Calipari may be the antichrist but....

[G0UCONN]

he is a very good coach.

Gets a bunch of talented, NBA one and doners to (1) play hard, (2) play defense, and (3) play like a team and unselfishly. Not easy and impressive.

 

[Burnsbros23]

he is very good at managing personalities.

 

[UConnSwag11]

its harder to get no name kids that werent first round picks out of high school to develop and buy into the team concept and then have them become first round picks or lottery picks

 

[willie99]

Squid recruits kids that would be lottery picks if they were drafted out of high school, uses them for 1 year and they use him, and then they leave as the same lottery picks they were when they arrived on campus.

How does he land so many of these kids? that's the question

I think he promises them freedom, playing time and maybe even tells them they don't have to worry about grades or classes in the spring. Come to UK, you'll get the opportunity to remain a lottery pick after you play for one year.

They don't have to worry about competing for PT, learning a new system, discipline on the court or wasting time studying for tests. Just be who you are

 

[Kitaman]

That old saying comes to mind "don't hate the player hate the game." He's just working the recruiting system successfully like no other coach.

 

[Cheddie]

Squid recruits kids that would be lottery picks if they were drafted out of high school, uses them for 1 year and they use him, and then they leave as the same lottery picks they were when they arrived on campus.

How does he land so many of these kids? that's the question

He does give them freedom and he does have ties with guys like Wes. But, at least as important, he's like a snowball rolling downhill now. He mentioned in an interview that his five first round pick class really made UK a destination. These guys all buy into the hype of being the "next one," and Cal clears the stage every year for them to step on campus and be immediate stars with a guaranteed spotlight and a house full of crazy fans.

 

[willie99]

That old saying comes to mind "don't hate the player hate the game." He's just working the recruiting system successfully like no other coach.

true

 

[nomar]

Nobody who wins a title is a "bad" coach but let's be real here: a lot of guys could have won a title with this team.

He's had opportunity after opportunity with LOADED teams at Memphis and UK. This is the first time he's managed to finish the job.

They had Davis, by far the best two-player in CBB, PLUS Kidd-Gilchrist, a freak athlete, PLUS Teague, PLUS Lamb, one of the best shooters in CBB, PLUS Jones, who probably would have put up All-American-worthy stats for any other team.

Gimme a break here. Great recruiter. Decent coach. His offensive system is good but his teams often struggle to close the deal. This team was just so much better than everybody they faced, his coaching shortcomings didn't have an opportunity to manifest.

 

[boog204]

Nobody who wins a title is a "bad" coach but let's be real here: a lot of guys could have won a title with this team.

He's had opportunity after opportunity with LOADED teams at Memphis and UK. This is the first time he's managed to finish the job.

They had Davis, by far the best two-player in CBB, PLUS Kidd-Gilchrist, a freak athlete, PLUS Teague, PLUS Lamb, one of the best shooters in CBB, PLUS Jones, who probably would have put up All-American-worthy stats for any other team.

Gimme a break here. Great recruiter. Decent coach. His offensive system is good but his teams often struggle to close the deal. This team was just so much better than everybody they faced, his coaching shortcomings didn't have an opportunity to manifest.

Don't think you are giving him enough credit. In the last 7 years he's been to three final fours, three final 8's, and a sweet sixteen. His Memphis team choked by missing a million free throws; hardly his fault and really this should've been his 2nd title. Players want to come to him b/c he is connected, he runs a great offensive system that showcases the talents of his players, Kentucky is a great place to play with tradition and a ridiculous fan base, and the players know they will be on the fast track to the pros. I hate him as much as the next guy, but calling him only a decent coach is a bit ridiculous. Yes they were easily more talented than any other team, but they also were dominant because of how they played. There have been many similarly talented teams that didn't get it done included our 06 team.

 

[Prezidint]

His Memphis team choked by missing a million free throws; hardly his fault and really this should've been his 2nd title.

I'm not NCAA history major, but, really, even if Memphis had hit all of its freethrows, this still would have been his 1st title. Right? It rhymes with "placated."

 

[Huskymaniac]

What offensive system? He runs the take turns trying to take your man one-on-one offense. Maybe you get some picks thrown in for good measure. My CYO team ran a more complicated offense. Great players make coaches look great. Don't break your arms trying to pat yourselves on the back because you think you took the high road by "giving the man his due".

 

[HuskyBballFan]

What offensive system? He runs the take turns trying to take your man one-on-one offense. Maybe you get some picks thrown in for good measure. My CYO team ran a more complicated offense. Great players make coaches look great. Don't break your arms trying to pat yourselves on the back because you think you took the high road by "giving the man his due".

John Calipari's offensive system is not any simpler than Jim Calhoun's.

 

[Palatine]

It's random. Sooner or later all that talent would mesh, even by mistake. It happened this year. May not happen again for a while.

 

[PWS]

That old saying comes to mind "don't hate the player hate the game." He's just working the recruiting system successfully like no other coach.

Plus, having World Wide Wes behind the bench doesn't hurt either. I have no idea how that all works and isn't investigated, but WWW is the force in recruiting

 

[JaYnYcE]

Don't think you are giving him enough credit. In the last 7 years he's been to three final fours, three final 8's, and a sweet sixteen. His Memphis team choked by missing a million free throws; hardly his fault and really this should've been his 2nd title. Players want to come to him b/c he is connected, he runs a great offensive system that showcases the talents of his players, Kentucky is a great place to play with tradition and a ridiculous fan base, and the players know they will be on the fast track to the pros. I hate him as much as the next guy, but calling him only a decent coach is a bit ridiculous. Yes they were easily more talented than any other team, but they also were dominant because of how they played. There have been many similarly talented teams that didn't get it done included our 06 team.

I understand where you're coming from and totally agree. I just don't think you're gonna get alot of people on this board to agree with you.

 

[nomar]

Don't think you are giving him enough credit. In the last 7 years he's been to three final fours, three final 8's, and a sweet sixteen. His Memphis team choked by missing a million free throws; hardly his fault and really this should've been his 2nd title. Players want to come to him b/c he is connected, he runs a great offensive system that showcases the talents of his players, Kentucky is a great place to play with tradition and a ridiculous fan base, and the players know they will be on the fast track to the pros. I hate him as much as the next guy, but calling him only a decent coach is a bit ridiculous. Yes they were easily more talented than any other team, but they also were dominant because of how they played. There have been many similarly talented teams that didn't get it done included our 06 team.

I think you're focusing on one word I used. His recruiting and system are top-notch. His in-game coaching is not. The results speak for themselves. All the results, good and bad.

You don't need to remind me about the missed FTs vs Kansas. I lost my pool because of that. Rose and Douglas-Roberts.