When John Calipari reflected on two major prospects he missed out on: "I wasn't totally sold"

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari is known as one of the best recruiters in college basketball. In his first season with the Razorbacks, he recruited Boogie Fland and DJ Wagner despite Fland already pledging his commitment. Wagner, meanwhile, transferred from Calipari's former team, the Kentucky Wildcats.

In an interview with sports analyst Colin Cowherd on "The Herd" in December 2015, Calipari was asked about his pinpoint recruiting. The tenured tactician admitted that he had missed out on great players and reflected on two major prospects who churned out successful NBA careers.

"I'm having a brain lock as I get older. In Charlotte, the guard that went to Connecticut, I watched Kemba Walker, I watched him play in high school, and I said he's not big enough for me, and I'm not sure how good he is. And then he beats us early in the year, and he beat us in the Final Four game, 57-56, but he had like, 30 himself. So, I missed there," Calipari admitted. (0:26)

"You know, the other one I missed on: Dirk Nowitzki. I went over, I was the coach and president, or whatever I was with the Nets. And I went over to watch him, and I said, he's really good, but I'm, you know, I got to see him more, and I wasn't totally sold. So, I've missed," he concluded.

Nowitzki became one of the greatest international NBA players of all time, leading the Dallas Mavericks to their lone championship in 2011 along with taking home the Finals MVP honors. Meanwhile, Walker was a four-time All-Star with the Charlotte Hornets, ultimately being named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2019.

John Calipari defended his alum, Derrick Rose, to Colin Cowherd

Later on in the interview, the discussion turned towards the 2010-11 NBA regular season MVP Derrick Rose, whom John Calipari coached from 2007 to 2008 with the Memphis Tigers.

Cowherd called out Rose for his injury history, which prompted Calipari to defend his star product.

"When you're an athlete like Derrick Rose, it's really important that you're healthy. He's beating you with speed, with explosiveness, and if I'm the Bulls, I don't want him at 70 percent, you got to get him to a hundred. But, it was a freak hit to his eye. Come on. Let me say this, they're going to win because of Derrick Rose. You watch," (0:30)

Rose went on to have a lengthy 16-year NBA career, becoming a three-time All-Star and a 2011 First Team All-NBA selection. In September 2024, he announced his retirement from the NBA through a heartfelt video on his Instagram.

About the author

Koby del Rosario is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda who took up BS in Advertising Management at De La Salle University, one of the big "four" universities in the Philippines. Koby has over four years of experience with Complex PH, M2.0 Communications, The LaSallian, Daily Tribune, and Time Attack Manila.

Koby's favorite college team would have to be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Apart from being MJ's alma mater, Koby has always been fond of the Jordan silhouettes that release in the school's colors (being a sneakerhead himself).

His past favorite college players would have to be Russell Westbrook (UCLA) and Markelle Fultz (Washington). With Russ, his 1-2 punch with Kevin Love during their UCLA days was something Koby marveled at as Russ became his favorite player to watch post-Kobe.

Besides playing basketball, Koby enjoys nightlife, collecting sneakers, and playing video games. Apart from hosting parties and taking pictures for parties/bars/clubs, Koby is learning to DJ as a hobby with all sorts of house and hip-hop as the main genres.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash