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Tournament Tales ... with DeAndre Liggins

There are only a handful of college programs that can be considered “royalty.” Duke, North Carolina and Kansas are certainly near the top of the list. And you could probably round out the top five with a pair of schools – UCLA and Kentucky – that will tangle on Friday night in Memphis.

Two Cavaliers who’ll be keeping tabs on the score of that matchup – (after they’re done taking on the Hornets in Charlotte) – are Kevin Love and DeAndre Liggins.

Love, of course, starred in his single season with the Bruins – reaching the Final Four as a freshman and declaring for the Draft a couple months later. Liggins, on the other hand, spent three seasons in Lexington – first under Billy Gillespie, who recruited him to Kentucky, and later John Calipari, who’s returned the Wildcats to the upper echelon of college hoops.

Calipari brought in one of the greatest recruiting classes of all time with him in that first season and over the next two years, Liggins would team with DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Patrick Patterson, Doron Lamb, Daniel Orton, Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Eric Bledsoe.

Unfortunately for Cleveland’s defensive-minded reserve, those talented teams didn’t win a national title during his three seasons at Kentucky – advancing to the Elite Eight before losing to West Virginia in his sophomore season and the Final Four, where they fell to the eventual National Champion UConn Huskies.

The following year, Kentucky fulfilled its promise – winning the eighth title in school history. By then, Liggins was already a member of the Orlando Magic – having been taken at No. 53 overall in the 2012 Draft.

In today’s installment of Tournament Tales, we ask Liggs about his three seasons playing for, what Rick Pitino once called “the Roman Empire of college basketball” …

What was it like for a kid from Chicago making that visit to Lexington and being recruited by Kentucky?

DeAndre Liggins: It was a big-time program. When I took the visit, I just loved everything about it, as far as the academic resources and the way it was set up – it was beneficial for you both on the court and off the court.

That program was something that I’d never experienced before. It’s almost like the NBA. Going to that college compared to all the other colleges I’d visited. It was like: ‘Whoa!’

It was amazing.

How difficult was it going through a coaching change from your freshman to your sophomore season?

Liggins: Well, those were two different coaches. Gillespie was a hard-nosed coach who recruited me at Kentucky. And I had a bumpy road my freshman year. So, when the coaching change happened, I really wanted to redefine myself and show the new coach that I’m not the kind of person that I was in my freshman year, and that I had made mistakes.

And he clearly accepted me and wanted me on the team.

Is it true that college hoops are like a religion in Kentucky?

Liggins: Well, there’s Louisville and Kentucky right there. And it’s crazy. It’s one of the big-time games in college basketball. When those two teams play, everyone tunes in.

What makes Coach Calipari special?

Liggins: Well, he’s a player’s coach, first of all. And all he really wants to do is make you better, on and off the court.

He tries to put you in a position to help yourself and your family, but he’s going to be hard on you. And you have to accept that with the knowledge that he wants the best for you in the long-term.

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In your sophomore season, Calipari brought in Cousins, Wall, Orton, Bledsoe. What was it like when all those alpha dogs came together?

Liggins: It was crazy! It was just something EVERY DAY. And I’m not saying it was something negative every day – I’m just saying it was something -- whether it was funny or just not right or whatever.

I’m not calling out any individuals. It was just something new and crazy every day. I loved all of it, and I loved being around them.

Did it take a coach like Calipari to handle that?

Liggins: Yeah, but that’s just the type of coach that he is. He’s the type where he didn’t care who you were. He knew John Wall was a one-and-done, he knew DeMarcus was one-and-done.

He still coached those guys hard and he made them superstars in the NBA.

Coach Cal knows what he’s doing. So when he recruits guys, he knows: ‘This guy’s gonna only be here one year, so I’m gonna get the best out of him and collectively we’re gonna try to win a ring with him.’

That’s really just his approach.

Was it tough having that much talent and not winning it all during your run?

Liggins: Well, as a sophomore we had Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, Patrick Patterson, all them guys. And we lost to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. So we actually thought the next year we wouldn’t be as good as we were. But then Brandon Knight came, Doron Lamb came; we still had Terrence Jones. And that year we went even further – to the Final Four.

But we didn’t get it done and that’s alright. Those teams were hot and that’s what it’s all about – playing well at tournament time.

Are you following this year’s squad and how do you like their chances?

Liggins: Of course I am!

I just watched them play Wichita State on Sunday before our game. Of course -- two big defensive plays by two big-time freshmen. So, yeah, I keep in touch.

They have a big one against UCLA coming up. Get past them and we’ll go from there.