"This is who I'm playing for" - Why John Calipari was the reason John Wall committed to Kentucky
John Wall was arguably the best high school prospect in 2009, as he was playing varsity basketball in North Carolina. It led to multiple schools vying for his commitment, but John Calipari and Kentucky came away with his word.
Wall's mother wanted him to play for NC State, and the athletic guard was a North Carolina Tar Heels fan. However, he found Calipari alluring, making him the coach he wanted to play for, especially after the program leader helped Memphis reach the National Championship in 2008 with star player Derrick Rose.
“NC State was my mom’s dream school, I was thinking about going there, but for me, Carolina was my dream school… I’m seeing Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Sean May, all of them played there,” Wall said on 'The OGs.'
“When I saw Derrick Rose at Memphis, and I saw them playing Oklahoma in the Garden, I said, 'Yeah, this is who I’m playing for… I was about to be in Memphis, but he called me, ‘I’m about to get this job in Kentucky, how do you feel about it?’ I said, 'I know about their history, it’s a basketball state,'” John added.
Wall enjoyed his lone season at Kentucky
John wanted to focus on basketball during his lone year at Kentucky and did precisely that. Calipari helped maximize his talent as Wall planned to play for only one year and move forward to the NBA, dispelling the rumors that Tyler Hansbrough was the reason for not playing for his dream school, UNC.
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The uber-athletic point guard led the Wildcats to a superb 35-3 record but only made the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Despite the stumble at the end of their campaign, Kentucky was superb, as they won their 26th SEC Championship with Wall at the forefront.
'Optimus Dime' averaged 16.6 points on 46.1% shooting from the field alongside 6.5 assists. Wall racked up multiple awards, including the Rupp Trophy, the SEC’s Player and Rookie of the Year, and a consensus All-American.
This campaign helped John elevate his stock to arguably the best prospect in college basketball alongside Evan Turner. Wall came away as the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and embarked on a successful NBA career.
“You couldn’t ask for anything better. If it wasn’t for me being the No. 1 pick, I wanted to go back to school just to win a national championship and get that atmosphere, excitement, and how fun that was,” Wall said on 'All The Smoke' in 2020.
Wall is not shocked by Calipari’s latest move
Fast-forward to 2024, and Cal’s time with the Wildcats Kentucky has ended. He is moving to the University of Arkansas, a decision that former Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins feels will hurt the Kentucky program.
Wall is not surprised Coach Cal is moving because he finished his job there. He led the Wildcats to a championship in 2012 and has continued to produce elite NBA-bound talents like Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, and more.
“It wasn’t too shocking to me because just the way, like you know, I mean they lost, they lost the game to Oakland, then you start hearing out the news do we get rid of cow,” Wall said on 'Point Game.' “I feel like he took it to a whole another level you know, I mean, having a lot of guys come in be number one recruits.”
