Half of Kentucky’s team just declared for the NBA draft

It took six months for Kentucky to lose its first basketball game during the 2014-15 season. Five days later, the Wildcats lost seven players from the roster to the NBA draft.

Devin Booker, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Trey Lyles, Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns stood when coach John Calipari asked players seated to his right to stand if they were leaving for the NBA. After no one stood, Calipari smiled and said “really?”

All seven players stood in unison. Towns is projected as a potential top-three pick and Cauley-Stein, the only upperclassman in the group, is projected by some as a lottery pick, as is Lyles.

Calipari said the number does not surprise him.

“I shouldn’t say this but to be honest, if Alex (Poythress) hadn’t gotten hurt, it would be eight,” Calipari said. “So no.”

“We had a meeting to begin our year, and the meeting was based on them. My comment was, I’m on a mission. My goal is to have eight of you be in position to put your name in the NBA draft,” Calipari said. “They knew they would have to be … selfless. They also knew they would have to do some historic things. And they did.”

Calipari said he met with every player the morning after the Final Four loss to Wisconsin in Indianapolis. He said the meetings were “maybe five minutes” to guarantee it’s the player’s choice, with their family. He puts the families in touch with the NBA.

“We just wanted to chase our dreams, take that next step,” Towns said.

Calipari said not getting to 40-0, the team’s goal, doesn’t take away from what was accomplished.

“During this year, it’s about team,” Calipari said, adding that each player knows his scholarship is waiting for them to come back. “Now it’s about each player up here, making the right decision about what’s right for their families.”

Calipari said Poythress, who suffered a torn ACL in November, was home visiting with his family and could still decide to turn pro.

The Wildcats will be a different team, obviously, next season. But Kentucky has the No. 1-ranked recruiting class for the third consecutive year. The class includes third overall prospect Skal Labissiere, a center from Memphis, point guard Isaiah Briscoe, the No. 1-ranked point guard in the recruiting class.

“I honestly didn’t think I’d be in this position this early,” said Booker. “We wanted to make history, and we did that.”