Reports: John Calipari, Kentucky Working on New NIL Project 'The LaFamilia Club'

Hardly anything has gone right for Kentucky basketball this season.

Nearly the entire 2022-23 roster has departed. Head coach John Calipari and his staff have struck nearly all the way out in the transfer portal, failing to lure top talent to Lexington. 

Up until the addition of 2023 3-star forward Jordan Burks, there had been zero positive news circulating around the program, aside the No. 1 recruiting class making their way to campus. Part of those struggles have come from how the program has handled the new name, image and likeness era of college sports. 

With NIL proving to be the new king, Calipari is reportedly making a pivot. Kentucky Sports Radio reported on Tuesday morning that "The LaFamilia Club" is UK's new fundraising model, which is essentially a collective, but isn't being referred to as one. 

KSR's Jack Pilgrim added that the club was formed back in January and that the contributions are clearing collectives from other programs. The Athletic's Kyle Tucker later reported on Twitter that Calipari could be "tapping into" former UK players and private donors to come up with funds for the initiative. 

On3's Pete Nakos reported that Greg Darbyshire, the father of current UK walk-on Grant Darbyshire, "will assist in running the club." Darbyshire is the co-founder and chairman of ProCamps, which is "a best-in-class event management and sports marketing company specializing in developing, managing, and operating camps, appearances, brand activations, and related experiences for professional athletes and coaches."

As Kentucky hopes for the return of veteran shooting guard Antonio Reeves and the addition of another pair of freshmen to round out the 2023-24 roster, a new wrinkle in how the program operates the NIL sphere could pay dividends as Calipari tries to make the best of what has turned into a bad situation over the past couple of months.

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