Sean Kilpatrick had his 3-year old daughter Bailey in mind when he decided to return to Cincinnati for his senior year.
He could have gone pro, perhaps find an NBA team willing to give him a shot or if not, make plenty of money overseas, but the Yonkers product thought about the long-term, getting his diploma and giving himself the best chance at a future in the league.
“It wasn’t about what she will need now, but what will benefit her in the future,” Kilpatrick, 23, said in a phone interview in advance of Tuesday’s Jimmy V Classic at the Garden, a doubleheader in honor of the inspirational former North Carolina State coach and college basketball analyst Jimmy Valvano who passed away from bone cancer in 1993.
Cincinnati (7-2) will meet undefeated Pittsburgh (10-0) in the opener at 7 p.m. The nightcap will feature No. 15 Memphis (7-1) against No. 16 Florida (7-2).
Cincinati coach Mick Cronin, who has a list of NBA scouts and coach friends he speaks to frequently, thinks Kilpatrick made a wise decision. Scouts weren’t sold on him last year, concerned about his shooting percentage and playmaking ability as a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Cronin explained to his star pupil.
“One thing we talked about is, he’s improved immensely every year from high school until now,” Cronin said. “All he has to do is make the same improvements he made every other year, and it will happen for him.
“He’s definitely done it. All you have to do is look at his numbers, especially assists to turnovers, all the stats the scouts look at. Shooting percentage, steals.”
Indeed, Kilpatrick is averaging a career-high 19.3 points per game, but he is shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range, vastly better than last year. He’s averaging three assists per game, by far a career high, and 1.7 steals.
“I’m happy that I’m able to lead this team and able to showcase what I can do in my game,” he said. “The things I needed to showcase are starting to happen now.”
Cronin expects Kilpatrick to get drafted, based on the reaction he has gotten from scouts so far and the improvement he has seen from his star senior.
“He’s a coach’s dream,” Cronin said. “Whatever a coach asks him to do, he will do. All he needs is an opportunity because he’s a winner.
“I look at a guy like Danny Green on the Spurs and I see Sean.”
Kilpatrick said academics factored heavily into his decision to remain in school, to set an example for his daughter and two younger siblings. He will be the first male from his family to graduate from college. A criminal justice major, he attended prep school following high school before landing at Cincinnati.
“Getting my diploma was the biggest thing,” he said. “Basketball isn’t going to last forever. [The ball] is going to stop bouncing. … I want to coach when I’m done playing. You have to have a degree.”
Furthermore, Kilpatrick wasn’t happy with how last season ended, with a four-point loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He has reached the tournament each of his three seasons, the Sweet 16 as a sophomore, and wants to get further this March.
“My goal is just to really go as far as we can and make history here,” he said. “That’s something I’ve been harping on since I basically got here, being able to keep going to the tournament is huge, but I don’t want to just make it to the tournament.”