The Kentucky Wildcats had just beaten the North Carolina Tar Heels, 76-69, when a surprise visitor entered their locker room. Jay-Z wanted to stop by, congratulate the group and wish them success going forward. The rap legend and part-owner of the New Jersey Nets, whose contact with undeclared prospects has led to an NBA investigation, is just another one of John Calipari’s superstar friends that occasionally decides to drop by and give his support.

Calipari, with help from his agent William Wesley, is the master of building relationships that will benefit him and his program. Worldwise Wes and his Creative Arts Agency connections give Calipari the ability to interact and build relationships with any celebrity or decision maker.

It’s the reason you see LeBron James courtside at Kentucky games and tweeting about the Wildcats in his free time. It’s why Drake, another rapper, sits next to Ashley Judd at games and brings Calipari and his players on stage when he’s performing in Lexington. All of Calipari’s relationships are calculated and meant to give him an edge over his peers, especially when it comes to recruiting.

"It definitely changes things for me," said one top prospect from the Class of 2013. "I like when guys like Drake and LeBron James come to their games. When I see a coach balling with superstars like that, it just opens my eyes. Not only is he a great coach, he’s a cool guy with a lot of relationships. It’s just another reason to like Coach Calipari and why Kentucky is one of my top schools."

Calipari is excellent at networking, but he’s also been able to build his Rolodex through brilliant hires.

Brandon Weems, one of LeBron’s James’ closest friends, was hired as a graduate assistant two years ago which ultimately cemented James as an unofficial member of the Kentucky family. Weems grew up with James and remains in his inner circle to this day.

Former NBA player and University of Oregon assistant Kenny Payne was hired as an assistant coach last summer. Payne is close to Wesley and was brought in to assume the role of recruiting general. The assistant knows everyone of importance on the AAU circuit and has relationships with coaches and power players around the country, including Nike co-founder Phil Knight. He was very close to Terrence Jones and it’s no coincidence that the forward, who was one of the last players in the country to commit, joined Kentucky one month after rumors of Payne’s hiring started to surface.

If you’re a player or coach of relevance, there’s a good chance you already know Calipari or a member of his staff. Not only is he constantly introducing himself to prospects, he’s also one of the most visible coaches in the country, as evidenced by his 1,132,088 followers on Twitter, popular blog and Coach Cal mobile network.

"I met him when I was in seventh grade," said the prospect. "He couldn’t recruit me or anything, but he was the nicest guy and we joked back and forth. My AAU coach had a bond with him so I really liked that too. He seems to know everyone and that helps him."

It helps him land the top recruiting class in the country year after year and produce NBA players that will only continue to promote the program and the excellent job he has done. Calipari has enough players currently in the league to field his own team.

John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose, Joey Dorsey, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rodney Carney, Shawne Williams, Earl Barron, DaJuan Wagner and Marcus Camby all entered the league after playing under Calipari. He has also coached players like Robert Dozier, Antonio Burks and Lou Roe that were drafted, but now play professionally overseas.

Rather than trying to keep his best players like some college coaches do, Calipari is fine with signing one-and-done players because he knows he’ll have another excellent group of freshman joining the Wildcats the following summer. His formula hasn’t delivered a championship yet, but it has propelled him to this year’s Final Four after having five first-round picks in last year’s draft. It has also delivered next year’s recruiting class that has drawn comparisons to the Fab Five with five-star recruits Michael Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Anthony Davis and Kyle Wiltjer.

"His players have had success at the next level and he prepares them for the NBA," said the prospect. "You have to be impressed that he’s helped Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose and now John Wall become top picks.  He handles his players like pros. If I go there and decide after my freshman year that I want to leave for the NBA, he’s probably going to tell me, ‘Alright, let’s do it and make sure you’re prepared.’ He’s a player’s coach and he’s going to be with you no matter what you decide to do. When you’re with Coach Cal, you’re not just hoping to make the league, you’re expecting to."

"I definitely think that’s his biggest selling point," added a top prospect from the Class of 2012. "He has produced some big name players and that’s who people want to be. They want to be in that same position when they leave college."

Calipari’s formula is an interesting one that depends on powerful relationships and strong recruiting classes. It’s a cycle that feeds itself each year. His relationships yield recruits, which leads to wins and eventually more NBA players on his resume. These players then become relationships that can help in recruiting and show that Calipari’s methods work.

While he has been linked to some NBA head coaching jobs in recent years and his players believe he’ll eventually make the jump to the next level, he’s not in any rush to leave Kentucky. After all, he has a formula that is working and Jay-Z in his locker room. What more could you want?

McDonald’s All-American Game: During last year’s McDonald’s All-American game, the leading scorers were Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Jones and Kyrie Irving. Brandon Knight struggled from the field, but hit the game winning three to steal the show. If last year was any indication, success in the McDonald’s All-American game seems to translate pretty well to the college level.

This year, Kentucky and Duke combined for seven of the prospects and there’s a strong possibility that some of these players will be competing in Final Four action come this time next year. Many of the elite players that were expected to have big games didn’t let the sold out crowd at the United Center down.

{AUTHOR_BOX}More league executives were in the building than usual because many of the players in this year’s class are expected to be lottery picks in next year’s draft. This is one of the strongest classes in recent years and there could be a lot of one-and-done players following next season.

Michael Gilchrist started the game with an air ball, but he finished very strong and displayed the skill set that make him arguably the best player in the nation as he heads to Kentucky. Gilchrist would win co-MVP honors with James McAdoo, who will take his talents to North Carolina and put on a show with a combination of dunks and threes. Gilchrist would finish with 16 points and 12 rebounds while McAdoo would add 17 points.

While Gilchrist and McAdoo led their respective teams, many other prospects shined. Bradley Beal, who is heading to Florida, scored the game’s first five points and finished with 17. He is one of the best shooters in this class and he’s projected to be a top ten pick in next year’s draft.

Austin Rivers took over at times and finished with 14 points, but it was his future Duke teammate Quinn Cook that was very impressive. Cook had 14 points and 6 assists, and did an excellent job distributing the ball and getting all of his teammates involved. Watching Cook, you wouldn’t have known that this was an All-Star game because he was constantly pestering opponents on defense and directing his teammates. The East All-Americans had only 5 turnovers in the game compared to 18 by the West All-Americans.

Anthony Davis and P.J. Hairston, who are also heading to Kentucky and North Carolina, were great as well. Davis finished with 14 points and displayed his athleticism with electrifying dunks. Hairston totaled 15 points and will be an excellent scorer alongside McAdoo next season.

Khem Birch was one of the game’s pleasant surprises. The center who is heading to Pittsburgh finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks, including several key scores and stops in the game’s final minutes.

Myck Kabongo is an excellent prospect, but he had a disappointing showing. He finished 0-6 from the field with only two points. When he first checked into the game, he won over the fans with a number of showy passes, but he had several turnovers and forced the offense at times.

Many of the elite players shined and showed why they’re going to be forces at the next level.

NBA News and Notes: Here are some items from this week’s news and notes bin.

• Following last night’s game between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks, Dominique Wilkins was attacked by a man in attendance. It turns out the attacker was Rashan S. Michel, a former NBA referee, who claimed that Wilkins owed him money. Wilkins was alright and Michel has been arrested, but I’m sure more details will emerge from this strange incident.

• The Utah Jazz have signed Kyle Weaver to a 10-day contract. Weaver becomes the NBA’s 19th D-League Call-Up and 15th different player promoted to the NBA this season. Weaver was averaging 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in the D-League.

• Tonight’s college slam dunk championship will include Pittsburgh’s Gilbert Brown, St. John’s Justin Burrell, Memphis’ Will Coleman, East Tennessee State’s Justin Tubbs, San Diego State’s Billy White, Cincinnati’s Darnell Wilks and UNC-Asheville’s John Williams, Tulsa’s Justin Hurtt and Division III Illinois College guard Jacob Tucker, who was invited because of this video. The dunk contest will be televised on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET.