Alvin Brooks III was part of Baylor's 2021 national championship team.
Paul Biancardi, ESPN recruiting director and college basketball/NBA draft analyst, believes that Kentucky coach Mark Pope made two “great hires” with assistants Jason Hart and Alvin Brooks III.
“A lot has been said about Kentucky’s recruiting under John (Calipari). He had a magnificent run and will be celebrated and appreciated more as time goes on,” Biancardi said.
Calipari annually had one of the nation’s top recruiting classes and the NBA is filled with former Calipari players, including many now on maximum contracts. Biancardi said it takes an “all-star staff” to recruit that way but he believes Pope and his staff will still attract elite players to Kentucky.
“It takes guys super experienced as assistants to recruit but they also need the right connections to get the right information about players,” Biancardi said. “They have to be great evaluators, great connectors. You need people on the court who can coach and help with scouting reports.”
Biancardi believes Brooks and Hart can do those things and more.
“Coach Brooks, nobody I know has ever said a bad word about the guy,” Biancardi said. “He has connections all over the country. He is well liked, well respected. People at Baylor have been raving about him getting a head job.
“Hart has deep roots and deep ties at every level. He’s going to be great at Kentucky. They are both highly professional and really good at what they do and exactly what you need on the staff at Kentucky. Mark Pope knew what he was doing.”
3 Responses
The truly great coaches have superior skills in delegating authority which requires that same degree of ability to identify & land elite assistants. Pope’s intelligence is not just book knowledge which limits many. His application of his intellect sets him apart from many who can’t apply what they know.
Self-Confidence is so superior to self-centered and Pope is so confident he is willing to set the best assistants right beside him and let them contribute instead of being yes men.
Pitino pulled Billy Donovan off Wall Street because he had that special knack to identify unique winners.
UK is being rebuilt at every station – assistants & players.
Well stated Baron. Spot on!
Caliphony is gone!! Great start to resurrecting a once great program in my opinion. That guy was never about winning championships, appreciative of what he was there for. Everything surrounding the guy was about HIM, and Him only. In his mind he was the greatest thing to happen to the program, NBA draft night a close second. Such a megalomaniac he couldn’t even sense the handwriting was on the wall. Win or get out of the way. He looked like a whipped pup running off to Arkansas, Arkansas of all places, lol. He actually gambled a threat that Ky would beg him to stay. They didn’t. He lost. Getting over himself should be a goal in his life. What a blustering blowhard of a phony.