John Calipari wants to change the image of the 'one-and-done' system

Much of the success of John Calipari has been built on the one-and-done system. That is, his college teams have generally been heavy on talent, leading to high turnover and plenty of players leaving his program early for the NBA.

Some college coaches hate it. After all, instability is the enemy of preparation. But Calipari thrives on being able to quickly acclimate players, and his ability to secure talent comes largely from his proven willingness to make his players NBA-ready.

So it's not surprising that with plenty of criticism of players doing just a single year of college abounding, Calipari has come to the system's defense.

"Succeed and proceed," Calipari suggested one-and-done be called. "It will be on T-Shirts."

Well, I have the bully pulpit right now so I can talk about it, but my thing is I'm proud of what we have done for these young people. We have had 17 players drafted. Many of those just changed the whole direction of their family. Every one of them in the league right now. It's not like guys are going and they should have never left. They didn't make it. Look at this. They're all doing well. Not only are they doing well, they're giving back to their communities.
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Every player that I've recruited, and they will tell you, I say the same thing: 'Don't plan on coming to school for one year. You make a huge mistake. But if after one year you have options, that will be up to you and your family. You plan on being in school two or three years. But if after one year you have options, that's up to you and your family. Enjoy the experience, enjoy the college environment, because the rest of it is work, it's not about family, it's about business.'

That's really all a coach can do, and that level of honesty with players, himself and the public surely ingratiates him with players and families.

That's not to say the system is perfect or can't be improved, but it's important to hear all sides.