Vicky Graff Photo
It was almost like former NBA great Charles Barkley knew what was coming.
He’s a CBS-TV analyst during NCAA Tournament play and was brutally honest about Kentucky’s recent postseason play before the game.
“At some point, they’ve got to make a deep run,” Barkley said. “They can’t keep getting upset. I mean, they’re the University of Kentucky. They’re one of the greatest programs in history and (John Calipari) is a terrific coach and a good friend.
“But at some point, he can’t keep living off what happened during the Anthony Davis era (in 2012 when UK won a national title). He’s got to go deep in this tournament at some point and this might be the year.”
Might be the year? Nope. Oakland took care of that with an 80-76 upset of UK Thursday night in Pittsburg to give UK another one-and-done tourney appearance.
Barkley also said UK was “great offensively and not good defensively” and noted UK cannot let lower seeded teams “hang around” and then Kentucky did just that.
“Let’s send a message right away and let these guys know (they can’t beat you),” Barkley said. “If you are No. 3 seed or a heavy favorite and the game is close with 10 minutes to go, the monkey is on your back.
“You are one of the best programs, arguably the best and you have to set the tone. The problem with Kentucky is that they always try to set the tone offensively and not defensively.”
Oakland coach Greg Kampe admitted after the game he got a “lot of crap” for saying Kentucky was the matchup he wanted because it gave his team a chance to play in prime time on network TV.
“I knew my team’s good, and I knew that they deserved the chance to not play in somewhere out where nobody’s paying attention and, oh, that team won and showed the highlights. I wanted them to be Primetime, and I knew they would — there was never a doubt in my mind that this wasn’t going to be a game,” Kampe said.
“There was doubt that we would win, but there was never a doubt that this would be a game because I’ve been with this team since June and I know who they are.
“I mean, did anybody think that was lucky? I mean, that’s the worst we’ve shot from the free throw line (13 of 23) all year, and we missed point blank shots early, but Jack Gohlke put us on our back. And then we did — our defense carried. Defense travels, it carried us. Right?”
Exactly right and when you don’t play defense, it also travels as Kentucky found out again.
62 Responses
Dear BBN……
It has been another great year and another great journey of coaching these kids and helping them to pursue their dreams. I have a sad locker room in there right now, and I know you all are sad right now too–but these guys fought hard all year and they made me proud, and I know they made YOU proud! So put this on me–dont put it on the kids. This one tonight hurts because I wanted these guys to experience the highest of the highs in the NCAA tournament. But we have the youngest team in the country, and sometimes that’s what happens with freshmen–they are not machines, and they are not robots. But it has been an unbelievable journey and I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching these kids just as much as you all have enjoyed watching them—and fortunately for us, our season does not end here. We have another great group of guys who I can hopefully stand up with in the Green Room in June on NBA Draft Night and say "congratulations–I helped u to pursue your dreams!" And THATS what it’s all about: helping families and changing lives. And THATS the greatest night in the history of KY BBALL–bar none. I’ve said all year long that I like my team and that I wouldnt trade this group for any other. And the best news is we get to come back and do it all over again next year with our #1 ranked recruiting class and our next group of "Draft Cats"–maybe we will even get lucky and have a couple of guys come back for another season, but i would never ever push them into making that decision—if they feel they are ready, then i want them to go. But regardless, I look forward to seeing everybody again in Rupp Arena next year when we embark on the newest chapter of this fantastic journey, and I know that the "REAL FANS" out there will be there cheering us on as we get set to help fulfill the dreams of the next group of young men that we have coming in. I hope you have enjoyed this season and watching these kids as much as I have enjoyed coaching them, and I hope you have enjoyed THE RIDE, THE JOURNEY. I have to admit I am very tired right now, and while I very much enjoyed getting to go back home to Pittsburgh, I just cant wait to get back home, kiss Ellen, and pet my dogs, and who knows, since I am getting an early start on my summer, maybe I will even have time to make a visit to my very good friend, Mark Few, and maybe even get to babysit his dogs!!
For now, BBN, and until next season when I see everybody again at Big Blue Madness, everybody have a great summer, get home safe, and I bid u a very heartfelt goodnight.
Sincerely yours…..
Your Coach for a LIFETIME…..
John Vincent Calipari
Right on the mark
I love the statement coach calipari made to bbn and I for one am glad he will be back again for another season. I of course hate the loss to Oakland but being a loyal cat fan I’m looking forward to our next journey into a new season…go cats!!
If you’re more loyal to John Calipari than to Kentucky, you’re not much of a fan.
This is so wrong. Helping kids and their families is a great goal to have. But it shouldn’t be the only goal. When kids come to play for a school, they come to play and win above all else. Yes, it is great when they can get prepared for the NBA.
"Real fans"? Like those that sit down the whole game in the lower arena? If he thinks those are real fans then he is even more clueless than I thought.
This wasn’t about the age of the kids. It was about the coaching.
I can’t watch the games any more because of my anxiety. But when I do what I see is disappointing compared to when I first started following UK in 1994. Defense is non-existent. I never know what team is going to show up so I don’t watch. I want to. I will keep following the team regardless. But this is NOT fun any more.
I am right with you. I can’t watch anymore. No Defense. Great talent.
A Real Fan is not afraid to state their name and beliefs!
I’ve been a devoted KY fan since 1978 when I was 8 years old. I fell in love with the program, tradition, and Kyle Macy. I memorized stats from my dad’s Wildcat Yearbook. My dad started taking me to a game every year for my birthday. My dad was eventually able to purchase football season tickets. The only way to get basketball tickets at the time was if someone left them to you in their will. He was able to purchase tickets to the UKIT every December. That became a cherished tradition for me, my brother, dad, and grandfather. I remained a fan through the Billy Gillespie era. I had new hope when Calipari took over the program. I want to continue to be a KY men’s basketball fan. Something is broken. Something is not right. I have watched in pain over the last five or so years as this beloved program has taken a turn no true fan wants to see it take. It’s time to reflect, change, and move forward. KY basketball and its fans deserve the restoration of the proud tradition that was started long ago. It’s nothing personal, Cal. You will always be a legend and part of the KY tradition. It’s time to take care of the Princess and the puppies and leave the tradition to a new coach. Thank you for being the torchbearer for the greatest program in college basketball. We appreciate your dedication and we recognize the legacy you leave behind.
Respectfully,
A Fan
While you continue to get your faves to the NBA, do you care at what cost? What about the kids that practice their guts out everyday, in hopes of playing or being on a championship team and experiencing something special (which is all those kids will have because they won’t make it to the NBA)? What about the kids who deserve time on the floor (heck, some should when be starting) but you hold them down because you have to get the chosen to the NBA? This kids matter coach, no matter how arrogant you are, they matter. Does anyone else not see this? You destroy their reason for being there. Either get back to team (team first), program, tradition, and fanbase or move on!
Milk Carton Picture Alert:
The unselfish talented TEAM which rolled through the summer games mysteriously disappeared after the fraud injected his poison.
It happens every year the players get to show what they can do if not infected with the fraud pet first virus.
I’ll say this. That coach from Oakland is better than Cal. Here’s what I mean.. You have a kid going crazy shooting the three, the coach says in halftime interview he told the kid to keep shooting it…
Cal wouldn’t start that kid in the second half no matter how hot .
Cal likes early exit says they’ll have fresh legs for next year
Wish cal would just leave Kentucky and never come back!!!
Built for March..lol
Cal already saying he likes next year’s team.
Him and his supporters say this every season.
Wait until next year.
We heard we’re “built for March”. Then we lose in March and he says it shouldn’t define our season.
Cal and his supporters are masters of deflecting and trying to trick you from seeing the failures.
If anyone believes anything Cal says at this point or still supports him they have serious mental issues.
I have a hard time believing when you’re regular guys are struggling..A jordan Burks couldn’t have brought something into this game.
If I was Burks I would transfer. When he was bringing a spark to Kentucky when we was hot he started playing 7 footers who just started playing because of injury. He forced 2 of the 7 footers to play but why? Personally I think the 7 footers ruined our chemistry. We was better with Mitchell at the 5 and Thiero and Burks at the 4. Hart and Burks will transfer.
I agree
Same old crap from the same old coach. Bite the bullet, take the financial loss, and start over.If the incoming class is good, give them a coach that knows how to develop them. Cal has proven that he can no longer do that.
I am a Louisville native, grew up a Kentucky fan. About 2007, after people ran Tubby Smith out of town, I stopped. People at both of the state’s major conference programs seem to forget that these are student-athletes. It seems that winning championships is more important to the booster clubs and fan bases than getting these kids the education and life skills they need. If I were still a Kentucky fan, I would want to hear people say that “Kentucky basketball players have a head start on life,” than “Kentucky wins championships.” If they can do both, that’s terrific. But it’s time for college basketball fans in Kentucky, whoever they root for, to decide that “how you win is more important than whether you win.”
Thank you for the most honest review I’ve read yet!
I started being a fan with my youngest son Drew – he was a huge UK fan ever since we moved to KY. Sadly we lost my son 11yrs ago..so now his two big brothers & myself watch FOR Drew.
I hate all the negativity associated with wanting to fire Coach Cal. It does seem its more about winning instead of developing these students with a bonus of playing basketball. Trust me.. I’m "technically challenged" when it comes to the rules etc., but somebody has to win & somebody has to lose. I believe Coach Cal is doing his best for these boys..who all are still learning life lessons.
Sincerely, Sandra
I am so done with John Calipari! We keep losing and he plays the same old script of being too young, not being machines, and let’s see how many move on to the NBA. His built for march program doesn’t work anymore…it’s just another Caliparism. People everywhere are talking about his lack of tournament wins and how that cannot continue at Kentucky. It’s time for Dr. Calipouto to step in. Fire Barnhart first, then fire Calipari, even if it does cost $40 million dollars.
The problem is that Calipari and evidently no one above him, care one little bit about the history of UK basketball or the fans. It is all about TV Revenue and Big Donors. If not one person showed up for a single game in Rupp Arena next year, they would still retain Calipari because of the Big Money.
Cal does not care about UK, it’s history, the fans, or anything else other than Draft Night for the NBA.
Go back and look at his statement when he came to UK. He stated the last 5 years for UK was unacceptable for a program like UK. His last 5 years are even worse than those he proclaimed as "unacceptable." Using his own words, he should remove himself from his position.
Coach Cal has to go NOW! Before Kentucky can even have a chance to begin to start to heal, that’s my feeling, the fan base will dissolve in order to stop there Pain!!!!!!!!
G.R
Since UK is now much likely to win a bowl game than a tournament game, be it SEC or NCAA, doesn’t that OFFICIALLY make UK a Football school????
Cal has no argument!!
The seeds for this 10 loss season were sown from a year ago through the summer and early fall. By Thanksgiving, those seeds of defeat had sprouted, and anyone who cared to look at them knew that the growth was not high quality and this season would end most likely in the first weekend.
That is exactly what has happened.
I never thought they would win the SE Conference, the SE Conference Tournament. Or one game in the NCAA. This was one of the most frustrating years all year in over 60 years of being a fan. I have not lived in Kentucky for 44 years so I don’t hear all the propaganda, I just see the games and what they do and how Cal "coaches".🙄
Please Coach Cal ….. Do the right thing and move on. So tired of excuses. Honor, respect and loyalty still mean a great deal to BBN. You have lost your path. Winning is not a priority anymore. Do the right thing….
How about Cal start saying this team is built for early April and work towards that goal Forget built for March because one and done in the NCAA tournament doesn’t cut it anymore! Cal needs to have Barnhart adjust his thinking! I am tired of hearing its all about these kids…especially with NIL they aren’t student athletes anymore they are paid to play!
Kentucky fans like to add a nickname to each team (Fabulous Five, etc,). This year;s team should be called The Jekyll and Hyde Five. They were usually great on offense but terrible on defense. They have wound up as UK’s greatest offensive team in history, but also the worst defensive team in history. Maybe Calipari should hire an assistant coach who could teach the guys how to play better defense, Or maybe Calipari should develop a 2-3 zone defense (which worked quite well at Syracuse for many years).
Maybe if they had gone to the gym, watched tape, and worked on understanding Oakland’s funky zone they might have beat them. Instead after the SEC fiasco he gave them two days off and took them bowling( which is exactly what it looked like they were doing in that game.) I am sick and tired of him saying how young these kids are, they are young men, not kids and making plenty of NIL money to play!
One thing my father taught us growing up is, if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. This is Caliparis job to teach these players to play the game. It is the players job to learn and give 100% when on the floor. This is not happening, as evidenced by that game and from 2015 on!
Yeah but we’ve got the top rated class coming in next again. We’ll show em who we are NEXT YEAR.
Barkley also said more but brain washed fans can’t seem to figure out. How many points & rebounds did Oscar get the other night? MANY
Saw mr calipari talking to the media about how many ky players are currently in the league and how much they earn. He talks about changing the lives of his players. He talks about how his kids are hurting and the fans are hurting. He says don’t blame his kids, blame him. His actions are unacceptable for a once proud basketball dynasty such as kentucky. He has turned ky basketball into a farm system for the NBA and he gloats of it. I don’t think many ky fans really care how many of his players go to the league. We want to see championship banners hanging in the rafters. He is making ky a baseball school. He is a master spinner of deceit and ky deserves better.
Offer Rick pitino the job
YES!!!
In 2015 we had a platoon system. Most of the players the year before surprisingly came back. If we can retain most of these players with the recruiting class we have coming in we will have a special year next year. I don’t see any of the players really being good enough to go pro except for maybe dillingham. I think he leaves and Reeves and Mitchell are 5th year seniors so they are gone. If we can get Sheppard back (which seems unlikely) Wagner back Edwards back Big Z and Bradshaw back Burks back and Hart back and Thiero back and UGO back we will be contenders next year and have alot more experience. Buuuutttt I think Edwards Bradshaw and UGO all leave for the pros and maybe big Z. I think Hart and Burks transfer to greener pastures and more playing time. As mad as everyone is and I am Calapari will be the coach for at least 1 or 2 more years. Unless he steps down. The university will not spend 33 million to give him to leave then they have to pay another coach, and I don’t think calapari is going to leave on a bad note. He will leave if we have a big year next year and if we don’t he will be back until he does. He has a big Ego and he isn’t going to leave until he wants to leave. Another big thing dictating all this is he is getting closer to making the 1,000 wins list. If he does leave Kentucky in the next year or 2 he will probably coach somewhere else for at least 3-5 years. I’m saying all that to say this Kentucky has the players to be alot better team next year depending on who comes back. At least Hart was able to redshirt so he should have 4 years to spend somewhere else. The players I think that have the best chance at coming back is Thiero who needs to works on his outside shooting and he will be a all conference player next year. I also see at least one of the 7 footers coming back which they should be night and day better. We have 2 centers coming in next year so we should be solid in the front court. If one of the 7 footers return. Guard play should be better boogie fland is a better point guard than anyone on this years team, but if Wagner returns he will be the starting point guard with Fland backing him up. I would be happy if Sheppard, Thiero, Big Z, Burks, and either Bradshaw or Ugo return. But Ugo wanted to go pro or transfer after this year so I think he leaves after this year. He is terrible on offense and is very sketchy on defense besides blocking shots. If like I said we can bring back Sheppard Thiero and Burks and grab a couple players from the transfer portal ill be happy. I want Edwards Bradshaw Wagner and Dillingham to leave. I just don’t think they will figure out how to win at the college level. They played mainly AAU ball where all they care about is scoring and getting personal recognition.
You analyzed it perfectly, especially the point about AAU ball. Plus, these kids are now paid to play! So either play hard as a TEAM or leave.
What happened to coaching defense? Even Adolf Rupp eventually resorted to a zone defense on occasion, even switching during a game. Man defense works sometimes with the right players & zone works better with others. The coach needs to be able to sort out these factors & be flexible enough to make changes when needed. We’ve seen none of that over the past 12 years.
With three 7 footers rotating, there should be fresh legs dominating the post. The forward & guard play on defense has been laughable & painful.
As an 80 yr old (70 yr Ky fan) I can no longer watch the BB games. Let me know when you have TEAM players, who play defense the entire game, coached by someone who coaches FOR THE SCHOOL & who is able to coach various defensive schemes. Also someone who will sit the entire starting 5 if they aren’t producing (aka coach K).
THEN I’ll steart watching again.
Sun Tzu said, “The key to victory is not in defeating your enemy, but in defeating your enemy’s strategy.” And he went on to say, “In war, your strength eventually becomes your weakness.”
Such is the saga of John Calipari.
When Calipari came to Kentucky, he came with a winning strategy: build a college program that was a quick step to the NBA. That he did, and in the first few years, he was very successful. But then, other colleges mimicked that strategy and they, too, built programs around the “fast track to the NBA” idea. Mr. Calipari’s strategic advantage was lost, and that threw his acumen as a coach into sharp relief. He has proven to be an also-ran.
What he did do, in spades, is usher in a new era in college sports, an era in which there are now two NBA prep leagues. Gone forever are the days when a college or university was a haven of the “student-athlete.” Gone forever are the days when alumni and fans can root, root, root for the home team, knowing it is comprised of college students. Now, we are simply fed another version of professional sports. And John Calipari, and Kentucky, led the way.
I became a Kentucky fan when Cotton Nash . . . and Ted Deeken . . . and Larry Pursiful were taking the court. My biggest decision during basketball season was whether I would listen to Cawood Ledford or Claude Sullivan call the game. I lived and breathed Wildcat basketball. But that day is long gone. Now, Kentucky is, to me, just another brick on the road to an increasingly caustic, combative, fame-seeking, money-hungry society. Pick up any major newspaper in America tomorrow morning and you will read what life in that kind of society is like.
Thank you Sandy K. for your post
I think with the right coach, those days can come back. We need a coach that wants to recruit players that really want to be at UK. Remember when Pitino would offer a scholarship and if the kid wanted to wait, Pitino went to the next player until he found the ones wanting to come here. We need to get two maybe three 4 or 5 star recruits each year and fill the holes with the portal. In this scenario, I could see several players staying anywhere from 2-4 years. Grow your team with current players as much as possible. There are a lot of seniors out there that can take any of UK’s freshman to the woodshed. Just look at Reeves. Two years and he is the most consistent player on the team. This is exactly what the coach at Florida said he wants to do. He would be one of my first phone calls.
I agree. I like the Florida coach.
I must be a pretty good college basketball coach. In the last 4 years I have only won one less NCAA tournament games than Kentucky. Oh wait I don’t have a team.
The purpose of being part of a university is to earn an educational degree and develop into a contributing member of society. Participation in athletics is meant to help in that development through competition, skill development and team play.
Those who use their freshman year just to be drafted into the pros are contributing the demise of the excitement of the game.
Those who are too good play at the college level need to be able to enter the pros after high school (like it used to be). Instead, they play with the hope of one and done, leaving other athletes, the school, and fans disappointed. Watching a team grow over four years and become a ‘well oiled machine’ is exciting, entertaining, and fun.
Sure, you want those who are exceptionally talented to move on to the next level, but not at the expense of others who play, support, or encourage the school. THERE’ GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY.
Paying students to play at the college level is also a detriment to the college level. It changes the motivation. The main purpose of college is to provide an education. Paying athletes leaves the impression that academics aren’t’ as important and sports is more important than academics.
There’s just got to be a better way. These changes have not made college sports better. JMO
Truer words have not ever appeared on these pages.
Thank you Linda for expressing what so many of us have been thinking but couldn’t express nearly as well as you have.
This NIL garbage and transfer portal are going to ruin college sports. These kids are being taught to play for the highest bidder. If things don’t go the way you want, shop around. It’s like Arch Manning. His NIL money rivals what coaches in the NFL are making and he hasn’t started a college game. Also concerning Kentucky, there is too much hype. The NBA mock drafts going on every week are ridiculous. When everyone is kissing you butt and telling you that you are the greatest thing since Wonder Bread, it is hard to not start believing it. So you are not 100% concentrating on winning for the University in spite of yourself.
Isn’t that exactly how the real world works?? Not many people will turn down a 25% to 50% raise if it is offered. Also, the kids have a right to the money they are helping to bring to the schools. They have always been employees of the schools, but the NCAA kept it a secret.
Have been thinking how Mitch Barnhart should approach the $33 million dollar problem with Calapari…my approach is very simple…have a meeting with Cal and tell him that he isn’t going to be terminated…but he will no longer be the HC of UK…he will have an office and be on call to do whatever bidding the University deems appropriate…he will have no staff and no access to anything to do with the UK Basketball Program…his tenure will be the length of his current contract and he will be paid on a regular basis as he currently gets paid…there will be no outside endorsements…all he will do is come to work each workday from 8am to 5pm(M-F) with a 1 hour lunch break each day…he will not be entitled to the perks of a HC, including, but not limited cars, expense allowances or travel expenses…he will report directly to the AD for the length of time he is an employee of the University of Ky…the only caveat to this arrangement is if he is willing to sit down and negotiate a buyout of his current contract…if he is unwilling to do so, then he will be “pigeon holed” for as long as his he current contract runs and he will miss out on coaching any college basketball program for years…he will certainly miss the spotlight of being a HC somewhere unless he considers his options…with this proposal, UK will not have to be out large sum of money upfront…this is just one suggestion…I’m not an attorney, but think this matter can be resolved if UK looks for alternatives to get them out of this ridiculous situation they’ve gotten themselves into…don’t let Calapari have all the leverage in this situation.
I like your idea, but UK can get rid of him and do not have to pay a large sum up front. His contract call for the buyout to be paid monthly over the term of the contract, which actually ends in 2029. UK has 5 years to pay him $33 million, monthly. If Cal gets another job, his first years salary is deducted from the $33 million.
The best way to deal with John Calipari is make him the highest paid assistant coach in collage sports. Pay him his guaranteed salary but bring in a great head coach, designate
him as the executive head coach and make Calipari an assistant head coach and recruiter.
He is guaranteed his salary not the position, he will be so humiliated and embarrassed amongst his peers, he will just walk away!
What a great plan.
Have you suggested this to Mitch Barnhart?
Brilliant!! Let’s do it!
I wasn’t familiar with the specifics of contract…thanks for the info..I don’t live in Ky(born & raised in Nicholasville, however) but don’t have first-hand knowledge of the particulars of this situation…only what I read on-line…I’m not a Calapari “hater”…just want him gone so we can get UK Basketball back to the level it should be at as a “blue-blood” in the sport…when I was growing up, I lived and died with each game…it took me years to finally overcome the Texas Western loss with Pat Riley, Louie Dampier and the rest of the “Runts”…I still think about Kevin Grevey missing free throws that gave John Wooden his last championship…I could go on and on reminiscing about UK Basketball…a sport that makes us all part of BBN…I just want it to be handled with the love and care by a HC that will treat it the way it deserves to be treated(as Royalty).
Amen!
All across the nation sports journalists are saying " its time Ky make a change." I’ve even heard some say for the good of the program, sit down and broker a decent buyout and part ways amicably. But Cal doesn’t hear it. He is greedy, narcissistic, arrogant, stubborn know it all clown who thinks he is the Gennesis of Ky BB. In his mind it all began with him.NOT!!! He lacks the character to do the right thing. He has no shame, nor respect for the storied program that is Ky. He knows Ky fans are totally through with his " It’s all about the kids and their families" crock of bull when he fails miserably. He throws them under the bus as being "too young", yet blows about the next round of freshmen coming next year. This has become a pattern of sickening behavior as he holds a State and fanbase hostage to his greed and absolute colossal failure as a coach and human being. The lack of character is shocking, yet he prides himself on self-adulation. The guy needs psychological treatment to get into that troubled mind of his. He has become a pariah in the state of Ky and his toxic behavior has people all across the country befuddled. Watching him self-implode and taking down a once proud, fun loving fan base is more than I personally can take. He literally sickens me. I have never detested an individual I don’t know personally to the extent I do him. I think I speak for many in Ky, as well as across the country who are beginning to take notice of a madman lost in his egotistical mind. If I had the money I would give this corrupted soul 50 million to please just go away. GEEZ!!!!! What a piece of work he is.
Another thing is this: fire him for breach of contract. Ky hired him to win BB games and advance in the NCAA tournament, not send players to the NBA. By his own admission, he admits sending players to NBA and setting their families up financially is his goal. I will guarantee that IS NOT what is written in his contract. By his own words he hangs himself, thus clearing the conscience of Kentuckians who want to hang him, literally.
This may be the loophole needed but UK will need the best contract attorney in the country to make this happen.
Just watched Gonzaga take Kansas apart. I understand that part of the explanation is Kansas depth and injury situation, but
Gonzaga has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 9th year in a row.
Oh well, I guess some schools/coaches have learned to carry on despite the Transfer Portal, NIL, One and Done, or COVID, yet our fraud continuously leans on a list of excuses including each of these.
Think about that … NINE STRAIGHT SWEET 16 TRIPS FOR GONZAGA
Calipari constantly brings up the statistics of how many players he sends to the NBA & the aggregate value of their contracts.
The last time I checked the NBA doesn’t pay his salary. The University of Kentucky does or more accurately the KY tax payers, alumni and NIL contributors do.
He constantly mentions (complains) having the youngest team in the country and by implication the least experienced team in the tournament. (My 18/19 year olds play 24/25 year olds.)
As he also says, he’ll always go after talent over experience. That’s a strategic decision on his part and a self-perpetuating one. The best talent leaves each year for the NBA. No talent left behind to benefit the team from their experience.
Talks about helping "his family" if players stay vs players leaving and "helping their families". I don’t believe "his family" includes the University of Kentucky and the fan base.
He says players "live in the gym" & shoot 5,000 to 8,000 shots a week-seems to be all offensive minded. That’s all good, but I never saw one media guy ask how much time was spent on defending someone when "living in the gym".
He says "true fans" can’t be negative toward the program. "Ok, can we just move on now"? As if, he decides that he/they are above criticism. Why can’t we? We pay for it, support it & have created the most passionate & loyal fan base in the country-IN THE COUNTRY!
He talks about his players not being robots & machines. See being inexperienced above. Well, no other team has robots either, but they find a way. (Coach K at Duke won 5 nattys. Self at Kansas has two. Knight 3 at Indiana.)
The championship team of 2012 had too much talent to not win the natty that year.
I believe Calipari is a good/decent man and takes care of his "kids" and displays his humaness constantly with fund raisers. etc.
But, at the end of the day he must be held accountable for the product or lack there of he puts on the floor.
)
coach Cal is more of a politician than a coach!! his ego fills the Arena that Adolph built.