Kentucky Gettin' It Done On The Court And In The Classroom

 For the seventh time in the last eight semesters, the Kentucky men’s basketball team posted better than a 3.0 grade-point average in the classroom.

The Wildcats, who are currently 13-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country, posted a 3.129 cumulative grade-point average for the 2014 fall semester. The fall 2014 marks include grades from all competing scholarship and non-scholarship players.

Overall, 13 of the 16 players on roster had a 3.0 GPA or higher.

“These kids work in the classroom, and I’m proud of them,” John Calipari said. “They’re not only playing selfless basketball, they’re getting it done in the classroom too, which makes me just as proud.”

The most recent GPA numbers reflect continued academic success under Calipari.

In May, UK posted a four-year composite score of 989 in the NCAA’s annual Academic Progress Rate report, well above the 930 four-year average needed to compete in the 2014-15 championships. The NCAA’s APR measures academic eligibility and retention of student-athletes. The four-year composite score covers the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years, Calipari’s first four teams at Kentucky.

All 10 players at UK under Calipari who have been eligible to graduate by the end of their senior years have walked away with a degree in hand, while two (Jarrod Polson and Patrick Patterson) have earned a degree in just three years.

Overall, UK’s scholarship student-athletes across all 22 varsity sports had a cumulative GPA of 3.112 for the fall semester of 2014.