Where Are They Now? Exploring The #NotKentuckyEffect

We’re still a few months away from the national eye turning to college basketball, but with Big Blue Madness inching closer, there are two groups of people that can hardly contain their excitement.  Kentucky fans and high school basketball players.  So with the season about to kick off, recruits about to start making visits, and ultimately making decisions on where they will go to school, let’s look at the other side of the Kentucky Effect.

What happened to the players that didn’t pick Kentucky?

For this study, we are only looking at players that didn’t pick Calipari’s Kentucky – because that’s when the Kentucky Effect really started happening.

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Xavier Henry (Kansas)

What they were saying about him: “Father played at Kansas, brother was drafted in the first round by the New York Yankees. This is an elite player who slashes and shoots it deep with equal efficiency. Has a great attitude and way about him. Continues to get bigger, better and stronger each season. Tough kid with a chance to earn a serious living playing this game.” – via Scout

How college went:  Xavier had a decent freshman season.  About halfway through the season there was even some discussion as to whether or not Henry should be the Frosh of the Year over John Wall.  But his ppg dropped as the season went on, settling at 13.4, and none of his other stats were too impressive.  A solid season for a freshman.

Draft night:  Henry decided to forego his Kansas career after one year, and was selected 12th in the NBA draft.

Where he is now:  Henry just signed with the Los Angeles Lakers – almost ironically putting him on a team with Jodie Meeks, the player he would have replaced on Calipari’s first Kentucky team.

Verdict:  He did alright for himself.  Strong freshman season, picked 12th in the draft, it’s nothing to shake a stick at.  Of course, had he brought his 42% 3pt completion rate to Kentucky, he could’ve added a national title to his college achievements.

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Josh Selby (Kansas)

What they were saying: “A combo guard, Selby is a dynamic playmaker who specializes in knocking down tough shots. At times he can get out of control and force shots, but there is no denying his ability to create something out of nothing. Although he has a scorers mentality, Selby also has the ability to creative scoring opportunities for teammates and is a strong on the ball defender.” -Yahoo

How college went: Selby had a pretty lackluster career at Kansas, plagued with a foot injury and delayed by 9 games with a suspension. By the end of the season he was averaging just under 8 points a game, and a little over 2 rebounds and assists per game. Fine stats for a Kansas 2 guard, but nowhere near the kind of production people believed he would have when he signed with Bill Self.

Draft night: Josh came out after one year, and was drafted 59th.

Where he is now: Selby bounced in and out of the NBA and the D-League, and is currently signed with the Maine Red Claws.

Verdict: He had an unfortunate series of events that left him hobbled and without a large resume for teams to judge him on. He really should’ve stayed in school for another year. Ultimately, had he come to Kentucky, you imagine him sticking around for a sophomore year with Lamb and Jones, before winning a title and perhaps finding sturdier footing in the league.

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CJ Leslie (NC State)

What they were saying: “One of the elite athletes in the country. Leslie is comfortable facing the basket and his jump shot is much improved. He plays well above the rim, handles well for his size and attacks. Super finisher. Has loads of talent and natural ability.” -Scout

How college went:  Leslie surprised many by coming back for a third year at NC State – and most expected the pack to be a legitimate threat in the ACC.  He increased his averages a little, to 15 ppg his junior year, 7 boards, 1 block, but flared out in the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing to Temple.

Draft night:  Come draft night, the former five star recruit went undrafted.

Where he is now:  After getting picked up for the summer league with the Knicks, Leslie signed a partially guaranteed contract with New York for the next year.

Verdict:  He’s not the same player as Terrence Jones – definitely more of a 3 first 3/4 than Jones – but it’s not hard to think they would fill out similar roles in a Calipari Kentucky team.  What Leslie needed was a coach who would build him towards the player he should be in the NBA, which is something we saw Cal do with Jones.

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Will Barton (Memphis)

What they were saying: “Good looking 2010 prospect. Has shown the ability to be a strong offensive figure. Dives to the post to take advantage of mismatches and will rebound his position.” -Yahoo

How college went:  Will had a rocky first season in Memphis.  Showing little to no improvement from the start of the season to the end, he struggled with decision making, defense reading and shot selection.  However, by his sophomore year Barton evolved in to a solid college guard, averaging 18 ppg and being named the C-USA player of the year.

Draft night:  After two years at Memphis, Barton came out of college, and was drafted 40th overall to the Portland Trailblazers.

Where he is now:  Barton has jumped in and out of the NBA D-League, but is firmly entrenched with the Trailblazers.  He made his first start against the Lakers on April 10th, and looks to be a good contributor for Portland heading forward.

Verdict:  He’s coming along fine, albeit slower than expected.  But had he come to Kentucky instead of Memphis, I have no doubt that Barton would’ve found his groove earlier, and already be working towards that lucrative second contract.

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Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA)

What they were saying: “Talented wing prospect that has a unique scoring ability. He’s constantly in attack mode and is an aggressive scorer. His long range shot is getting better, but he does majority of his work from mid-range and in. He’s also confident enough in his post game to take defenders to the block and show a jump hook. We’d like to see him continue to develop range on his shot, but he’s a heck of a prospect with an impressive motor.” -Scout

How college went:  At this point, we all know how Shabazz fared in college.  He was a great talent, but went to a coach that didn’t invest in him or develop him.  As the season wore on, he revealed himself to be more concerned about his own production than that of his teams, and those character issues dragged him down on the draft boards.

Draft night:  Long believed to be the top (or at least top 3) pick of a weak draft, character issues and lack of dominance for a poor UCLA team cause Shabazz to drop to the 14th pick.

Where he is now:  Muhammad’s draft rights were traded to the Timberwolves, where he had a slow start to summer league production – going 9 of 26 with 7 turnovers in his first three summer league games.  Bazz finished the summer off by getting kicked out of the Rookie Transition Program.

Verdict:  Shabazz may be the biggest ‘what if’ of the Calipari era – for both sides.  In a season when Kentucky looked a player (or three) short, Muhammad could have been a star when combined with Nerlens Noel and Calipari’s ‘be your brothers keeper’ philosophy.  With a little stern leadership from Cal and #lafamilia for support in the NBA, it’s unlikely he would’ve ended up maligned headed in to his rookie season.

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Look.  If you’re a high school recruit, you could do worse than UCLA, Kansas, Memphis or NC State.  But if you’ve got a chance to go to Kentucky, it is clear that you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to put on the blue and white.