Kentucky athletics
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By LARRY VAUGHT For the Daily News
6 hrs ago | September 4, 2019
Recently a longtime University of Kentucky fan who has season
tickets to both men’s basketball and football games posed a question that I was
not sure how to answer. She wondered who I thought was the better recruiter –
John Calipari or Vince Marrow.
The more I thought about the
question, the harder it became for me to answer. Calipari obviously has had the
higher-ranked recruiting – but shouldn’t he, considering the magnitude and
tradition of Kentucky basketball? Yet what Marrow has helped the football program do during his time as
recruiting coordinator is unprecedented. He’s bringing in big-time talent
consistently that few ever thought UK football could and has helped make UK
football a national brand.
Marrow
also has to help recruit up to 25 players annually while Calipari and his staff
usually target four to six players.
My instinct tells me that Marrow
might actually be the better recruiter because of the odds he’s overcome, but
then how do you not respect the first-round draft picks Calipari has had or
players he’s put into the NBA? He also has a national championship.
I decided to reach out to several
media members who cover both UK football and basketball for their thoughts,
knowing there is not a right or wrong answer. Not everyone asked wanted to
respond but those who did were free to use any perspective they wanted to make
their choice.
Tyler Thompson, Kentucky Sports Radio
editor-in-chief: “It may seem hard to compare the two, but both John Calipari
and Vince Marrow have succeeded in recruiting by taking unique approaches.
Although Billy Gillispie made a mess during his two years in Lexington,
Calipari inherited a blue blood program with great tradition. He capitalized on
that and brought in arguably the most important recruiting class in Kentucky
history in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, giving new life to a
program that desperately needed it.
“From there, Kentucky’s record of
putting players in the pros became Calipari’s calling card and keeps the Cats
at the top of every elite recruit’s list. The one-and-done rule used to be
viewed as a stigma of the sport, but Calipari’s success at Kentucky forced the
rest of college basketball to adapt, including the almighty Mike Krzyzewski at
Duke.
“On the flip side, Vince Marrow took a program with
little history and reputation and made it a viable option for a niche of
players from the state of Ohio that maybe weren’t good enough to get offers
from Ohio State or Michigan, but wanted to play against great competition. The
Ohio pipeline has transformed Kentucky football, breeding enough success that
Marrow is now able to capture the attention of elite players and even compete
with those Big Ten programs for prospects.
“In that sense, you could argue that
what Marrow’s done is more impressive, but hauling the best or second best
recruiting class every year speaks for itself. Kentucky fans should feel incredibly
lucky to have both in Lexington.”
Jeff Drummond, Cats Illustrated
managing editor: “This is an intriguing question. After debating it a bit in my
own mind, I would submit that it should be judged somewhat like an Olympic
sport with degree of difficulty factored into the comparison.
“There’s no disputing that John
Calipari is one of the best recruiters on the planet (for any college sport)
but he’s also in the perfect situation to make that happen. Billy Clyde
Gillespie proved that it’s not quite an ‘auto-pilot’ situation, but it probably
feels like one compared to the gang over at the football complex. When Coach
Cal sets out to recruit a class, he’s got instant access to almost every 5-star
prospect at the top of the rankings.
“Vince Marrow doesn’t have that luxury, but he has helped
shatter all the prior notions that UK cannot compete against the traditional
‘big boys’ of college football and expanded the Cats’ recruiting sphere from
the old, familiar five-hour radius to all corners of the country.
“If pressed for a definitive answer,
I would go with coach Cal and those 30-some NBA draft picks he has produced.
Marrow has excelled in finding underrated guys who turned out to be 4- and
5-star players, but to be on Cal’s level he needs a few more elite-level guys
like current 5-star commit Justin Rogers. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Michael Bennett, host of “Just The
Cats,” a daily sports radio show: “It’s not even close. Vince Marrow is the king of recruiting for UK.
Don’t get me wrong, Cal is one of the country’s top recruiters and I’m glad he
is at UK. I would not trade him for the world, but comparing UK basketball to
UK football in recruiting is comparing my speed and agility to the likes of
Lynn Bowden. We all know how that would turn out.
“UK has a rich history when it comes
to basketball. When Cal arrived the Wildcats had seven national championships –
add Rupp Arena in the mix, most successful coaches will continue with the
winning tradition.
“When it comes to UK football, the Wildcats have no
tradition at all. That alone makes it more difficult for Vince Marrow &
company. The ‘Big Dog’ is not only getting nationally known talent to consider
Kentucky, but is now getting them to commit. I can’t remember in my lifetime
when UK was competing with the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, Florida
State, Penn State, etc., and winning.
“It was only 2-3 years ago when the
Angry Birds of Louisville were owning the city of Louisville (in recruiting). Now that Vince has taken over
the recruiting responsibilities of Kentucky’s largest city, the Cats are now
owning the city’s best football talent.
“Prove me wrong, because I’m right.”
Alan Cutler, former WLEX-TV sports
anchor: “Cal. He did a better job recruiting at UMass and Memphis than many
realized. And, his first class at UK, coming in so late, is one of the greatest
recruiting jobs ever. Not just at UK, but ever. Plus, how many billions will
Cal’s recruits make?
“That being said, what Vince has done for UK and (coach
Mark) Stoops is past remarkable. I can’t think of another UK assistant football
coach who’s done more. Great people skills and he keeps it real. In today’s
crazy world of coaching salaries, he’s underpaid by a lot!”
Keith Taylor, Kentucky Today sports
editor: “I think John Calipari is the better recruiter simply because he has
produced more NBA prospects and Kentucky is such an easier sell for him because
of the tradition in UK basketball.
“Vince Marrow is starting to get the
recruits to keep the program consistent and that’s a big plus where the
Wildcats have been lacking. It helps in the foundation of the program and keeps
each recruiting class relevant. Calipari has a smaller pool to choose from and
his recruits have been on target with the exception of a few during his first
10 years at Kentucky.
“I
think Marrow is a perfect fit for the Wildcats and his influence has definitely
been an asset to the program. It’s perhaps the best hire Mark Stoops made at
UK.”
Larry Glover, host of “Larry Glover
Live,” a daily radio talk show: “I would say Calipari given his success at UK
and his job of building national title contenders at (the) school outside the
power conferences. That said, the fact that this question can be asked does say
a lot about what Vince has done with UK football. Ultimately, UK football will
have to win consistently and make some national noise for any chance of
supplanting Cal as the better recruiter.”
Justin Rowland, Rivals.com recruiting
analyst and Cats Illustrated publisher: “I’ve racked my brain on how to answer
this and the best I can say is they do very different things because football
recruiting at Kentucky and basketball recruiting at Kentucky are entirely
different.
“They have both accomplished
something historic. No college basketball coach in the sports history has
pulled in one incredible class after another every single year the way John
Calipari has and no
assistant coach at Kentucky at least in the football modern era has
consistently cleaned up the way Vince Marrow has. Marrow probably has
more hands-on personal and day-to-day involvement with the many players he
recruits each year because that’s the way football recruiting goes. Calipari
serves as the closer for the top basketball prospects in the country.
“In relative terms, Calipari players
have certainly been ranked higher but he is also promoting a brand in Kentucky
basketball that is infinitely easier to sell than Kentucky football.”
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