Tyrese Maxey shares why he wanted to play for John Calipari

If you follow Kentucky basketball recruiting, you’ve heard five-star prospects share with Jack Pilgrim or Zack Geoghegan say, “Kentucky is my dream school.” It happens so often that some now consider it a bad omen, an audible kiss of death for UK’s chances. One of those five-star prospects that said it and meant it was Tyrese Maxey.

Long before he was a superstar for the Philadelphia 76ers, Maxey was a hoop-head watching college basketball in Texas. When he saw Derrick Rose running and gunning for John Calipari at Memphis, Maxey knew that was the coach he wanted to play for. That’s what the talented 22-year-old told J.J. Redick on “The Old Man and the Three.”

“I write my goals down everyday before the first practice. They’re always on my wall. That was my goal, get an offer from Kentucky,” said Maxey.

“I wanted to go play for Coach Cal since Derrick Rose. After I seen that, I wanted to play for Coach Cal. He loved Derrick Rose, he would kind of let Derrick Rose go. Derrick Rose loved him and I seen that relationship. Then I seen John Wall, Brandon Knight, De’Aaron Fox from Texas, I wanted to be kind of like that. (Cal) didn’t even have to show me the list (of UK NBA players). I knew what the list was. He could’ve asked me, ‘What was the last five years’ guard rotation?’ I could’ve named every single guard. I wanted to play for him so bad and I really do appreciate everything he’s done for me.”

Maxey did not hesitate and quickly announced his commitment to the Cats. Upon arriving on campus, it did not take him long to shine. In his debut he scored 26 points in a win over Michigan State in the Champions Classic. In a freshman season that was cut short by COVID-19, Maxey averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Three years into his NBA career, Tyrese Maxey is grateful for his time with John Calipari. He believes the Wildcats’ head coach sets himself apart by being the No. 1 advocate for his players.

“He’s passionate about recruiting, he’s passionate about winning and he’s passionate about his kids getting to the next level and fulfilling their dreams, and not a lot of coaches are passionate about that,” he said.

“You have a guy that wants to win first and foremost, but he cares about you fulfilling that dream to make it to the NBA. That means a lot as an 18, 17-year-old kid coming in because you don’t know what those families’ background are. When you have a coach behind you and really wants you to be successful, you appreciate that.”

Did Tyrese Maxey go to class at Kentucky?

That was the first question Redick asked the former Wildcat in the interview that lasted more than an hour. It sounds like he’s being a Duke elitist, which he is, but it was more to take a shot at the NCAA’s student-athlete model. Like most college kids, Maxey admitted to skipping a class or two.

“From my first day, all the way up to January, I went to every single class.”

I bet you’re wondering, what changed in January? “We played against Anthony Edwards and Georgia. I had 19 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, four steals, two blocks. The next day was Wednesday. I was like, ‘I’m not going to class. I’m going to the league next year. I’m sorry, I can’t go to class.’ I’ll go to practice, but I’m not at class.”

That performance — the game that led into SportsCenter where Tom Crean wanted to hang a banner for having a halftime lead — reinforced Maxey’s belief that he was on his way to the NBA. He was right. The Sixers took Maxey with the No. 21 pick overall and now he’s averaging more than 20 points per game. His NBA future made him pump the brakes ever so slightly on showing up to class in-person. There was also a more practical reason that is relatable to everyone who’s attended college.

“It was getting cold outside, and I’m from the south. I don’t do snow. I remember one day it was snowing outside. I was in a tank and pajama pants. They were like, ‘What’re you doing? There’s class at 9.’ I said no, class is canceled. It’s snowing outside.”