John Calipari: At Least 5 Players Rumored to Enter NBA Draft

Kentucky basketball is expected to look very different next year.

Head coach John Calipari revealed on Monday that he is expecting to lose at least five players to the NBA.

"I would guess five would be the minimum," Calipari said. "But seven is a distinct possibility."

Calipari went on to reveal the players he believes would be entering the draft reported by USA TODAY Sports. These players include junior Willie Cauley-Stein, sophomore twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison and freshmen Karl-Anthony Towns and Trey Lyles. Calipari added that freshmen Devin Booker and Dakari Johnson are also mulling over their options.

"There's not going to be any brainwashing, forcing, pushing either in or out. I want each kid to make a decision for themselves," Calipari said. "I did tell a couple of the kids that it's a man's league; it's not a child's league. If you're not ready for a man's league, you need to come back."

He added, "What if Dakari's the 25th pick of the draft? I'm not going to say, 'You should stay. See, the worst thing for me is to be in that position and try to influence a kid because of what's right for me. Now, if something happens to that young man - his stock drops, he gets hurt - if something happens and I influenced him, how do you live with yourself?"

So far, based on ESPN and DraftExpress.com, Towns is expected to be the No.1 overall picks. Cauley-Stein is projected to be a top-10 pick and Lyles, a first rounder. These predictions do not have the Harrison twins getting drafted in the first round. Some do not have Aaron picked at all this year.

Even though nothing is set yet, Calipari is already working on the team next year. He expects Alex Poythress, Tyler Ulis and Marcus Lee to return. Calipari reportedly told Ulis directly that he would build the next team around him, as well as the other two players.

"I'm going to explore for Alex. My guess is the injury will probably influence him to come back. But, you know, if someone says they'll take him 15th or 16th in the draft, then that may change," Calipari said. "But I've got to do the homework for him and make sure his family talks to the NBA, too. ... I don't want me to be in the middle. I'm just gathering information. At the end of the day, you need to talk to them and make sure what we're seeing and reading is right."

In the meantime, the Wildcats, whose pursuit of a perfect season was stopped by the Wisconsin Badgers, will have to sit and watch Wisconsin and Duke contend for the NCAA championship title.