The College of Kentucky has lengthy been a hotbed for NBA expertise to develop, though considered one of its largest stars by no means made a lot of a reputation for himself within the Affiliation regardless of discovering early success as a recruit.
The College of Kentucky can boast eight NCAA championships, and beneath legendary coaches like John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, and others, the Wildcats are proper up there with Duke, Kansas, and UCLA as premier faculties for future NBA gamers.
Regardless of falling wanting profitable a title in 2014 and 2015, the Wildcats boasted 11 NBA gamers in these two years. Karl-Anthony Cities and Devin Booker headlined the ‘15 crew, however twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison have been two of the extra highly-touted recruits.
Regardless of making an All-American crew in highschool and being the fifth-best prospect popping out of highschool, Aaron Harrison went undrafted in 2015 and had a really forgettable NBA profession, and he knew he wouldn’t make it early on.
Between Cities, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, and Andrew and Aaron Harrison within the beginning lineup, factors and pictures have been laborious to get on the 2015 Kentucky Wildcats. Add in Booker coming in off the bench, and it’s a marvel that Harrison was in a position to common 11 factors per recreation in his second and remaining season.
After dropping within the Closing 4 to Wisconsin, Aaron would declare for the 2015 NBA Draft, signing as an undrafted free agent to the Charlotte Hornets.
He would spend components of two seasons in Charlotte earlier than ending his profession after 9 video games with the Dallas Mavericks. He argues that he was by no means given an opportunity to blossom within the NBA, not like his faculty teammates.
“My coach (Steve Clifford) really instructed me one recreation, we have been enjoying the Raptors, I believe it was in all probability the tenth or eleventh recreation of the yr,” he mirrored.
“Hadn’t performed, ship the Raptors in, DeRozan was on the crew. He was like, ‘You higher be prepared tonight, you might need to protect DeRozan, such as you would possibly even begin.’”
Up till that time, Harrison had solely performed in three minutes that season, and the Hornets have been nonetheless rebuilding.
“That is like earlier than I’m enjoying,” Harrison continued. “I’m not in a rotation in any respect, however he simply instructed me this, so I’m like, alright. However I’m prepared, I’m hype. I name my pops, my pops flew in, so I’m hype, like I’m prepared. I don’t play in any respect.”
Harrison would play in solely 5 video games through the 2016-17 season with the Hornets earlier than being lower.
After three forgettable NBA seasons, Harrison would signal with Galatasaray in Istanbul. He would play in Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, Puerto Rico, Portugal, and Mexico.
Within the aggressive European leagues, he averaged a stable 11.2 factors and a couple of.4 rebounds whereas taking pictures 36.4% from deep.
He was removed from a star, however after being revered in Europe, he by no means tried an NBA comeback and hasn’t gotten over how Clifford and the Hornets handled him throughout that recreation towards the Raptors.
“He appeared me lifeless in my face like, ‘You would possibly begin tonight, and you bought to be prepared,’ and I didn’t play in any respect,” he added. “So I’m like, okay, cool, like I’m about to play. I didn’t play in any respect, and I’m about to chop. I simply acquired a sense like they’re about to chop me.”
Harrison was removed from a star in faculty, however neither have been NBA standouts like Booker, DeAndre Jordan, Myles Turner, and Zach LaVine had less-than-impressive NCAA careers however went on to thrive.
