Brandon Knight is a math guy. Always has been. There's something about the finality of an equation that appeals to the Kentucky freshman point guard.
''I like numbers just because they're absolute, definite, straight to the point,'' Knight said.
It's that love of logic that made Knight's decision to play at Kentucky so easy. If you're a high-profile point guard hoping to get to the NBA quickly, the place to go these days:
Wherever John Calipari is coaching.
Calipari has made a habit of signing the nation's top point guards and preparing them to be NBA-ready players in only a few months.
At Memphis it was Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. In his first season at Kentucky it was John Wall. This year, he hopes it's Knight. Next winter it may be high school speedster Marquis Teague, who signed with the Wildcats on Wednesday.
Some say players thrive under Calipari's because of his dribble-drive offense. It spreads the floor and encourages players to beat their man one-on-one, a valuable commodity in the NBA.
Others say it's his ability to recruit the nation's top high school players, many of whom arrive on campus nearly NBA-ready and only need a coach to smooth out some of the rough edges.
Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown thinks it's both.
''I mean (he's) obviously recruited some pretty talented kids,'' said Brown, who hired Calipari as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1999. ''But the way he coaches and allows you to play, I think he develops you.''
In an era where millionaire coaches feel the need to micromanage every facet of the game, Calipari is a decidedly different breed.
He knows there's some who think all he does is roll the ball out, that his players are so talented there isn't much coaching required. It's a notion that bothers him, but he does acknowledge there is something democratic about his coaching style.
When the 11th-ranked Wildcats open the season on Friday against East Tennessee State, he won't be standing on the sidelines calling out plays on every possession, that's not what his system is about.
''It allows players to figure it out,'' Knight said. ''It's really about beating your man. I think that's what a lot of players want to be able to do ... I think that's what's really attractive about Coach Cal's offense.''
Calipari's adoption of the dribble-drive coincided with his rise at Memphis. He found the perfect catalyst in Rose, who led the Tigers to the national championship game in 2008 before becoming the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year while playing for the Chicago Bulls.
Rose's transition to the pros was almost seamless, in part because of the freedom Calipari gave him in Memphis.
''He lets you go,'' said Rose. ''He just tells you to be aggressive and you being aggressive opens it up for everybody on the court.''
And it helps to have plenty of places to go with the ball.
Calipari's recruiting prowess isn't limited to point guards. He's brought in the nation's top freshmen class each of the last three years, and for every Wall, Rose and Evans there's a handful of other high school All-Americans to pass to when the defense collapses.
The dribble-drive is designed so that every player - not just the point guard - learns how to move with the ball in his hands.
''It's perfect,'' said Wall, the top overall pick by the Washington Wizards last June. ''If you're a guard and can attack the basket and make all the shots and create for other people, it's a great offensive plan.''
It's one of the main reasons forward Patrick Patterson stayed at Kentucky for his junior season when Calipari replaced Billy Gillispie. Under Calipari's tutelage he expanded his post-driven game to include a consistent jumper and decent baseline move, all of which helped him become a first-round NBA pick last summer.
Yet success in the dribble-drive begins at the point, and when playing for a coach that has produced two straight NBA rookie of the years at the position, comparisons are inevitable.
Knight isn't afraid of them, though Calipari cautions that it's not fair to pit his latest protege against the three that came before him.
''They're all something different,'' Calipari said.
The 6-foot-3 Knight doesn't have Wall's speed, Evans' size or Rose's relentless motor. Yet Calipari believes Knight is a better shooter than Wall and can become an elite defender, something all of his star guards had in common.
Knight played against Wall in a pickup game over the summer. Both players scored the matchup a draw. They spoke for awhile afterward, with Wall advising Knight to stay true to himself and not worry about living up to expectations.
''Don't compare him to me,'' Wall said. ''He's a different person. He's Brandon Knight.''
Maybe, but even some Knight's teammates can't help but notice the similarities and the differences. Guard Jon Hood likens Wall and Knight to sports cars.
''John had that famous neutral-to-sixth, and it was quick,'' Hood said. ''Brandon has that speed but at the same time he shifts in and out really well, changing speeds, and it really, really works.''
For Kentucky to come anywhere close to the 35-3 renaissance it enjoyed under Calipari a year ago, it will have to.
The schedule is tougher. The team even younger after losing five players to the NBA. The system and the coach, however, remain the same.
Calipari stresses Knight will only flourish if he gets his teammates involved. That doesn't mean there won't be games when he asks his current point guard prodigy to take over.
''At times I'm going to just let him go,'' Calipari said. ''If no one else wants to do it, go do it all.''
It's a path Knight knows will lead to the NBA, eventually.
''A lot of people say it's pressure, but I look at it as exciting,'' Knight said. ''I want to be able to learn and be better ... Coach Cal is here making players better and I want to be part of that, part of a winning atmosphere.''
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AP Sports Writers Joseph White in Washington, D.C., and Mike Cranston in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.
