John Calipari (Jeff Houchin Photo)
No matter how you spin it, Kentucky is not the gold standard of college basketball now. The Cats have not won a national title since 2012, have not been in the Final Four since 2015 and have been passed by Kansas for the most all-time wins. Kentucky is also not producing the elite draft picks it once did.
Kentucky also has not won a game in the last two NCAA Tournaments.
During an appearance with Paul Finebaum on the SEC Network during the SEC meetings in Destin, Florida, this week, Calipari made it clear he understands the “gold standard” tag needs some work.
“Our recruiting, and again (UK athletics director) Mitch (Barnhart) and I are meeting because my thing is it’s unacceptable if we’re not the gold standard in facilities and everything else,” Calipari told Finebaum.
“Not acceptable if midnight madness isn’t something that’s talked about for a month. Unacceptable. We need the campout going again.”
Big Blue Madness is not that big a deal yet. It’s big but not quite what it used to be and the decision to abandon the Madness campout did not go over well with a lot of fans. That was unique to Kentucky and made UK basketball special.
Calipari obviously has heard the fan complaints and wants to change that and knows what impact it might have on recruiting.
“Here’s what I say. Basketball’s different than football. Football, you need the calvary. Basketball, one guy, can make a difference in winning the whole thing, getting to the Final Four. One guy. Because it’s not 80,” Calipari said.
“To have everything the gold standard, we’ve always been that. We’ve slipped a little bit in some of the facilities. I’m not saying our facilities are bad. They’re not bad. They’re just not the gold standard.”
I will give him that. Kentucky’s facilities are way better than most — but not the best of the best any more. I’m just not sure they are so bad, though, that facilities would keep a player from coming to UK. But maybe I am wrong because Calipari seems convinced that is a big deal and he should know.
“Mitch and I are going to sit down and talk and say what’s the path? How do we get that going so anyone that walks on our campus and see’s any facilities knows ‘Wow, look at this.’ We’re going to get there,” Calipari said on the show.
However, it is already clear that Calipari likes next year’s team.
“Jacob’s (Toppin) is coming back. Oscar’s (Tshiebwe coming back. We’ve got a team, Sahvir (Wheeler), CJ’s (Fredrick) healthy, you’ve got Chris (Livingston) and Cason (Wallace), you’ve got Antonio (Reeves) transferred in, you’ve still got Daimion (Collins), you’ve got Lance (Ware), who I’m really excited about. Adou (Thiero) comes to us from Pittsburgh, so we’ve got a terrific group,” the UK coach told Finebaum.
“We’ve got to make everything the gold standard, what it’s been and you know what? Let’s go on and do some crazy stuff which we have a chance to do.”
16 Responses
Had enough of his crazy stuff, and making final fours and winning championships may seem crazy to this fraud.
Here is as close to an admission that the UK program has declined under his watch, but wait, it isn’t him. It isn’t his players first, UK last emphasis that is crazy and responsible for the program’s decline. It isn’t the abuse of the program by him and prima donnas like Sharpe that is crazy and responsible for the program’s decline. It isn’t the 7 season declining trend in the quality of his teams that is crazy and responsible for the program’s decline.
No, just listen to the crazy old man behind the curtain (remember we were once told to not pay any attention to that crazy old gentleman), it is poor facilities, and the fans’ declining interest in Big Blue Madness that is crazy and responsible for the program’s decline.
This fraud has no shame.
The facilities comment really got me..Hmm let’s compare UK’s facilities to Saint Peter’s shall we. I can take losing , but it’s how losing is characterized by him. Constant deflection.
Just win ..no gimmicks. Is he trying to be Bill Veeck?
The facilities are not to blame for poor performance on the court. Over the last few years, UK has been beaten by a lot of teams that don’t have the equivalent to the facilities that UK currently has.
Let’s start with recruiting. Cal is no longer getting 4 or 5 of the top 20 players every year; especially, at point guard. His "system" only works with the absolute best players. If you can’t create your own shot, you are pretty much out of luck at UK because Cal doesn’t run many set up plays for any player.
Cal really pushed the 1 and done, now he is not getting many of those players. If they have to stay more than 1 year at UK, they have to feel like either they failed or Cal failed them. That mind set can be changed, but it will take some time. I am really glad to see several of the players come back next year and hope this is a sign for the future. When you put 4 or 5 of the absolute best HS players on the floor together, they can win a lot of games. When that is cut down to 1 or 2, an experienced college team will most likely clean their clock and that is what has been happening.
Cal’s refusal to change is what has been killing UK; not the facilities.
Exactly.
Calipari did get one thing right…one person can make the difference in a college basketball team…and that person is the head coach. It’s apparent that he has made it through the storm and will be the head coach next season. The only thing left for those who are fed up with Calipari is to boycott games at Rupp. Maybe a significant number of empty seats and fewer nationally televised games will get the attention of Kentucky administration. Nothing short of a national title this season will calm the dissatisfaction that is so rampant in BBN. Calipari better ditch the role of NBA pimp and reach back to his UMass and Memphis roots to learn how to coach again. It’s sad to say it, but we will never be the gold standard of college basketball again, if we ever were. It looks more like we were gold plated and the veneer has worn off.
I for one am happy that he is supporting the BBM campout. You can’t reach the grass roots UK fans in a better way. I know hundreds of UK campout friends that are all planning their vacations right now. I have had at least 10 texts from people that I only see at the campout. There is no better way to get to know the players and for them to see what UK Basketball means to us. I have made some Amazing Lifelong friends there. I have seen kids grow up at BBM then come back with their kids. There have been weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and even a woman who scheduled her child’s birth(they were going to induce labor)until the day after the Campout.
The Campout does generate interest in the team. Not only that it strengthens the bond with the BBN and forms lasting memories as well as loyalties to UK. In short it creates new fans and makes a lot of us old one very happy. At least for those of us willing to do it. When you see young guys like Tyler Herro playing cornhole with kids in elementary school or watch Boogie throw footballs to young boys and girls or get a picture with Joe B or King Rex as I have. Or just watch the interaction between the players and the fans(young and old) you would know that there is still plenty of interest and love for UK Basketball and Cal despite what is often said here by those who have a different opinion.
Go Cats Go Cal!
narcissist Is what this fraud is. I can’t stand the man. It’s really time for him to go. It’s past time actually.
We could have a court, bleachers, weights, showers, etc made of gold. Fact is the man can’t coach and doesn’t care about winning games at uk.
Cal has had the very best players in the country. His failure is his own coaching philosophy. He teaches players what they CAN’T do. He pulls them when they make a mistake instead of letting them play through. He is going ballistic on the sideline, not letting the team play. He has had the best guards in the country and never pressed. Imagine what Pitino would have done with those guards! His system and style are not working.
I am definitely not a fan of him yanking players . 1 mistake and your out..thats crap.. like the player doesn’t know he messed up. I can see if it was a repetitive issue but 1 time sucks. What it tells me is you have to be perfect.. Cal isn’t perfect.
You’re right 1996. He has been so focused on getting kids drafted that it has cost us a couple of national titles at the least. Barnhart gave him such a dumbasss contract that the University won’t get rid of him for at least 3 or 4 more years. I hope he will be embarrassed with a half empty Rupp Arena this year that he will be shamed into quitting.
I am tired of Kentucky being a NBA farm team! Cal’s goals and Kentucky’s goals don’t coincide. If he can’t change we need to be rid of him. He is a mediocre Coach. We can do better.
Y’all missing the point of his request – it is for job security. Hear my theory out:
If he can get the wealthy boosters to go in for (tens of?) millions of $$$$ this year for facilities, then, if Cal comes up short again next year, they won’t want to fork over even more $$$ to buy out his contract!
He sees the writing on the wall if he doesn’t go really, really deep in the tourney next year, but I bet the boosters say no to the facilities this year.
All I want is for Cal to let other players PLAY when guys on the floor aren’t getting the job done. You can’t just stand there like a deer in the headlights and watch them lose and not give the other players on the bench a chance. Last year the loss to the Peacocks when we had talent sitting on the bench is something I’m still trying to deal with. We are lucky Oscar, Jacob, Lance, Collins and Wheeler came back. Please don’t blow it Coach. I love my Cats💙
I also think when Cal says Kentucky isn’t for everybody, in a backhanded way he’s covering his arse. So if he’s underachieving again it will always be the players fault in which he doesn’t have and issue with levying the losses on them anyway.