What the general impression of John Calipari around the country?

Nobody will admit it, but in the minds of a few people below the Mason-Dixon Line, Calipari already has two strikes against him because 1) he's from the Northeast and 2) his last name ends with a vowel.

 

Well, I'm above the Mason/Dixon line and I think he's eight pounds of sleaze in a five-pound bag.
And absolving him of responsibility for (literally) running a whorehouse at UMass is to be rather naive. A sparrow did not fall to the earth in that program etc.

 

Proof, please. And next time anyone thinks people from the South are automatically more prejudiced, please keep this post in mind.

 

I don't think Cal will leave Memphis because no other city provides such a great setting for him.

1. Great city to recruit the kinds of kids he wants.
2. Low enough admissions standards from the school and conference to get the kinds of kids he wants.
3. An absolute free pass to the NCAAs every year.
4. Top dog in the city, college wise, though Pearl's Vols aren't really that far behind (and dominate every county in the state except Shelby).
5. Absolutely the top dog on campus. Not second pickle to any football coach (which is why he would NEVER go to Alabama ... imagine him whining for money with Saban on campus).
6. FedEx, FedEx, FedEx. Corporate jet to fly the team everywhere, and that filthy internship program that gets his players $30,000 cash every season (and is somehow not a violation, according to the NCAA).

I love dealing with Cal. He's personable, and his hyperbolic words and flamboyant actions are usually hilarious. Like Michael Gee said, he really does care about his kids as people (but not as student-athletes). But I can't imagine there's a dirtier program in the country.

 

My feelings exactly.

Also, I've covered various NCAA tournament events he's been a part of. He can be one of the best on the podium, to where if you're covering his team in a one-off, he's gold. At the same time, it seems like his schtick would wear on you if you had to cover him on a day-to-day basis.

 

Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Calipari. I'm just saying there are people who are predisposed to have a negative opinion of him because of his personal background. You're right, Sam (fixed), I shouldn't have mentioned the South — I only mentioned it because that's where he works.

 

Hard to say on this one but I was thinking about it the other day when I came across his mug on TV.

My own theory (with NO connection to him)...I could see him as a 'hard charging' coach at UMass for those ten years and he probably got involved in what has been alleged here.

I do think the NBA experience changed him. And Memphis is turning into a long-term solution for his career.

Three years ago, on a documentary about Memphis basketball, I'll never forget seeing Cal with his players touring New Orleans after Katrina. It was clear he really cared and was trying to show them what happened (of course, it could have been for the cameras). Yet it did stick with me.

I think Cal had tremendous pride in restoring Memphis' reputation last year in the Final Four after the Dana Kirk 1985 mess. My own guess is that Calipari probably was humbled after the Nets fiasco and not having a legit conference come after him.

Of course, if the NCAA brings it all down on Memphis, then I strike all the nice things I've said.

 

I didn't call you out for the South comment ... but a Jewish Boston native is doing quite well at Tennessee, and Donovan's Yankee ass won two titles at Florida.

 

And "rogue" boosters pay players in all sports, at most all times, during these kids tenures at schools.
I know footballers who've told me they got this amount and that amount, regularly, from boosters.
Programs in college, whether we like it or not, "take care" of players.
Damn, when are we going to learn to live with this?!
It happens everywhere, people.
The kids who accept the fact that they won't play very much at Notre Dame or Miami or OU, and instead decide to enroll at La.Tech or Mississippi Valley State or Youngstown, end up lots more happier when the 4 years is up.
They get to play their asses off and they get paid, too.
Boosters at ALL schools help athletes. It's a fact.

 

John Calipari = latter-day Jim Valvano

 

So Camby's actions were not symbolic of a program run amuck? I. Don't. Think. So.

I do like how the guy seems to view reporters as something better than dogshit on the bottom of his shoe. But if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably committed multiple Death Penalty-worthy sins.

 

Of course, if Chris Douglas Roberts hits one free throw or Mario Chalmers (sp?) desperation 3-pointer rims out -- he's a genius......which is how silly this stuff is.

1.) He is not nearly the slim-ball he is being portrayed around here.

2.) He is a great recruiter because he is a great recruiter. And I am sure his methods have changed over the years as he's become more mature.

3.) He is one of the five best coaches in the country, hands down. His teams win - they win nonconference games, they win conference games and they win NCAA Tournament games. His team lost three NBA players from a year ago -- and they are back. They won't likely make the Final Four -- but don't tell me they can't get to the Elite Eight again.

4.) I always find it hilarious that some guys can break or bend the rules and it is different (because they are painted as "good" guys by the Duke Vitales of the world) than others.....I defy you to find one TRULY CLEAN big-time program -- they are all dirty in some way shape or form and all like to live in the gray area.

5.) He is one of the most accessible of any of the big-name coaches, one of the most quotable and frankly has one of the best perspectives about the actual importance of basketball in the grand scheme of things.

6.) I'd jump for joy if my alma mater hired him.......