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Kelly Oubre Sr.: ‘Coach Self doesn’t kick you out if you are not ready’

2013 Elite 24

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

Kelly Oubre committed to Kansas on Tuesday afternoon, picking the Jayhawks over what many believed to be Kentucky and ... well, only Kentucky.

A 6-foot-7 wing that can score, defend and really, really shoot the ball, there are some that believe that Oubre could end up being one of the best long-term NBA prospects in the Class of 2014. The Jayhawks recruited him to fill the void left by Andrew Wiggins, but Oubre could very well end up following in Wiggins’ footsteps, spending one season in Lawrence before heading on to the league.

Oubre’s father, Kelly Oubre Sr., shared his thoughts on the one-and-done rule and the reasons his son chose Kansas with Gary Bedore of the Lawrence Courier-Journal on Tuesday (emphasis mine):

There’s a chance Oubre will stay at KU more than one season.

“If it calls for that, yes, I could,” Oubre Jr. said. “I have no problem with that. If the time’s right and I’m ready to come out, I’d do that.”

The elder Oubre, who is a special-education teacher, said: “That’s one of the reasons behind choosing Kansas. Coach Self doesn’t kick you out if you are not ready. I don’t care too much for it (one-and-done) because if you look at it over the last couple drafts, the success of the guys one-and-done is few and far between. Every once in a while you find guys who can make it through. I’m more concerned about his education after maybe a two-year stint or three-year stint. How close is he to that degree and having a greater business mind going into the next level, whatever that is?” added Oubre Sr. “I think the first year in college as well as the pros, maybe two, is a learning curve. That learning curve can be cut considerably if he stayed and developed in college.”


Reading between the lines, that comes off as a not-so-subtle shot at John Calipari, the coach that lost the Oubre sweepstakes. If it was, it would be wrong -- Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, etc. -- but I also don’t think that Oubre Sr. was actually taking a swipe at Coach Cal.

I think he was simply making the point that Bill Self’s bread and butter are the kids that come in and play for two or three years. Self may be the best in the country when it comes to developing talent. And Oubre Sr. is an educator. He teaches special-education, which is the kind of career that makes it very easy to appreciate the value of school.

My point: I think Oubre Sr. was trying to say he likes Bill Self because Self wants guys there for two or three seasons. I don’t think he was implying that he dislikes John Calipari because he thinks Coach Cal only wants his son for one season. There’s a difference. Oubre Sr. tried to clarify that point to Kentucky Sports Radio yesterday:

“It was not a statement at all in reference to Kentucky. Eight schools were in the running for my son. The media turned into the big two. But some of the other schools were talking about one and done but Calipari was not one of them. Me and Calipari share the same view on the one and done situation. We both don’t think it is a good idea.”

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