John Calipari expects players to have “great experience” in London

John Calipari plans to let his players do some sightseeing in London. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Did you ever wonder why John Calipari wanted to take his team to London to play Michigan?

Why not play a neutral site game in the United States that would not require as much travel time, which would seem to make sense for a coach who refuses to play in the Maui Classic because of the travel time involved and wear and tear it would have on his team?

Yet Kentucky leaves tonight for London where it will play Michigan Sunday — a game originally scheduled for two years ago before COVID pushed the date back.

Calipari said after Tuesday night’s win over Bellarmine he had known Michigan coach Juwan Hoard a long time and liked  him, so he was on board with scheduling the Wolverines and then the Hall of Fame asked if the two teams might play in London.

“We’re going over. It will be a great experience for these kids, really hard game. We better not play how we started this game. They’re really, they’re well coached and they’re a good team, so it will be a hard game,” Calipari said.

“But it will be a great experience. When you’re doing what I’m doing, you’re trying to put these kids in different situations where they learn and grow. I took a team in ’94 to France when I was at UMass. We flew to France and played in the season. Went up the Eiffel Tower. Imagine none of them will ever do it again. Maybe. But maybe not.

“Made them eat escargot because they didn’t know what it was. So they took them out of the shells and I had them all taste them. No, well, it’s not bad, and then I showed them the shell that it came out of, and they were spitting it out.”

Calipari says he wants to put his players in “all kind of situations before they leave here” and special events like this game in London are part of that.

“We’re staying right in London. So, you know, not going to do a whole lot of sightseeing, but we will the first day we’re there and maybe the second day and try to get out. Because of where we’re staying there’s things they can walk to,” Calipari said.

Calipari says Kentucky is asked to play in a lot of special events but picks ones he thinks will benefit the team the most.

“We will make it a great trip,” Calipari said.