Coach Cal's new book "Players first: coaching from the inside out"

[UconnU]

Better get your copy while its hot! Coach Cal the entrepreneur that he is, is capitalizing on his NCAA run and is now on a book tour doing countless radio shows and talk shows. Making outlandish comments such as "if one and done rule isn't changed to two and done I may will be leaving Kentucky within five years".. Amazing that he had the time to write a book while doing the impossible job of leading a group of Mcdonalds all-americans to the championship game without running a single offensive play. One would almost forget that they had lost this game decisively...

 

[husky99]

He was on espn for a hour. Did he talk about ollie

 

[Dove]

I drove home yesterday and heard him on Fatso without Fruit Loops. He really didn't acknowledge Ollie or UConn. Pimped his kids for the most part as not being tired and kind of not being ready for the spotlight at the beginning. He was giddy at the halftime score. HE said to his guards they have to attack. Didn't give much credit to Bazz and Boat taking them out of their game. Said he got the our small lineup on the floor due to his own substitutions. In a previous WFAN interview with Fatman Ollie said it was his substitutions that got Cal to play into his game plan.

 

[babysheep]

Twins combine to go 6/16 FG, 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 turnovers.

Bazz and Boat combine to go 13/22, 36 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 turnovers.

Yeah, it must have just been the spotlight.

 

[August_West]

Yeah, I bet he "inside outs" his players, urban dictionary has a term for that.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I'm guessing one of the chapters is entitled "How to do Everything Possible in the Final Minute of the Championship Game to Make Sure We Don't Win."

 

[UconnU]

He was on the DP show yesterday bragging about how his team has a 3.0 GPA. I'm sorry but this makes me sick, his players all drop out of school after the season. Imagine a high school freshman coach bragging about how his team has a 3.0 GPA knowing that they will all be dropping out after the season. Where are their sanctions? how is this possible that a program like that can do that and be in good standing but we get penalized when all our students are atleast staying in school? makes no sense. There should be standardized tests for all teams on basic math, english and science skills. The testing should be overseen by a NCAA regulator, I wonder how their kids would match up to ours in that environment.

 

[FeedTheDove]

Make sure to also pick up "Cheat 2 Win: Taking Shortcuts to Get Ahead"

 

[uconNYC]

He wrote the book before the season. Doesn't have anything on this year's run.

 

[Dove]

He was on the DP show yesterday bragging about how his team has a 3.0 GPA. I'm sorry but this makes me sick, his players all drop out of school after the season. Imagine a high school freshman coach bragging about how his team has a 3.0 GPA knowing that they will all be dropping out after the season. Where are their sanctions? how is this possible that a program like that can do that and be in good standing but we get penalized when all our students are atleast staying in school? makes no sense. There should be standardized tests for all teams on basic math, english and science skills. The testing should be overseen by a NCAA regulator, I wonder how their kids would match up to ours in that environment.

He told Fatso that if a player contemplates not finishing a semester they should lose his number.

Now THAT"S(!!) gonna make someone wet their shorts.

 

[J-dog]

I did see him Cal on Mike & Mike today… Was very complimentary toward KO without even being asked… Talked about coaching KO in the Pro's (forgot which team)… Said he had a great work ethic that showed up in practice everyday… Thought his personality rubbed off on his players… Gave him good props...

 

[Mots010]

He must have skipped the chapter on end game management judging by the last minute of the national championship game.

 

[TRest]

Dan Lebatard actually did a nice job on his Espn radio show today saying listening to Cal get the full tongue-bath on all the ESPN programs today didn't sit right with him, as Cal is railing about how the system cheats the athletes when no one anywhere has benefited as much as Cal. Mentioned Napier mentioning how he went to bed hungry than Cal selling books with everyone's aid at the network.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Better get your copy while its hot! Coach Cal the entrepreneur that he is, is capitalizing on his NCAA run and is now on a book tour doing countless radio shows and talk shows. Making outlandish comments such as "if one and done rule isn't changed to two and done I may will be leaving Kentucky within five years".. Amazing that he had the time to write a book while doing the impossible job of leading a group of Mcdonalds all-americans to the championship game without running a single offensive play. One would almost forget that they had lost this game decisively...

He only cares about his brand. Not the institution, not the players, but himself and his name all over the place. I remember watching him while he was at UMass. In his weekly show on Sports Channel New England, he just pimped us, me , my, we, as to why his way was the future of college hoops. He just wants his name to be the biggest out there. Nothing more nothing less.

"Refuse to Lose", "One and Done", now "Proceed and Succeed",(whatever it is), and now this book. Bleh

Here's a new book for you: "How To Stay Ahead By Cheating Without Getting Caught" by Coach Cal

 

[UconnU]

Dan Leba actually did a nice job on his Espn radio show today saying listening to Cal get the full tongue-bath on all the ESPN programs today didn't sit right with him, as Cal is railing about how the system cheats the athletes when no one anywhere has benefited as much as Cal. Mentioned Napier mentioning how he went to bed hungry than Cal selling books with everyone's aid at the network.

it's absolutely ludacris. Hes on every espn segment 1, 2 and radio making calculated bold statements his pr people came up with for his book. its disgusting I hope his book tanks.

 

[mauconnfan]

Dan Leba actually did a nice job on his Espn radio show today saying listening to Cal get the full tongue-bath on all the ESPN programs today didn't sit right with him, as Cal is railing about how the system cheats the athletes when no one anywhere has benefited as much as Cal. Mentioned Napier mentioning how he went to bed hungry than Cal selling books with everyone's aid at the network.

Wow these people were looking at him like it was a privilege to have him on ESPN to answer questions. I guess these mouth breathers have no clue he's using the crap out them to sell books and say stuff which recruits want to hear while making them believe he doesn't like the one-and-dones's but prefers t.o "help them get better".

This stuff is laughable, really it is!!! What a joke ESPN is………..

 

[TRest]

Wow these people were looking at him like it was a privilege to have him on ESPN to answer questions. I guess these mouth breathers have no clue he's using the crap out them to sell books and say stuff which recruits want to hear while making them believe he doesn't like the one-and-dones's but prefers t.o "help them get better".

This stuff is laughable, really it is!!! What a joke ESPN is………..

He's still pounding the drum about how hard it is to start all over every year with a new team. His whole sales pitch about being a grooming station for the NBA may wear thin with some of these kids who are now hanging around a few years because the league has no interest in them.

 

[mauconnfan]

He's still pounding the drum about how hard it is to start all over every year with a new team. His whole sales pitch about being a grooming station for the NBA may wear thin with some of these kids who are now hanging around a few years because the league has no interest in them.

They are as good when they leave after one year as they would be if they left Marist or Rider……it really is that simple!! And the amazing thing is these idiots on talk shows believe him…….dopes!

 

[nym410]

I've gotta hand it to Cal. He's basically gone YOLO at this point. He's got his you money and he just doesn't care anymore.

On the talk show circuit and courtside at NBA games with douches like Tucker Max.

 

[UconnU]

I've gotta hand it to Cal. He's basically gone YOLO at this point. He's got his you money and he just doesn't care anymore.

On the talk show circuit and courtside at NBA games with douches like Tucker Max.

Like nothing makes sense... he doesnt run a single play in the national championship game, completely mis manages the end game giving his team no chance of winning, he has nothing but McDonald's all Americans on the court, then throws his team under the bus in the post game interview...now hes on a book tour less than a week later, every one including their fan base is talking about how great of a coach he is... wtf.

 

[SHS72]

Gee, does killing two programs and failing in promises on a third now make you a hall of fame coach? And you criticize Calhoun? Really?

 

[UConnNick]

He was on the DP show yesterday bragging about how his team has a 3.0 GPA. I'm sorry but this makes me sick, his players all drop out of school after the season. Imagine a high school freshman coach bragging about how his team has a 3.0 GPA knowing that they will all be dropping out after the season. Where are their sanctions? how is this possible that a program like that can do that and be in good standing but we get penalized when all our students are atleast staying in school? makes no sense. There should be standardized tests for all teams on basic math, english and science skills. The testing should be overseen by a NCAA regulator, I wonder how their kids would match up to ours in that environment.

That wouldn't work, because you're pre-supposing that any NCAA regulator would know what the right answers are. You're giving them way too much credit.

As for Kain-tuck-ee U., passing courses isn't exactly the rigorous exercise it can be at more academically distinguished institutions of higher learning. Crayons and coloring between the lines are all you need.

 

[EricSD]

Here's the thing for me...

I think the guy is scum and a slimy used car salesman. But mostly his antics and interviews and whatever he's got going on just make me shake my head. Not as much in disgust (although there is some of that), but also because honestly I don't care that much BECAUSE of who we have running our program.

Ollie took a ragtag team that most acknowledged had a terrific back court (but not even the best back court in our own league), and a front court that was seriously lacking in size, strength, and experience. Oh, and our starting 4 really should have been a 3.

But due to sheer force of will, motivation, game plan, brilliant in-game coaching, and the 100% commitment of every player on the team, he achieved the improbable. I don't care if the talking heads want to interview the Squid. Know what Ollie's doing while Cal is pimping himself and his book? He's out recruiting. So I'm just so glad Ollie's ours, and I suspect he will always be an under the radar kind of guy - he's never really been an "in the spotlight" kind of guy - mainly because he knows it's not all about him.

Now if you are a high school player with half a brain, and you have a family that at least has half as well, you aren't going to listen to the hype machine that Cal seems to love surrounding himself with. I just can't imagine recruits and their families being more impressed with Cal than with Ollie when they actually get face to face.

 

[Husky999]

Unfortunately all these top 25 kids care about is getting to the league as quickly as they can. Frankly I don't understand why they all go to Kentucky. They have as good a chance getting to the NBA playing at Fairfield. It's not like Cal does anything to make them better a player. He gives them the ball and they go play… no offensive sets.. no plays called.. Just go play playground ball. Don't get it.

 

[champs99and04]

Unpopular opinion alert: the Calipari hate on here reeks of ignorance. The guy is not a saint by any means, and his entire persona has always struck me as a bit phony. But let's get a couple things straight: in regards to the one and done, Calipari has simply become a scapegoat of a broken system. His recruiting philosophy isn't radically different than any other top tier coach, and any UConn fan who doesn't concede that they'd be doing cartwheels if we hauled in five top ten kids is most likely kidding themselves. For all the grief he takes for the two vacated final fours - and he does deserve some of it - he was cleared of any wrongdoing by the NCAA in both cases. Is he a bit of a salesmen? Yes. But I don't see any compelling evidence that would suggest he's dirty. If anything, the high degree of roster turnover Kentucky experiences every season speaks highly of his ability to maintain a clean program. Additionally, unlike some coaches, he's willing to take a chance on kids from rough backgrounds and dire economic situations. I respect him for that.

And seriously, the notion that the guy can't coach should have been put to bed long ago, and the "he just rolls the ball out" rhetoric is just mindless drivel at this point. He's been to three final fours in four years and seven elite eights in nine years. He's missed the sweet sixteen once in nine years - think about that. I don't care how loaded his recruiting classes are, to be able to systematically attenuate egos and individual aspirations into a concise, watchable product every single year is remarkable. Think about some of the talented teams we've had here - whether it be the 2010 team, or the 2012 team - and realize that talent, especially young, unrefined talent, doesn't necessarily equate to winning. Coach freaking K just took a team with the potential #1 pick in the draft, and upperclassmen point guard, and an additional first round pick and lost in the first round to f'in Mercer. Yet he takes half the hell here that Calipari does for leading a starting lineup of freshman - that, lost one of its most valuable players in the sweet sixteen, no less - to the title game.

I've always found the anti-Calipari stuff misguided. He can coach and he cares about his players. He loves to hear himself talk, and I'm not going to pretend that I'm his biggest fan. But I cringe when I see some of the misrepresentations of Calhoun's career on opposing message boards, and all of us hate it when people try to diminish his achievements because he wasn't the choir boy that K and Roy Williams were. We, of all fan bases, should understand how convoluted the truth can become when facts are ignored. And the idea that some of us are questioning the academic credibility of the Kentucky program really bothers me after some of the BS we've been through. /Rant

 

[mauconnfan]

Good news is champs, we all have opinions and that's why the Boneyard was created. I disagree with you and do not find many of the BYer's opinions to be misguided and would put you more on the ESPN bandwagon than not. but hey that's just me.

Let's say it this way:

Sure he cares about his players, all coaches do. But he cares about himself more and that negates the thought of HOW much he cares about his players. He choses who he cares about because the one's that make him look good he REALLY cares about. That's him - he's not JC or KO and it's not close. Call it misguided if you wish but instead I believe our barometer as fans is set a bit higher and that's a great thing.

He CAN coach i totally agree. He coached his butt off at UMass with lesser players. He won a lot of games with Kellogg, Padilla, Travesio and others to fit in with Camby, Roe, Herndon and other bigger recruits. They played hard, together and their defense was 2nd to none during their run, stifling at times. It hasn't been the same since his rise to the one-and-done syndrome and it's not close. They play wide open - why? - because hats the way one-and-done's want to play and he allows it so they will come there. Because of that the "broken system" which he has created, we've seen guys on his bench not even listening to him instead waiting for their first NBA check to come a few months after their last game. That's not on him? Yeah it is…….he can coach I agree but he chooses to coach those who think they're better than his system.

He has always gone out of his way to promote himself and it's never ended. His ego is monstrous, as are most of the blue blood coaches, but his snake oil appearance is not only discussed on the Boneyard I promise you, it's everywhere. From his days as an assistant at Pitt where he found a way to have all of the large BE coaches not allow UMass on their schedules when he finally became head coach until now, this is the same ego maniac 90% of opposing schools fans and coaches dislike just as much as the Boneyard.

I appreciate your views and respect them, but you do need to realize you're in the minority on this one.

Happy Easter anyway, maybe Peter will bring you a one-and-done egg!!