Painter, Mitchell & Lucas, too, all within about a year or so .... just seemed kind of out of character because the program has seemed so stable since Billy got there... i think.
Painter I believe didn't qualify, or had grades issues. Mitchell was last year and left because he couldn't secure PT, and Lucas decided to leave when Boynton and Walker were coming, and Calathes was the man at PG.ÂÂ
The problem is a lot of these players think they need to start right away, and if not want to move on. I think Billy had tried to move away from that type of player and get the guys that will be here longer, but then you see the dropoff in winning like we have the last 2 years. It's a catch 22 really. He wants to recruit the team/role type guy to stay 3-4 years, but also knows he needs the players to win immediately. I think recently he has gotten too caught up in that, and the results have been shaky.ÂÂ
It will be interesting to see what impact the new coaching hires like Calipari have on Billy and others...will he now start to go after the guys he knows will be 1 and done?
