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From the day he verbally committed to Kentucky, Karl-Anthony Towns has made it clear that one thing — winning a national title — was his priority.
That’s not changed even with Towns being mentioned as a potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
“You know what, it's so hard to think of stuff like that when you're so into the moment like we are as a team, we just worry about what we can control,” said the Kentucky freshman center. “Right now, I can't control that. I can't do anything about that right now. What I can control is helping us to have the best chance to win every game we play in the NCAA Tournament.
“If the time ever was to come when I'm blessed with the opportunity to have a decision like that, but right now, we're in the NCAA Tournament, and we want to continue to play and say we did something special.”
His father, Karl Towns Sr., would have it no other way.
“I think Karl has come a long way and made the adjustments needed this season. I think he is playing well and getting into a flow. I think he has been fine with all he has learned,” the elder Towns said.
“Karl has matured. I could see when we came down for a game during the season. He’s grown up so much. He is doing all the stuff that he wouldn’t do at home. He is keeping his room clean. He is staying focused. His grades are outstanding. He is just learning the game at a high level. I am very impressed from where he has came to now. It used to be that so many doors opened that every day was different, but now I can see he has matured and is a man now. I am proud of him.”
That has included being receptive to what some would describe as “hard” coaching by John Calipari.
“Just guidance. He understands that people are doing what they are doing because they know how much he can bring to the table,” his father explained. “The thing about it is in life you always want to be challenged and Karl is challenged to work harder and makes him want to show everybody he is a coachable kid, which he is.
“He has worked hard his whole life. If you tell him to do something, he will do what you asked him to do and that makes it more impressive. You see areas where he is still the same kid — coachable, loveable. The people down here, the coaches, they are family and they love him.”
Towns and his father have both insisted the NBA “is down the road and will be there” soon enough.
“Right now it is about winning and staying with his family. He loves these kids. Just doing what it takes. The only thing on Karl’s mind is number nine (a UK ninth national championship). He doesn’t care about anything else because everything else will fall into place,” Towns’ father said. “You can see he is a perfect team player and that’s why people love him. He does what is necessary to be part of a team and family. This is his family. We are a family up north, but right now Kentucky is his family.”
“Karl has always won at every level. Middle school, AAU, high school. This is the pinnacle because you want to leave here, and you know what, only one team can be the best and that is Kentucky. Karl wants that hands down. The only thing on Karl’s mind is a national championship and that’s it. Right now Karl wants to win a championship and put a banner up in the ceiling and no matter when he comes back to visit, he can always look in the rafter and say I remember playing and putting that banner up.”
The freshman, like teammates, bought in immediately to limited playing time as part of Calipari’s system this year. That was no surprise to his father.
“Always a team player, never selfish. He was never taught that. Karl has always been told do what is best for your team because you will be rewarded in the end for your efforts and that is what he does now,” Karl Towns Sr. said. “It is about winning number nine and making sure these kids appreciate what he brings. He wants to be part of a team that leads a legacy when they leave here.
“We used to tell Karl if you want to be out there like that playing in those big arenas you have to work and Karl is a work-aholic. He knew what he had to do and he made himself a great player. Everybody says it is the parents, but you have got to have a kid who wants it and Karl shows it every day. He did in high school and has every day that I have been with him and I love the fact that he has matured to the point where he is at right now.”
The Kentucky freshman reclassified to the 2014 recruiting class or he could have spent this past year as a high school senior in New Jersey instead of being part of a historic season at UK.
“I tell people that all the time. Karl could be a senior in high school . Sometimes you have to go and see where you are. Karl is mature and that’s what he did. To me, high school was not a challenge. He needed to be challenged, and UK is a challenge,” his father said.
Enough that he may want to be challenged at UK another year?
“Karl loves UK. That’s all I am going to say,” his father smiled and said. “Right now it is all about UK and staying focused here. Like I said, we don’t even think about that (the NBA). You know what, Karl has so many things that he wants to accomplish, but right now the only accomplishment is you have to put a banner in that ceiling this year.”
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