"No girls in the lounge, no": Willie Cauley-Stein reveals secret sauce as why players chose Kentucky's John Calipari over allure of the program

During his time with the Kentucky Wildcats, John Calipari consistently recruited top NBA prospects. Playing for Kentucky was coveted by many, and coach Calipari ran one of the most successful programs.

In an interview with HS Top Recruits, Willie Cauley-Stein, who played for the Wildcats from 2012 to 2015, detailed the additional aspects that drew players to Lexington. He shared that Calipari coached them not just on-court but off-court as well, instilling great life values in his players.

"So I think with him, it was, I mean, we had so many meetings of like, what to do with money, what to do in crisis," Cauley-Stein said (via Sports Illustrated). "This is meetings that he would have, like, random meetings."

Apart from this, John Calipari took additional steps and rules to ensure that his players were safe and protected from trouble.

"We do see all these stories, horror stories of rape allegations and stuff like this," Cauley-Stein added. "Like, he was not gonna let that happen. Yeah, 10 o'clock curfew, no girls in the lounge. That stuff right there just protected us. We were upset about it at the time. I'm looking 10 years now, and I'm like, well, we were never in a position to even get in trouble."

After three years in Kentucky, Cauley-Stein declared for the 2015 NBA draft where he was picked sixth overall.

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John Calipari is charging a change in Arkansas with his fiery motivation

After fifteen years in Lexington, John Calipari will now continue his work with the Arkansas Razorbacks. When he arrived at Fayetteville in April, the roster was empty, as all players had entered the transfer portal. Since then, Calipari has built a competitive team with former players, recruits and portal additions.

In a press conference on Monday, John Calipari spoke about his approach to instilling a winning mindset in his players.

"I'm trying to get them to think like kings," Calipari said (via Times Record). "Kings think different than we think. And I've got to get these kids to understand. I want you to think big and dream big, but you must work bigger. But your dreams for yourself and your teams have to be big."

He also added that it is entirely impossible to win a championship next year as his team is still learning to play with each other and the chemistry will be established over time.

"Just make sure you're a little patient," Calipari said. "It doesn't happen overnight. Look, there's no magic wand up here. They're not computers. Said that many times, this isn't a video game. Got to work on their mind. Well, guess what? That takes time, that mindset to get that negative voice off your shoulder."

What do you think are the Razorbacks' chances in the upcoming season? Let us know in the comment section below.