Skal Labissiere, the jewel in the crown that is John Calipari’s 2015 recruiting class and a potential top pick in next year’s NBA Draft, has gotten off to an inauspicious start with Kentucky this season. The freshman big man is averaging just over 10 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and last Saturday he failed to score or collect a rebound in 13 minutes of action against Arizona State.
Calipari had a plan to help his young star. He invited him over to his house and they had a sleepover.
“He’s getting it from all angles,” said Calipari, via CBS Sports’s Gary Parrish. “I just want him to know, and my wife wants him to know, that we love you, we’re here for you. A lot of times these kids have so much stuff on them they become paralyzed. Then you see a kid that can really, really play, and he’s not playing at all, and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute.’ And so we had him over. My wife made him a great breakfast in the morning. We talked to him.”
Calipari believes Labissiere is pressing a bit. It’s evident in both his numbers and some of his interactions with teammates when the going gets tough. The hope is that this will relax him and let him play basketball. Coach Cal is a caring fellow, if nothing else.
