John Calipari (Photo by Vicky Graff)
Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy has followed coach John Calipari’s career a long time and is well aware of the unrest in Big Blue Nation after UK’s loss to Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament first round.
However, he’s a bit baffled by those who claim they would like to see Kentucky hire a new coach and says he really cannot answer why some feel that way.
“I don’t understand the negativity,” DeCourcy said on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports Talk. “The idea that he is not good enough (to keep coaching at UK) is beyond preposterous. It’s just ridiculous.”
DeCoury had one interesting statistic. Of the 10 No. 2 seeds who have lost to No. 15 seeds in NCAA Tournament play, five have had Hall of Fame coaches — Calipari, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Arizona’s Lute Olson, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim.
“Three (Olson, Boeheim and Krzyzewski) went back out and won a national championship. One (Izzo) beat the No. 1 team and went to the national final,” DeCourcy said.
“If you want to be the team that fires a Hall of Fame coach just because he lost one game, do whatever. It is your program. But if you want to be one of the great programs like you say you are, you don’t even think about that (firing Calipari).”
25 Responses
BBN remembers the quote about getting kids into the NBA being more important then Winning at Kentucky, Blowing it against Wisconsin and Duke beating Wisconsin to win the Championship, The worse win loss season, Now the late season drop offs, Beat down by Tennessee and Alabama this year, having the National Player of the year and not winning the SEC or the tournament And the worse of the worst, Beating both teams competing for the National Championship. Coach Tubby Smith was fired for doing as good or better and didn’t feed BBN all the BS every year.
We swept Bama
Getting beaten by a 15 seed was a bigger story then Coach K retirement and losing his last game.
Mike DeCourcy doesn’t have an F’ing clue! This is not about losing just one game. This is about a guy who used to be a good coach who has abandoned those principles and turned to a player’s first philosophy of coaching. He is supposed to be winning championships for the University of Kentucky–not getting kids into the NBA. Why is everyone outside of BBN so adamant about UK keeping this flim flam man as our coach? The answer is simple…they don’t want UK to be a dominant power in college basketball. Now, we are not even dominant in our DIVISION of the SEC! These outside dumbasses need to stay out of our business. The NBA is no longer pursuing him as a coach. They are happy with him pimping NBA wannabes to the league, even if it’s the G league. Everyone, outside of BBN, is happy with Calipari but we are the only ones who get a say in the matter. It may take a couple of years where attendance at Rupp Arena is under 5,000 to get UK administration to take this seriously, but Calipari MUST GO!
Totally agreed! Lost to Wisconsin, because he was trying to oust the Harison twins into the NBA, cost us a perfect season!! He’s never been a Kentucky first guy!! He’s about the NBA, he thinks we’re just a dumb bunc of hicks!! His loyalty is not to the university of Kentucky, but to the NBA!!!! I’m sick of this shit…. Plus kneeling for the National Anthem!!! I say good ridden’s!!!
One of the first statements Calipari made when he was first hired at UK was that when he played he would deliberately pass the ball to a teammate breaking to the basket just behind him forcing him to pass the ball back to Calipari so Calipari could shoot the ball. He was proud to disclose his attitude. Calipari doesn’t in his heart want UK to keep their reputation of NCAA Champions, Calipari just wants credit for sending players to the NBA. If DeCourcy knew all the facts , I wonder if he would still report things when he doesn’t know all the facts.
Mike is very knowledgeable Claude. He just doesn’t live/breathe UK 24/7 like most fans do
Today I read another Classic Calipari Teaser, He is looking at the LA Lakers job.
Another ploy to squeeze even more $s from the BBN?
Why not, he has used that one repeatedly since he has been here, and it may well work again on the mindless UKAA Brain Trust (Define Oxymoron).
I hope he takes the Lakers’ job and gets out of Lexington today!!!
Tomorrow would be 1 day too long.
I enjoy Mike DeCoursey’s writings and ramblings, but he should interview a cross section of the BBN before he wanders into our world with such pronouncements.
Mike and other sportswriters are clueless. It’s time for new blood at UK. This necessary change has been brewing for 7 years, culminating with poor end of this season’s performance and loss to 15 seed. Tom Izzo and Jim Boeheim probably need to move on as well. All three of these guys are made men whom nobody has the guts to fire. Just as Roy Williams why he stepped down. He lost the touch. It’s time and UK better be working on an exit strategy.
Most NCAA tournament wins since 2009-10? John Calipari
Most final fours since he’s been at UK? John Calipari
To fire that resume wouldn’t just be ridiculous, it would be idiotic. The trendline is not good. But instead of something reasonable, like “Cal has underperformed of late and needs to reinvigorate the program and start approaching what his record looked like in the first half of his time at Kentucky”, you see totally deranged and lunatic takes like “He’s a terrible coach, he needs to be fired!” I know it’s shocking that anonymous online commenters might be overly dramatic, negative, and hysterical, but here we are.
World we are in now Todd. Thanks for pointing out the numbers
And replace him with whom???
now that is a tough question RJohn. Lot of possibilities but would one be better or not?
Bring Rick Pitino back for a 4 year stint. Get the program back on track with couple of SEC titles and a national title. Have Pitino retire and give Orlando Antigua a shot at running the program. He already does that heavy lifting in recruiting and showed me he knows a little about winning when he guided us back to a win against Miss. St. in Starkville last year when Calipari got tossed.
It’s not all about that one loss.
Cal’s priority isn’t winning games at KY.
He shoves that players first getting drafted BS down our throats.
He is an arrogant prick to KY fans.
He had a none and done in Diallo that didn’t work out. It will work out for Sharpe.
He must post to social media any good that he does because he wants the recognition as it’s part of the charade.
He is a terrible game coach.
His offense or lack of offense is brutal to watch the majority of the time.
He would rather be at home with his dogs than playing in the SEC tournament.
Last year was the worst in nearly 100 years.
His winning percentage is worse his last two seasons than BCG’s two seasons.
The list of reasons he needs to be gone goes on and on.
DeCourcy is absolutely right! All this negativity is terrible for UK basketball. As much as he has done to redeem the program from the Gillespie days, he deserves better from the fan base.
I think fans have a right to question and feel disappointed and have to believe Calipari would agree with that part
Maybe the Lakers will hire Calipari and everyone will be happy!
Bet he does talk to them
I would rather have Gillespie now that he is sober.
Never ever want Gillispie back
You are complete troll idiot and not a UK fan.
No wonder other fan bases make fun of Kentucky. It’s not because of Cal. It’s because of the so-called Kentucky fans. They sit back and laugh as UK fans try to destroy the program. If I were Sharpe or any other recruit there is no way I would play for a bunch of narcissists.
Jim,
You are more than welcomed to go to Louisville and become a Cardinal fan. You definitely are in the minority opinion in BBN.
These rednecks and dumb hillbillies in kentucky thinks the world is all about uk basketball, they don’t care about actual education at UK,
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