to progress in my game and get a little bit stronger before I headed out to college. Plus, I wanted to be a kid one more year and play in some of these All-Star games,’’ he said.
Maxey has been compared to former Kentucky star Brandon Knight, who led the Cats to the 2011 Final Four because of his quickness, ability to make shots and play defense.
“Playing with these guys helps with my game. Coach Cal likes to be guard heavy. If you have a lot of good guards on the floor who can make good decisions that’s always good.’’
Team USA finished off Panama quickly, racing to a shocking 43-0 lead after one quarter.
“Coaching,’’ Self said, with a smile.
“What I told them was don’t play score, play to win each possession. A lot of coach speak. I’ve never seen a score like that after one quarter. But I thought our guys tried to play the right way after they got a big lead. We got a chance to work on our zone for a couple quarters, got to play some half-court defense. We didn’t really press. We just pressured a lot. When you create some havoc, after a while, they’ll just give it up.’’
Maxey tried his best to be diplomatic about the route. “We were just trying to get better,’’ Maxey claimed. “The real competition starts Wednesday night with Puerto Rico. They’re 2-0 as well. We’re trying to win this pool.’’
