John Calipari has to own NCAA Tournament loss and change what he is doing

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Kentucky's defense could not stop Saint Peter's when it mattered Thursday and part of the blame has to be on coach John Calipari. (Vicky Graff Photo)

This one is on Kentucky coach John Calipari and he needs to own it and change it.

“So I may have been trying to coach a team that I coached a month ago and we had some guys that weren’t playing like they were a month ago, ” words from a coach that makes $9  million a year after suffering the worst loss in the history of Kentucky basketball to Saint Peter’s Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament opening round.

The fans recognized it, the media recognized it but the head coach says he may have been trying to coach the wrong way. When the world sees something you don’t perhaps you are looking through a different pair of glasses.

The Cats struggled the past month. The struggles at the end of the regular season and the disheartening play at the SEC Tournament were bold indicators that adjustments needed to be made. At least that is what the average Basketball Benny thought. Oh, wait…a Basketball Benny doesn’t know anything.

Calipari’s outdated offense does not work anymore. It has been a struggle for the past few years to watch the Cats’ stagnant offensive sets. If something doesn’t work, change it.

Yelling and screaming is not always the solution. Kellan Grady has had all self-confidence ripped from him the past month. Is it appropriate to scream and yell “shoot” to a player that is suffering from a severe slump? Players are not robots, so how about thinking about their mental health? Change it.

When your players are looking at a coach for a timeout to be called to ensure everyone is on the same page, a coach should consider doing so instead of turning his head and letting them play.

The Calisms are no longer funny. Swaggy Cal, tweak, the gold standard, the Kentucky effect and I haven’t seen him need to be buried. They are no longer funny and no longer have meaning.

Calipari postgame, “You know, I wish I had an answer or two.”

You should have known those answers before tipoff against Saint Peter’s. It is your job to have this team ready and prepared for anything that could be thrown at them.

The fan base who had waited 1,082 between NCAA tournament games deserved better.

Own it … Change it … or losses like the one Thursday night will be Kentucky’s new narrative.

79 Responses

  1. Not only Cal needs to change , Mitch Barnhart also needs to change also if Cal doesn’t. Cal is too stubborn of a coach and doesn’t think the reality the game has caught up with him.

  2. What does Nick Saben do when the rest of college football catches up? He evolves; brings in new young coaches to bring about change within the system. Nick Saben manages change. Coach Cal could take a few lessons from Coach Saben.

  3. Fantastic insight, Larry!

    Calipari has proven time and time again that he doesn’t have the ability to make in-game adjustments. He was grossly out coached in this game. How about calling a timeout at the end of regulation to actually setup a play?

    Calipari lost my support on April 4, 2015 when his late game ineptitude was on display for the entire college basketball world to see. Kentucky’s up 4 with 6 1/2 minutes to play and goes nearly 6 minutes without scoring while having 3 consecutive possessions end on shot clock violations. All this occurring with Devin Booker and Tyler Ullis sitting on the bench. Shameful……

    Calipari’s only title was realized due to a transcendent player called Anthony Davis. 2012 certainly had nothing to do with his alleged Hall-Of-Fame X’s and O’s abilities.

    Thanks – Bob

    1. Bob, agree totally. That loss with the twins on the floor and Booker and Ullis on the bench was unbelievable. I lost all respect for Cal after that, I think that lost them another title. He says he is loyal to his players, needs to show same for fans.

    2. I agree with you Bob . Calipari is one of the best recruiters there is out there and that is probably one of the biggest reasons that the fans like him is because he can get the players to come there the bad problem is is that he can’t win championships with them he’s had plenty of opportunities to do it that he should have won with all the players that he’s had and he just can’t do it because he can’t coach that great . Yeah I don’t get me wrong the cats have won some great games I mean how do they go into Kansas and blow Kansas out and then turn around and lose to St Peter’s so does that mean St Peter’s is better than Kansas too they just weren’t ready for that game at all they took them too lightly and it’s like Charles Barkley said about you okay they play up to the team that are getting ready to play if they’re a great team and they play down to the team that they’re getting ready to play if they feel that they’re not all that great shouldn’t be like that you should play one way the whole entire time against every opponent to win no matter what play hard as possible but he doesn’t have the teams ready to do that and it lies on cows responsibility so why should he worry about doing any of that stuff when he gets paid the money that he makes per year which is like $9 million dollars a year from what I understand and he has the contract that he has a lifetime contract so we didn’t have a thing to worry about except for life and he doesn’t have that eye of the tiger anymore to win the championship he’s already won one well his team won one he didn’t win his team did with the players they finally took over and took it in their hands and see that’s what he says a lot if people would understand what he’s saying he says I want the team to be able to make the decisions of on their own I want the team to take charge on their own she don’t want to have to couch he wants to let them do it. Now let’s get to the fan who don’t cheer you got fans that will pay to travel anywhere and everywhere to go see the UK Wildcats but they won’t stand up and cheer when the team needs them to you’re supposed to be the sixth Man on the team but what you have is these fans that pay all this money to go to the game anywhere and everywhere and they pay the big bucks cuz they’ll sit down below they’ll sit down in the in the higher price seats and they won’t stand up and cheer but then the ones in the higher seats and the cheaper seats they stand up and cheer all the time and every time I should switch them make the higher prices higher up in the stadiums and make the cheaper seats low and let the you know let those people down there cheer they get out here you can’t get out cheered by all the teams after Duke North Carolina Auburn Tennessee matter of fact all of the SEC teams can out cheer you okay if you ever watch the games they’re all always fired up and they cheer louder and everything they don’t ever show our fans cheering like that they’ll show the fans yelling jumping up and down and hollering and they’d be all in one color shirts and everything then you still show our fans they’ll be in all different colored shirts and you know they won’t be the same color you know and they won’t be standing up and cheering I guess they feel like you’re too good to stand up and do it I don’t know if they’re not going to cheer they should just stay home I’ve been to the games at rupp arena I’ve been to the games for the NCAA tournament so you know I know what the fans are like it ain’t right yeah you paid to get in and paid to watch but I need your help sometimes the team needs your help sometimes they just don’t do it I don’t know I don’t want to say anymore about it so there you go maybe she might can comment on some of the stuff I’ve said . Be one last thing to say answer this why I should tell Perry win a championship yeah I’m sure it’s in his contract that he’ll make more money but he’s got so much money he don’t know what to do with it soon he went and bought him a home in Nashville he’s got all kinds of money so it doesn’t matter if he wins the championship or not even though it would be more money for him I’m sure but he set for life get paid now you can go play golf said too much talent tonight of one more championships than one and he didn’t win that championship the players did.

      1. It is like the only thing Cal cares about is getting some of the players Drafted to the NBA . Maybe is getting paid to help bring players to the NBA to get drafted .

        1. The fans in the seats close to the floor are older people. Can afford the best seats. I can tell you are a young person. Older people have bad knees and can’t stand up for long time. The ones standing up are younger people. Do you get it?

    3. When talent doesn’t work Hard, Hard Work beats talent. And that’s the job of a $10 million dollar coach. We don’t have a Pro team here in Kentucky. The 3 million Ky fans don’t care about getting players ready for the NBA. We could care less about LeBron and the Chinese league. Maybe a lot of us fans might be rethinking why Tubby was let go? He won the same amount of championships and I’m 67 and don’t believe I’ll ever see another won at UK.

      1. I agree. Cal doesn’t really care about winning a championship anymore. I really don’t think he cares about the fans anymore . Because winning another championship is ALL the true fans want. It’s been a long time since we won one. 2015 still sticks in my mind. I and many more fans remember that game. If all Cal wants is to send players to the NBA then he should go work for them. We need a coach who will work w/players to teach them, improve them, bring them along to be excellent at playing and winning against any team. After last year I thought this year will be great because of the guys who decided to come to KY BBN. I am never going to say or believe that again. I have lost faith in Cal and the other coaches, not the young men who have come to Ky…the players.

  4. Well said sir.

    My concern with Cal is his stubbornness to only play a rotation of 6-7 players, there were 3-4 talented players sitting on the bench who could have helped Thursday night (couldn’t have been worse than what we watched). If a player is good enough to sit on a UK bench, then they’re good enough see the floor when the starting rotation isn’t getting it done. An example is Toppin, he plays 16 mins in 1st half, 8pts 2nd leading scorer in the half, 2nd half 3 mins 1pt. Why????

    1. Rob Wiley I agree with your post 100 percent. Why Bryce Hopkins and Collins never got on the floor in that game is beyond me? After the team with the “platoons” he went to a 7 man rotation and we have paid a heavy price for it. Johnny Juzang left among other mentionable talents. They thrived when they left UK. Cal claims to love all his players but it is easy to see he has favorites. It’s obvious Brooks doesn’t have the head to be “in the game”, 50% of the time. He’ll never play anywhere but overseas and Cal thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Collins, Toppin, Hoskins all have far more upside. To go down like we did is inexcusable. St. Peter’s made us play their game. Against Kansas and UNC we imposed our will on them. Cal had this team peaking in late Dec, early Jan. He says he was coaching the team he had a month ago not the team he has now? For 9 million a year I think it should be obvious to him since it was obvious to 1/2 the people watching the game. Wheeler and Washington were both totally out of control. We died that night because Cal was hell bent on the fast break beating the Peacocks but in reality we never could play with Wheeler in a 1/2 court set. We made our little run when he benched Wheeler and Mintz and Grady were running the point. When Wheeler came back he made 3 or 4 layups where he penetrated but never dished the ball. In the mean time he ate 2 or 3 more under the basket with no where to go. Cal has never been an adjustment guy. He lays out his ideas and then crams them down everyones throat. That is why we are still watching this god awful “dribble drive”. It is the ugliest looking street ball I have ever witnessed. When I see Princeton and teams like that run pick and roll, give and go, whipping the ball around the perimeter instead of DRIBBLING it is a thing of beauty. Oscar did the ol give and go pick and roll against both Kansas and UNC. It disappeared? Why? We stunk the last 1/4 of the season and stole a few more wins. But we should have been playing in the final four in my mind. Now this year we had the oldest class Cal ever coached and he made the same mistakes again. He doesnt seem to be able to “learn” from his mistakes. We on the hook for 40 million plus buy out so he’s going nowhere?

    2. Exactly. Cal’s rotation of players is abysmal. Always has been and always will be until he hires someone to staff this glaring weakness. Keeping massive potential on the bench means nothing & deflates players. Cal can talk about culture and La Familia all he wants. Talk is cheap. (And I’ve been an outspoken Coach Cal fan… even through the tough times.)

    3. I agree! Why can’t he bring some guys onto the floor from the bench when it is obvious the ones on the floor aren’t getting it done? He did it ONCE and the player was great!
      MAYBE it would wake up the regulars to see a replacement going better then them!

  5. I’ve defended Cal since he’s been at UK, but I’m not doing it any longer. There’s no excuse for not having your team ready to play in the NCAA tournament, and these kids were not prepared. St Peter’s looked like the better coached and better prepared than UK did. With the exception of Oscar and Wheeler, they played harder. Cal’s last few teams can’t guard anyone. All teams need to do is drive to the basket. They either get scored on or fouled. Mintz is the worst defensive player I can remember at UK. He can’t guard anyone, yet Cal continues to play him. I’m beginning to question if the game has passed Cal by. I do know this, he’s losing more and more of the fan base. Since 2015, UK basketball has regressed. Let’s hope he can bring us back. If it doesn’t happen in the next few years, we need a change.

    1. Steve I truly believe that your feeling is one the majority of UK fans have for the reasons you described

      1. I have been off the Cal bandwagon for a few years. Finally people are joining me. If Cal can’t adapt to the changes needed, then he needs to go. And all the maniac yelling, and jerking guys out the second they make a mistake only hurts the team. I don’t see why anyone would want to play for him.

        1. Well Kim , Calipari is not going anywhere soon especially getting paid $9 million a year . And it’s going to cost $40 million plus to buy him out . And he has a lifetime contract . So we will have to pressure him or the school to change or to get Cal to change

    2. I agree. But he has a lifetime contract. We are struck with him. Also, I do not like that Cal played wheeler as much as he did. Our team played much better with wheeler on the bench. He is great risk and the reward does not meet.

  6. Larry;

    Change is not an option for Cal. The program is in freefall and the fan base is lost. What happened is unacceptable and where do we find hope under his leadership? Cal should resign but thats not likely. Question is, how do we get rid of him? Would he perhaps op for the pros? One other point. He had capable shooters on the bench but gave them no chance. Thoroughly disgusted.

    Uncle Don

    1. Don, I don’t think it’s quite time to get rid of Cal yet, but if he doesn’t make the final four in the next 2-3 years then I think it’s a conversation worth having. Yo answer your question though, here are the only ways to get rid of Cal per his contract on UK’s website.

      1. Fire him for no cause and pay him his buyout, which is 75% of his remaining 10 year (2019-2029) contract. That number is currently $46M and goes down by roughly $6M per year.

      2. Fire him for cause for 1 of the 13 reasons listed in his contract (mostly major NCAA or SEC violations, felonies, gambling, fraud, etc.) and pay him no buyout.

      3. Cal gets so embarrassed by his awful performance and either steps down and leaves UK or takes the $1M/year role of “Special Assistant to the AD” outlined as an option in his contract beginning with the 2024 season.

    2. Uh… who you guys planning finding to replace a guy with 31 tournament wins, 4 final fours, 2 title gamesand a championship not to mention a 30- season playing the toughest schedule in the country, down one of your best returning players?
      Who has that resume?
      You’re right he has to change styles, but this won’t be the first time.. his dribble drive at Memphis looked nothing like ours here; and neither remotely resembles his offense at UMass. But fire him? That’s crazy talk

  7. How do you micromanage every single possession during the game pointing and yelling from the sideline to the point of distracting your players and then with 20 seconds remaining you decide they can do it on their own? Do they only need the coach’s input when the game is not on the line?

    1. Great point. Sahvir isn’t like Wall/Knight/Murray/Fox/etc who can get their own shot and beat people off the dribble.

  8. Cals man to man defense isn’t working either. If he truly watched film on St. Peter’s, he would’ve realized they back door cut all the time. So tell me, why the heck were we overplaying the passing lanes? Anyone can run an offense on man to man. Mix in a zone, 3-2 zone, or a1-3-1. How many back door cuts can you make on a zone………. Cal needs to watch film on Syracuse and spend a summer with Boeheim and learn his defense. Cal won’t though because they don’t play zones in the NBA. It’s all about getting his players ready for the NBA and not the present. Maybe Cal needs to humble himself this summer and brainstorm with his assistants to right the ship again. He hired them for a reason so listen to them.

  9. He is not the one that needs to change anything other than changing his employment status to "retired" as soon as today!!!

    The only person who can change what needs to be changed, other than Calipari with a resignation, is Barnhart, but given the stupid lifetime contract he gave this fraud, Barnhart is not the man to make the changes needed at this time. That leaves it to the UK President to fire Barnhard, show Calipari that it is in his interest to resign and retire, and bring in a new athletic director to fill the head coaching opening.

    I suggest Jack Givens would be a great candidate.

    1. Don’t agree with you quite yet, but totally understand your frustration. Just to clarify though, Cal has a 10 year coaching contract (2019-2029), not a lifetime contract. Also, I seriously doubt Barnhart has the authority himself to spend the money needed for Cal’s buyout, which is 75% of his remaining contract. It is currently $46M and decreases by about $6M per year, so there would have to be some fairly wealthy donors really wanting Cal gone for it to happen. See his full contract on UK’s website below.

      https://ukathletics.com/documents/2019/6/13/Coach_John_Calipari_Contract.pdf

    2. Professor, I agree that Jack Givens would be a good choice to replaced Mitch.. The $ 64.000 question who would we go after to replace Cal even know I don’t think he will be fire or he will resign.

  10. ""Own it … Change it … or losses like the one Thursday night will be Kentucky’s new narrative.""

    Why should he listen to you or to me if I choose to tell him that his isms are worn out and no longer play well in KY. He is the 9 million dollar coach and the UK AD gave him a contract that said John, there will never be a coach smarter than you, so please run the basketball program any way you want to forever and we will all bow and be happy.

    Larry, would you do your current job any differently if you had a contract like that? I know I would make some job life changes if I had a similar contract.

    Having said that, and that is more of a criticism of the UK AD than it is the basketball coach, Cal needs to immediately search for the smartest, hardest working, and best teacher of offensive basketball coach he can find and hire him right after deciding on which piece of dead wood that sits on his bench can be eliminated and send that person packing so he ccan be replaced by the new hire. Cal gets to recruit, glad hand the boosters, and schmooze with sports execs and COACH the defense. He no longer has a say on what offense they run, which players are on the court to run the offense. If he wants different players on the court to run the defense, then he and the offensive coach flip a coin and the winner gets their way until the next time out then they swap lineups until the next official time out.

    Last of all, he needs to see that each of the players gets the same amount of coaching and attention. He also MUST decide playing time based on ability, quit playing players 38 minutes per game, and absolutely quit deciding lineups based on the NBA potential he thinks a player has. His seat at the NBA draft night gala and his hugs with a player or two have failed to win UK any games. He is in charge of schmoozing so go ahead and have his fun, but let someone else do the coaching for him.

    Last comment from me, he needs to forget everything he ever learned from John Wooden, (he has to quit paring his playing roster down to 7 players by seasons end) and if he thinks Larry Brown is so damned smart and can coach in today’s game, then let him hire Larry, give Larry 1/2 of his salary for a couple years and see if he still thinks that is a good investment.

    Thanks for the forum to speak my mind.

    1. Yes— hire someone who is an innovative offensive mine and knows how to teach.

      Recent example: The UK women under Matthew Mitchell had zero offense and were so hard to watch UNTIL he hired the legendary Lin Dunn to be his special assistant. She was old school, but able to teach X’s and O’s in a way he certainly was incapable.

  11. This one’s easy, start coaching for the name on the front of the jersey. Get them ready to play college basketball, after all, the NBA drafts most of these kids on potential. Let the NBA prepare them for the NBA in summer league after the leave the college arena.

    1. Ditto to all responses so far. Let me add a few more pet peeves.
      -What other coach uses an anemic lob pass up the sideline every time UK takes the ball out of bounds under its own basket, instead of trying to score close in?
      -Cal whipped Wheeler into a frenzy to race to the basket, resulting in far too many turnovers for a point guard.
      -UK froze when confronted with SPU’s zone defense, clearly not prepared by you know who.
      -I’m betting Grady was never stuck in the corner at Davidson, where he scored over 2000 points! Not the first time Cal took a player out of his natural position.
      -He is not a bench coach, he is not a bench coach, and he is not a bench coach!
      -He is a player first coach, he is a player first coach, and he is a player first coach! Fans and team be damned!

  12. Yes, this is totally on Cal!!! He should have pulled from the bench to find the right combination to actually hit baskets!! That’s with the exception of Oscar…. I feel very sorry for Oscar; the rest of the team, no. After the game, Oscar was devastated, but the rest of them were like it was just any other game. Cal should have taken a TO at the last to see how the other team was set up & then adjusted ours. I wonder if Cal even wanted to win….is this what the BBN has to look forward to with a coach with a lifetime contract?????

  13. The problem with Cal is he refuses to make even the most logical adjustment. When a player, not going to throw any specific player under the bus here, continually dribbles himself into trouble, throws the ball away, and creates unforced turnover upon unforced turnover, all while have a non-existent jump shot. Maybe, just maybe, said player might need to sit awhile and discuss these things whilst allowing someone else at least not turn the ball over. UK fans have seen this from day 1 with Cal, 2015 three straight possessions resulting in not even getting a shot off, all while Devin Booker, who had been playing well, along with Tyler Ulis sat and watched. Not sure Any of the reserves would’ve fared any better Thursday night, but would it hurt to try something different. Oh, one last thing, the dribble-drive offense isn’t optimal when your PG is 5’7” and can’t get a shot off in traffic.

  14. Y’all are so damn crazy talking about firing cal. Please tell me how it’s cal fault that in overtime they missed those free throws and joe is it his fault that when our shooters gets open looks they missed the shot. Those player’s missing shots they we have all seen them make all year is not cals fault people. He didn’t cal timeout at the end of that game because he didn’t want them to set that zone defense up they was running

  15. Coach Calipari is the strongest recruiter in the history of Kentucky basketball. At the same time, in regards to strategy, in game adjustments, and preparation, I would rank him behind Rupp, Pitino, Sutton, and arguably behind Tubby Smith as well.
    Failing to call timeouts for end of game situations, along with the previously mentioned shot clock violations from our 2015 elimination and this season’s attempt to stop running offense with a 4 point lead and three minutes remaining in the game, suggests that Coach Calipari lacks confidence in these high pressure situations and is unsure of how to finish, or what to communicate to his team. With a double digit lead in the final two minutes, it’s time to eat some clock. In a two possession game, and three minutes to play, keep attacking and apply pressure.

  16. I may have missed it, but I feel that coaches want to win and will move positions during the game that some are not expecting. The coach will try to change who is guarding who, in attempts to win the game. But if the player has no experience with that, it may be worse. Also, I feel that maybe Kellan did not think he could be the best that he has been on Thurs. Coaches need to tune in to a player having a rough drought. Mental health is a real thing. He seemed to not be himself that night and needed a "rest" so to speak. Perhaps this summer coaches could continue their education with some classes on mental health! Just my opinion.

  17. Cal is the typical, classical narcissist. Always thinking he is the smartest guy in the room. When he loses, it’s the players fault. If he had an ounce of integrity he would resign

  18. Great article Tina. Unfortunately, Calipari thinks he is untouchable and has no reason to change anything. He has openly proclaimed that HIS program is a player’s first program that is focused on getting kids into the NBA versus winning championships. He was given free rein to do as he wished and it has cost us at least 3 national titles. BBN has suffered enough to appease Calipari. It has brought nothing back to the BBN in return…nothing good that is. Now, Tennessee, Auburn, and Arkansas have raised their programs to be equal or better than us. Alabama is not far behind. Vanderbilt is making progress to that end. 6 SEC schools have fired their men’s basketball coach for not closing that gap. The SEC is hiring better coaches, getting better players, and making a commitment to catch and pass Kentucky as the premier SEC basketball program. Meanwhile, our program is sliding backwards and has been doing so for the past 5 years. Calipari thinks he is a basketball god and, as such, has no need to heed the outcries of BBN. He will leave our program in much worse shape than Billy Clyde did if he is allowed to continue as coach. Barnhart will not do the right thing, he was the one who proclaimed that Calipari was a god with that lifetime contract. It’s time for our president or board of regents to step in and take charge of this debacle. It need to happen now and hire a replacement coach before Summer. The rest of the NCAA basketball world loves that Calipari as our coach and they want him to remain that because his tenure as coach has led to Kentucky being a non relevant program.
    As for his replacement, the most capable coach in the short term is Rick Pitino. Give him a 4 year contract–period. That would be enough time to right the ship and allow him to rebuild his reputation as a coach and as a person. At that time, hire a long term coach who would build on Pitino’s four years of rectification and lead our program well on into the future. Bottom line, Calipari has to go and go now.

      1. Let me guess Doug. You’re a tree hugging democrat who says Putin is the reason for all of the wrong things in OUR country. The November elections will put you in your place.

    1. Ok, I have read 20 or more post calling for Cal to resign or be fired. That is insane. Cal has screwed the pooch this season and last. Last season was a free pass. Covid just turned everything to dust. This season we go 27-7. firing a coach for that is asinine. Rick Barnes at UT was fired from Texas with a lot worse record about 5 years ago and now there are people saying we should go after him. Cal has brought more talent through LEX in his tenure than the history of ALL OTHER UK COACHES COMBINED. He’s got players all over the NBA. Now, his resume has weakened the last 5 years. He is losing recruits to UNC, DUKE, KANSAS, AUBURN, LSU, among others. The shine is wearing off on Calipari. To the point of some, he didn’t miss the free throws in overtime. However we should never have been in OT with S.P. to being with.
      Cal has got to abandon the dribble drive, it’s ugly ugly basketball akin to a playground. It’s not disciplined enough, there is too much that can and will and has gone wrong running it. He thinks it gives the players freedom. In reality, what they need is structure, fundamentals and execution. If they get that, they’ll thrive. Cal needs to evolve. If he does not, then he needs to step down. At this point, it’s all up to Calipari….. 46 million dollar buyout is not going to happen.

      1. Bob, all Calipari has done is to pimp OAD players to the NBA. One title in 13 years. That would be great if we were Nebraska, but this is Kentucky. It’s time for him to go even if it costs $100 million.

  19. Changing AD’s, I don’t know. Barnhart has been good for UK overall IMO, especially UK’s football program. If Barnhart must go, as well as Cal, as the the Professor suggests, UK needs to hire an AD that continues to build and fully supports a rising SEC football program. I give Barnhart good grades on improving all the athletic programs at UK, but basketball has lost good ground under Calipari’s leadership these past several years. What happened last Thursday night in Indianapolis was eye opening, and humiliating for this proud program. Calipari is knee deep in quick sand now, and many fans are turning against him. Never thought I would see it in my lifetime, but UK is fast becoming a football driven school like most schools in this football crazy conference. UK fans are now looking forward to September in Kentucky now. SEC football talent is joining Mark Stoops’ team in Lexington, and hope for continued success is at an all time high. Basketball is no longer the only bright spot in the high revenue producing sports in Lexington. Guys like Will Levis and Eli Cox are becoming household names now. For us football fans, it is a remarkable era, and long overdue. It must continue on the upward trajectory also.

  20. Maybe Barnhart could get a new coach who can coach basketball AND football. The SEC basketball games I watched this year were rough like football. I had to guard Jeff Mullins in high school and I got as close to him as I could and touched his breastbone whenever he attempted his jump shot. I got four fouls called on me but he only scored 11 points on me. Jeff Mullins went on to Duke and was their 2nd highest scorer of all time. With today’s referees I wouldn’t have fouled out. It’s not the same game and Calipari certainly isn’t keeping up. Sorry if I offended anyone.

    1. I remember you were a ferocious defender Claude and I think the rough play in SEC hurt all the SEC teams

  21. A great article for sure! It does no good to have great assistants if you will not listen to their input. I wish that he would take that ambassador position and let someone that is more in touch with today’s game take over as the coach. He would have a lot more free time to spend with his family and pets and enjoy his new house in Brentwood. 2015 Wisconsin – should have been the wake up call. I never believed in him after that day. The high point days like N.C, Tenn at Rupp, and KU could not overshadow the nagging worry. Kellan tried to keep a brave face but he was damaged from the constant pressure and Dontaie will never be the same. I feel like we are nothing but an NBA training camp. There are plenty of good players that would be proud to play for us but our bench has become nothing but a good front row seat to watch the game from. Why not utilize our resources and build a deeper bench like we used to have before he got here? The disadvantage of being older? You remember better days!!

    1. Cal had the deepest bench in UK history. Willie Cayley Stein and that crew had a platoon system, 2 teams oof 5. Cal hated it though. He vowed to never do it again. Bad mistake, we almost could have done it this year. Wheeler, Toppin, Washington, Oscar, Hopkins. 2nd team, Allen, Collins, Grady, Ware, Brooks and still had Sharpe on the bench? We played essentially 7 guys. Why a player would come here to die knowing if I ain’t in the top 7, I’m not getting on the floor. There will be a mass exit this year with Hopkins, Collins, Allen likely hitting the portal along with possibly Wheeler. Sharpe ain’t going to stick around and play for Cal after this debacle.

  22. Thank you Tina, you nailed it! We have too many fantastic players thriving in the NBA for our college teams to collapse like they do. Sick of the same old excuses we hear from Coach. I feel most sorry for our players who had to be more stunned than BBN that they came to this program, with this coach, and ended first round in embarrassment.

  23. Every coach has to adapt and shape the team using the most effective offensive philosophy to that team’s ability. Running up and down the court wildly is not an offense. Watching this year we were just switching positions with other players without a purpose. Essentially running to spots, then if that broke down we were lost. Every player should have 2 or 3 options within a set based on their ability to read the game, and without fear of being yelled at or taken out of the game (example, how many backdoor cuts did we complete or attempt this year). It’s called intuition and it builds confidence needed for tight games. Every practice should be filled with asking player’s questions to get them thinking about making good decisions. What is the "good, better best" decisions in this situation? Again, building confidence…..Yelling at players only breaks players down. If they need taken out, take them out. Let them know what they need to do. Attack the situation, not the player. If we as coaches do a great job in practice we can sit on the bench knowing our players are prepared. The game is in their hands. How about letting them play with confidence. It’s their time to shine.

  24. Just the facts o k ?
    1. Every team eat Cat’s lunch with back door plays. yet Cal does not use one. WHY?
    2. Undermines shooters for fear of bench if they don’t hesitate to shoot. WHY ?
    3. Poor shooting .make a change right. has the best shooter sitting on the bench n only played less than 15 minutes all season. one time this shooter played 10 minutes. scored double figures, rebounds, assists. steals, who. yup Dontae Allen WHY?
    4. Yes not to call time out with ball last 20 seconds needing just 1 point to win. let team run like a deer in head lights and ended up throwing a wild ball. with the POY LOOKING FOR A PASS WHY?
    5. Having the possible first round draft pick . who passed up senior year , never to play a single game. no way this kid should have been advised not to play. he cold have helped by a few points eh. Cal says he doesn’t know the system. WHAT SYSTEM. he’s a baller

    1. What system? You know, that hard to run dribble drive where you give the ball to the point and let him do whatever the hell he wants to? Yeah that one? Geez Cal is blind.

  25. I love Cal, but unless he makes drastic adjustments to his coaching philosophy , he needs to retire. The game is passing him by. He is a terrible bench coach! recruiting 5 star plyers who go to the NBA after one year results in little team consistency. having to start from scratch every year makes it impossible to advance very far in the NCAA tournamant . . We should not be a farm team for the NBA. Villanova and Gonzaga, have a total of 17 players in the NBA currently. Yet they are very competitive year after year because they have players who stick around. Sure each of these teams may get a 5 star player like Chet Holgram, but for the most part rely on 3 and 4 star players. Cals legacy should not be based on the number of NBA players he turns out, but the number of final 4 appearances in the NCAA tournament.
    By the way, St peters is a lot better than anyone thought-we should have scouted them better!!

  26. I am a Cal fan living in New York and wear my Cats apparel proudly! Having said that, a good friend of mine is a scout for a college program I won’t mention and he tells me Kentucky is the easiest to scout because they run a dribble drive which really is not diagramed as running offensive sets! He tells my they don’t even have an inbounds play to get the ball in! Basically Cal has had more talent than most coaches in their careers and has not diagramed plays to exploit their talents and have productive offensive sets! Remember PJ Washington in the game a few years back could not miss a shot and all of a sudden we had no offensive plays to get the ball to him! That is simply mediocre coaching and that commitment is being kind!

  27. Lol….and what idiot that will live up to UK fan base standards does everyone want to bring on? Who is the magic coach that is going to deliver a Final Four every two to three years? Who is out there currently producing these (unrealistic) results at their present job? Who is the sorcerer that will deliver us from the "free fall" of a 26-8 season (lol)?

    Does Cal do everything right? Not even close. Do I see some great coaching talent capable of coming in and doing vastly better? Not at all. You don’t replace what you have until there is something that is PROVEN to be better. I’m sorry but I do not see that person at the moment.

  28. I agree with most everything others have said about Cal. Was a great recruiter but terrible bench coach. One other thing that Cal’s teams do that drive me absolutely crazy is on out of bounds plays. They constantly give up easy baskets to the team who actually have plays called to create a good chance to score. Cal never runs a set out of bounds play and just relies on that lob over the top to get the ball in bounds. In these close games you have to get some easy points especially in a slug fest. It also helps give your team some confidence.

  29. First , I am not a hater, I love Coach Cal as a person , recruitor ,mentor an caretaker to his players! But I don’t understand why he doesn’t make adjustments during games, an playing only 6-7 guys at the level of intensity he demands an needs to win is insanely Difficult.Collins Hopkins Allen an Sharp who I believe would of made a statement to BBN that iam trying everything available to win this game, an would of avoided all the criticism your getting on this BIG game ,just 4or5 minutes ,an Lobs from guards to Collins on baseline ,an put him in the middle of a 2/3 Zone with arms up an Oscar on Wing like AD did I 2012 .Example Oscar played 43 minutes of the 45 minute Tournament game , not good player management. !Either he doesn’t know how, or is not going to change Strategy an tactics , player management, an offense spacing an MOVEMENT as game dictates! Yelling 40 minutes straight at guys at this level is insane an Frankly embarrassing an I think he thinks he has to do it to justify job , Coach you don’t have to justify anything! I would like to know if your working with your JMO, Too MANY Assistants you have on game strategy an in game adjustments! You say next man up an I agree, but you don’t follow through ! It’s like pitching it’s a change up slider , fastball, Curve.Why are you a Zone hater 32 or 23 it’s a game tool to use an you need all the tools possible, at this level, sometimes I think you want to lose on purpose, sorry but that’s what i perceive during some games , sounds crazy I know! May I suggest more thinking an watching,an less yelling during games an you pick the Assistant you feel is ready an let them make the game plan strategy an tactics an in game adjustments as needed including Subs an you follow an reinforce it with them during the game! I regret to say but The day is coming when your going to be overwhelming booed every time your name is announced in Rupp Arena ,an you don’t deserve it , but to save Face ,the reality is that’s we’re your at with a large group of fans that go to games! I am a 58 yr old Kentucky Kid an my dream , like many others was to play there ,an I only wish i had the once in a Lifetime opportunity to Coach at Kentucky .Lol I would love to get your Dunkin Donuts Coffee for you ! See I am not a Hater! Just True Blue

  30. Calipari isn’t perfect. No coach is. The great Adolph Rupp coached the Cats for 42 yrs. He won 4 National Titles. That’s 1 every 10 yrs. or so. He didn’t win a title his last 14 yrs. Coach K is this generations gold standard. The 42 yrs. he has been at Puke, he has 5 Titles. That’s 1 every 8 yrs. or so. That would be 2 in about 16 yrs. Calipari has 1 in 13 yrs. If you compare that with K, Cal has 3 more yrs. to win a title and keep pace.

    If anyone thinks Ky. can hire a coach that will win a title every 2 or 3 yrs., you are delusional . Those who don’t like Cal for personal reasons, get over it.

      1. It’s obvious you live in your mommas basement. It’s whiners like you that is the problem with todays society.

  31. Agree, but Cal will not change, his ego will not allow any thought to enter his mind that he might be responsible for this mess. He thinks that no one knows more than he so why change. With the ridiculous contract, courtesy of Mitch, our AD has no choice but to keep him. Next year will be more of the same – the majority of the roster will be first year players; either freshman or transfers looking to stay one year and then chase the pot of gold Cal promised them. UK is stuck with an incompetent coach, whose recruiting will fall off as potential players look at the first seasons of Damion and Bryce and choose to go elsewhere. Contrary to Cal’s priority number one of putting UK players in the NBA, I want a coach whose priority is building a TEAM that honors the history of our program by putting players on the floor that play for the name on the front of their jerseys. Coach Rupp did fairly well using this concept.

  32. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a 1000 time’s since losing KP. He was the player’s coach. He was the hands on guy in every practice. He was the one who evolved with the basketball world as team’s changed. I mean when did Kentucky have it’s worst year? The first year after KP left. This year was better but still not like the bad ass team’s we had with KP. Louisville will kick the blue of our jerseys now that KP is there head coach. Cal has been out coached in more then a few game’s this year none more then the St Peter’s game. Cal isn’t much of a coach without the guy who sees and understands the player’s and the changes that evolve in the basketball world.

  33. I agree with the majority of the preceding comments.
    An apt summation appears to be the following: Calipari is not a great strategist, is too obstinate to make the necessary changes, and we’re stuck with him for an eternity.

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