John Calipari slams NIL demands with transfer portal targets

Kentucky head coach John Calipari supports the transfer portal. It’s how he’s landed players such as Oscar Tshiebwe, Kellan Grady, Sahvir Wheeler, CJ Fredrick, Davion Mintz and Reid Travis in recent years.

Name, image and likeness, though, has made the portal complicated this offseason. Rather than available options choosing new schools based on exposure, playing time or title aspirations, money is at the top of the priority list for some. Nigel Pack received an $800K deal and a car to play at Miami, while Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong issued an ultimatum regarding NIL, threatening to hit the portal if his compensation wasn’t increased.

Kentucky was impacted by NIL-driven recruitments in recent days with South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman. The Wildcats heavily pursued the sharpshooting wing before cutting ties due to money demands, sources tells KSR. Now, Scheierman is set to decide between Arkansas, Clemson, Creighton, Duke and Nebraska.

In a guest radio appearance with Mike Pratt and Dan Issel on Monday, Calipari made it clear that players looking for financial guarantees will not be recruited by Kentucky moving forward.

“The problem is the name, image and likeness should not be a part of it and it’s become a part of it,” Calipari said. “And if anybody is talking to me about name, image and likeness as part of the transfer, I’m not really interested.”

Players don’t sign with Kentucky for money, Calipari says. They sign with this program to compete for titles and develop alongside other elite talent. If they’re looking for anything else, Lexington won’t be their next home.

“You come here because of the culture,” Calipari said. “To be developed, the environment, the fans, trying to compete for national titles, having other really good players to play with. That’s why you come here. ‘Coach, how can you develop me? What can you add? What can you do?’ Not, ‘How much is the NIL?’

“I think the idea behind it is good, but now it’s become more than that.”

Kentucky has signed one player out of the portal this offseason in Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves. Calipari says the 6-foot-6 wing is a player who has embraced what it means to be a Wildcat, making the fit a strong one.

Others? Not so much.

“The player, Antonio Reeves, we zeroed in on somebody that we said, ‘He fits what we need and we can help add to what he needs.’ And that’s what it came down to for us. And we’ve looked at other guys, talked to some other guys, most of it has gone nowhere. But no disrespect to any other player and how they’re going about it, what they’re trying to do.”