By Les Johns | @KernelJohns

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Archie Goodwin is the first victim of UK head coach John Calipari’s recruiting success.

The UK freshman announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft in a release from UK Athletics.

“Although I really wanted Archie to return for his sophomore season, I fully support him choosing to pursue his dreams,” Calipari said in the release.

ESPN’s draft expert Chad Ford doesn’t believe Goodwin is ready for the NBA.

“I don’t think he’s ready,” Ford told The Courier-Journal’s Kyle Tucker on Monday.

Even Goodwin himself believed two weeks ago that he wasn’t ready for the NBA.

“I don’t think I’m ready to go,” Goodwin said after the loss to Robert Morris. “If any of us were saying we think we should leave, then we’d all be delusional.”

Emotional young men’s comments following a season-ending loss have to be taken in context, but more than anything what the past two weeks have brought Goodwin is perspective.

Calipari has reeled in what many believe is the greatest recruiting class in the history of college basketball for next season — and he might not even be done yet.

The twin guards from Texas, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, already have deluxe accommodations reserved at the Wildcat Coal Lodge for next season. They are the No. 1-ranked incoming shooting guard and point guard by Rivals.com.

The Cats have seven commitments, including six of the top 18 ranked by Rivals, and are still in the mix for the No. 1 overall ranked player, Andrew Wiggins.

With the vast amount of talent on the way, Goodwin had to see the writing on the wall and realize his role on the team would be much more limited.

Prior to this season, the Calipari formula seemed simple. Recruit a top class, develop a team, achieve in the postseason and watch the players get gobbled up by the NBA. Rinse. Repeat.

Who could have predicted that this year would be different?

Through nobody’s particular fault, the Cats are in a position where there may actually be too many skilled players on the roster.

Goodwin has had time to evaluate his standing on the Cats roster next year and realizes he may as well move on to greener pastures.

Pastures that will be much less green than they would have been before Goodwin played for the Cats this season.

Draftexpress.com’s NBA mock draft had Goodwin as a No. 9 selection last June. The same site now has him listed as the No. 18 selection. Ford told The Courier-Journal’s Kyle Tucker that he would “be surprised if he’s not one of the first 30 picks.”

First-round picks earn guaranteed contracts, but the amounts vary greatly.

If picked ninth, Goodwin would have made $6.1 million combined over three years. At 18th, that number drops to $3.9 million. If he drops to — let’s say — 26th, his three-year earnings drop to $2.8 million.

It is entirely possible that playing this year for the Cats may have cost Goodwin $1.1 million a year for the next three years.

Some in the fan base might think that is a fitting end. They remember all too well the play from Goodwin during much of the season — flashes of brilliance followed by head-scratching, face-palming decisions.

Those head-scratching decisions became rare in the final weeks, and solid play became the norm. Goodwin scored in double-digits in the final eight games on the season, hitting 50 percent of his field goals during that time.

He played with heart, he played with passion and he was hitting his stride in the final stages of his freshman season. Goodwin was seething following the Robert Morris loss — he wasn’t ready for the season, or his career, to end.

A sophomore and maybe even a junior year under Calipari would lead to further development and likely NBA Draft lottery status for Goodwin.

That won’t happen, however, at this “players-first” program.

There are just too many players.