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Kentucky projected to break 15-year NBA Draft streak
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- Kentucky projected to break 15-year NBA Draft streak
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The post Kentucky projected to break 15-year NBA Draft streak appeared first on ClutchPoints .
When the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft plays out on Wednesday night, it seems nearly certain that Kentucky men's basketball will not have a player picked.
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If that's what happens, it will be the first time in 15 years that no Wildcats player goes in the first round. The end of the streak coincides with the end of John Calipari's time on the sidelines in Lexington. Assuming there are no surprises, the streak will have lasted his entire tenure, beginning in 2010 and ending in 2024.
Calipari made his mark early in his Kentucky basketball tenure by loading up on monster recruiting classes, leading to a rush of one-and-done players that became easy first-round picks. In fact, Kentucky had the No. 1 overall pick in three of the first six years of Calipari's reign.
The end of the streak is by no means a knock on new head coach Mark Pope. He guided the Wildcats to a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament in his first season and has re-energized Big Blue Nation after it had become disenchanted with the previous staff.
In the current era, loading up on five-star prospects is less of a priority compared to poaching the best players possible from the transfer portal, and Pope has assembled quite the haul for next season. His six-man transfer class consists of Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State), Mouhamed Dioubate ( Alabama ), Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Kam Williams (Tulane), Denzel Aberdeen ( Florida ) and Reece Potter (Miami-Ohio). They will join All-American candidate Otega Oweh and a trio of four-star freshmen on a team that should again compete for a top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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And while this year's draft may not have any Wildcats going on Wednesday night, Kentucky basketball still has a pair of prospects that could go in the second round in Koby Brea and Amari Williams .
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Related: Duke will extend NBA Draft record with Cooper Flagg going No. 1
