Sports

Calipari ecstatic for Kentucky 1st

John Calipari said he viewed last night as the greatest moment player-wise in the storied history of University of Kentucky basketball.

The Wildcats’ John Wall was the top overall pick in the NBA Draft, the first time a Kentucky player went with the first pick, and Calipari’s school also had five first-round picks, a league record.

Besides Wall, who went to the Wizards, DeMarcus Cousins was chosen fifth by the Kings, Patrick Patterson was taken 14th by the Rockets, Eric Bledsoe went with the 18th pick to the Thunder and Daniel Orton was selected 29th by the Magic.

“I said if you’re a players-first program, this is the biggest moment in Kentucky basketball history,” Calipari told The Post at the Draft after four of his players had been selected.

“This is the first time we’ve had a No. 1 [overall] pick. We have four players in the top 18. . . . And then the second question is, ‘How bad was the coach that you couldn’t win the national title? How ’bout that?

“But you don’t understand — right now I’ve got chills because it’s about those kids.”

Calipari, a friend of LeBron James, also said he has received a promise from the free-agent superstar.

“I just texted him about his son’s birthday and he still assures me that I’m coaching Bryce,” he said of James’ 3-year-old son. “So Bryce is coming with me.”

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Some first-round trends: Kentucky’s five picks were the only first-rounders picked from the SEC. The Big 12 had a conference-high seven first-round selections. The Big East had four.

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Gordon Hayward, the best player on the Cinderella team from Butler that reached the NCAA title game, went ninth to the Jazz.

“He plays the game the right way. The things that he did well for us I think will translate to the next level,” Butler coach Brad Stevens told The Post. “I don’t have any question that he will impact winning and impact a team in a positive way.”

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The Henry family has had brothers picked in the first round in two different sports. In 2005, the Yankees took shortstop C.J. Henry 17th overall. Last night his brother, Kansas guard Xavier Henry, was selected 12th overall by the Grizzlies. . . . West Virginia’s Da’Sean Butler, the Newark native who tore his ACL in the NCAA semifinals after averaging 17.2 points for the season, was drafted by the Heat with the 12th pick in the second round (42nd overall). Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins told The Post that Butler has “made phenomenal progress” in his rehab.