A familiar scenario played out in Jarred Vanderbilt’s decision to enter this year’s NBA Draft even though it was reasonable to think his injury-plagued one-season Kentucky “career” left him ill-prepared for professional basketball.
John Calipari made him do it, or at least contributed to his belief that he could do it.
“He gave me the assurance because I initially didn’t know whether I wanted to make that leap or come back,” Vanderbilt said before an autograph session in Lexington on Tuesday. “But him being by my side and, you know, edging me that I should do that gave me the assurance that I should do it.