Johnny Juzang’s decision to transfer wouldn’t have been surprising if it had been made in January when there was talk of the freshman guard being homesick for his Los Angeles home. However, after the progress he made in the final month of the season, Juzang’s decision caught the Kentucky coaching staff and fans by surprise.
Calipari, who usually says his well wishes to a recruit and sends them on when they decide to transfer, was full of “if” statements when he released a quote regarding Juzang’s decision to enter the transfer portal on Friday.
“I talked to Johnny last night along with his family and let him know if he wants to come back here that this option is always open to him,” Calipari said in a statement released by UK. “Johnny had a great year and really got better as the season went on. I always enjoyed coaching him, and if there’s an opportunity to continue to do so, I would welcome it with open arms because Johnny is a great kid and a skilled basketball player with a bright future.”
“When we spoke last night, his family talked about Johnny going back to the West Coast, which I understand. If this is what he ultimately decides to do, we wish him all the best. He has our full support.”
That’s the sound of a coach that really wanted Juzang to stick around and block out the noise. Instead, the 6-foot-6 guard decided to do what so many West Coast players have done after a year or two at Kentucky, finish their career elsewhere. Jemarl Baker decided to do the same at the end of last season.
Calipari talked about Juzang on the SEC Network’s “SEC House Party” feature Saturday night.
“I had a young man hit me yesterday, Johnny Juzang,” Calipari said. “He said, “Coach, I’m going to put my name in the [NCAA transfer] portal.” We had told him before he went back to California, “You’re going to be hit left and right about coming back home.”
Calipari continued to talk about Juzang and what he told him before he left campus when the season came to an abrupt end due to the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month.
“We had a great talk, I loved coaching him, he got better all year. This is a unique place. What I said to him was simply, “You’re going to learn to fight here. You learn to take what you want. You learn that when other players are better than you, you figure things out. Nothing is guaranteed.” You lose that, because if you want to be a professional, that’s the most important thing you learn here. Learn to fight, learn to take what you want, nothing guaranteed. We’re not making promises, you take it. Don’t lose that.
“But my feeling will be, five years from now or two years from now, he’s making a decision, he’ll call, “Coach, what do you think?” And I told him, if you choose to come back, I’m fine. I’m not going to hold anything against him. For these young kids, this is a hard deal.”
You can listen to the segment with John Calipari in the video below. The UK coach is the first ten minutes of the show.
