Kentucky combine to air on national TV

Kentucky’s preseason combine for NBA scouts will be televised by ESPNU, the school announced Friday.

The network will air part of the event staged next Friday afternoon in Lexington, Ky., for talent evaluators — and the cable-viewing public.

Last month, coach John Calipari said he decided to hold a combine for scouts this year rather than have individual teams come through Lexington throughout the season to size up potential the Wildcats’ NBA draft picks.

There’s certainly no shortage of talent at Kentucky. Capitari has sent 19 players to the NBA since 2010 and his teams have reached the final Four in three of the past five years.

“All 30 teams would have been at my first week of practice anyway,” Calipari told ESPN.com. “This gives us a chance to control it a bit and get on with our business. Let’s say one of the kids doesn’t show well. OK, it’s early in the season. It gives us and the NBA a base to start with.

“Our players will know without anyone saying anything where they are. For me, I’ll be able to talk to all these teams and tell me where I need to take each individual guy. The NBA will give me the information I need from the horse’s mouth. I don’t see the downside to doing this.”

Karl Towns, Dakari Johnson, Wille Cauley-Stein and Andrew Harrison are potential first-round picks in 2015. Aaron Harrison and Alex Poythress also are expected to be drafted.

Kentucky opens its regular season at home on Nov. 14 against Grand Canyon.