This departure stings differently for each of the people that accompanied John Calipari to Arkansas. The former Kentucky head coach announced on Wednesday that Tyler Ulis will join him in Fayetteville next season.
Ulis served as a student assistant in Lexington for the previous two seasons. Ulis could participate in on-court activities, individual workouts, and film sessions, as well as any coaching tasks other than recruiting.
The tiny point guard rapidly became a fan favorite as he worked his way around the court for the 38-1 2015 team. The next season, he was the top point guard in the nation. Ulis averaged 17.3 points as a sophomore, breaking the UK single-season record.
Ulis was drafted into the NBA, but his professional hopes were destroyed due to injury issues. That is why he was featured on today’s episode of John Calipari’s podcast, ‘Ways to Win,’ with Craig Robinson. Their guest is Alex Smith, who has faced a lot of injury difficulty throughout his career, prompting Calipari to offer Ulis as an example of perseverance.
“He was picked in the second round and is now in Phoenix. I am watching him play. He is great. He fought through screens weighing 300 pounds. “They tried to post him; you’re not posting him,” Calipari stated.
