The Thin-Skinned One is Feeling the Heat

[martydoesntfoul]

Cal should know better... never let them see you sweat.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/114968/viewsfromthesidelines-john-calipari-takes-a-shot-at-mike-krzyzewski

[mattman91]

Cal should know better... never let them see you sweat.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/114968/viewsfromthesidelines-john-calipari-takes-a-shot-at-mike-krzyzewski

Like we even needed more proof that the greasy headed used car salesman was a wanker.

[Saratoga2]

Here's the guy talking who had major irregularities at two prior programs where he coached. A real wanker as some on the site would say. Coach K won't and shouldn't respond.

[kAzE]

Right . . . because everyone knows if you go to Duke, you'll have everything handed to you. There's absolutely no hard work, school work, and learning involved.

[flyingdutchdevil]

1) Kentucky deserves more academic recognition. They often battle Stonewall Elementary School for best academic institution in Lexington, KY. That's a big deal!

2) My single favorite quote: "I just talked to (Dakari Johnson’s) mom and he’s coming back to keep taking courses.”
a) Dakari didn't talk to you? Is that cus you turned a top 10 player into a second round pick?
b) Dakari Johnson? That's your best example? That's like Coach K bragging about Shavlik Randolph coming back to get his degree. Come on Cal!

3) Not sure why Cal is all pissy. His sell is solid and gets a ton of recruits. Why try and change that? Personally, I don't think Cal is losing ground to Coach K. Not at all. Rather, Coach K is just taking share from everyone else not named Cal. The whole "Come to UK and I'll turn you into an NBA player" is a great selling point. It really is. And so is, "I'm the best coach in the world and you're coming to a top 10 academic institution where, even if you stay for just a year, I'll make sure to start the process of preparing you for life".

[devildeac]

1) Kentucky deserves more academic recognition. They often battle Stonewall Elementary School for best academic institution in Lexington, KY. That's a big deal!

2) My single favorite quote: "I just talked to (Dakari Johnson’s) mom and he’s coming back to keep taking courses.”
a) Dakari didn't talk to you? Is that cus you turned a top 10 player into a second round pick?
b) Dakari Johnson? That's your best example? That's like Coach K bragging about Shavlik Randolph coming back to get his degree. Come on Cal!

3) Not sure why Cal is all pissy. His sell is solid and gets a ton of recruits. Why try and change that? Personally, I don't think Cal is losing ground to Coach K. Not at all. Rather, Coach K is just taking share from everyone else not named Cal. The whole "Come to UK and I'll turn you into an NBA player" is a great selling point. It really is. And so is, "I'm the best coach in the world and you're coming to a top 10 academic institution where, even if you stay for just a year, I'll make sure to start the process of preparing you for life".

Good points. One quibble. One of our nieces went to Henry Clay HS in Lexington, a significant upgrade from Stonewall Elementary (if that school actually exists-I'm not gonna check:p). That may be a better academic comparison, though Henry Clay HS has one significant advantage, their mascot. Yep, they are the Henry Clay HS Blue Devils. In Lexington. KY. BWAHAHAHA. ;)

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

What a maroon! (Bless his heart.) K will never even respond to that drivel.
Love, Ima
PS Heal quickly, Coach. I can commiserate with Mickie. There's nothing harder than trying to hold down a Type A.

[wilko]

The whole "Come to UK and I'll turn you into an NBA player" is a great selling point. It really is. And so is, "I'm the best coach in the world and you're coming to a top 10 academic institution where, even if you stay for just a year, I'll make sure to start the process of preparing you for life".

K has a wrinkle in his pitch Cal can NOT touch...
"Give me 11 games and I can make you a #1 pick.." (Hi Kyrie!)

[JPtheGame]

The following quote was also included in John's essay:
"In the beginning, there are two things we’ll teach: First, is to be random, yet organized. That creates space and opportunities for positionless players to make basketball plays."
I'll go ahead and file that in the sincerest form of flattery section.

[MarkD83]

A point that seems to be lost in this is that Cal was responding to a recruit's view of the two recruiting styles. I like what the recruit said about Duke and Coach K's approach. However, Cal is trying to respond to that small sound bite from a recruit and none of us know the whole recruiting pitch. What Cal may not like hearing is that he has tried to pitch the message that was expressed about Duke recruiting only to find out recruits are not hearing that message.

[johnb]

K's pitch is NOT: "alums will take care of you."

K's pitch is: "come to Duke, and you'll get an education that will allow you to take care of yourself for the rest of your life." And he can back that up by just turning on the tv during March Madness and the NBA playoffs, or pointing to the Duke bench, or ask for a meeting with guys like Ferry and King. Duke is the most successful program over the past 30 years in basketball, but it isn't remotely close if you're looking at the success of our players within basketball when they start wearing long pants. And that doesn't count the guys who go out and get regular jobs.

[BeachBlueDevil]

Cal is a turd... Always has been and always will be. Even John Cheney knew 22 years ago that Cal was a turd and lets just relive the great moment of when Cheney was about to blast Cal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6jUpHClybQ

[blUDAYvil]

https://twitter.com/jeffcapel/status/729835148112465921

"True leadership...Basketball IS NOT life! Life is way more important! Glad we have a leader that teaches that! #GOAT"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/coach-k-military-generals_us_572b9fd5e4b096e9f090b1d8

[OldPhiKap]

Meh. John has his spiel, K has his. Nothing to see here.

Other than watching John Chaney again; I remember that press conference like it was yesterday.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Meh. John has his spiel, K has his. Nothing to see here.

Other than watching John Chaney again; I remember that press conference like it was yesterday.

And that's the thing: both spiels work really well. Why attack Coach K's spiel? I'm sure Coach K agrees that Cal's spiel works very well and is very accurate.

[OldPhiKap]

And that's the thing: both spiels work really well. Why attack Coach K's spiel? I'm sure Coach K agrees that Cal's spiel works very well and is very accurate.

Probably because they are both fighting over the same valuable recruit right now. And I am sure that they both take the competition highly personally.

I'm not defending what Calipari said, and sure as heck ain't vouching for his character. I just think this is an off-season story about very little.

[Atlanta Duke]

Cal spins what he said

"It wasn't specific," Calipari said during his Wednesday news conference, which was streamed on his website, CoachCal.com. "You can obviously ... when I speak, you guys [parse] every word. The reality of it is that post was more in a general sense. It wasn't geared to one person, one program....

Calipari said he just wanted to educate people who might not understand how much his program values the community and education. "

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15509911/kentucky-wildcats-coach-john-calipari-says-blog-post-recruiting-not-aimed-one-school

Uh-huh :rolleyes:

[cato]

Cal spins what he said

"It wasn't specific," Calipari said during his Wednesday news conference, which was streamed on his website, CoachCal.com. "You can obviously ... when I speak, you guys [parse] every word. The reality of it is that post was more in a general sense. It wasn't geared to one person, one program...

Calipari said he just wanted to educate people who might not understand how much his program values the community and education. "

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15509911/kentucky-wildcats-coach-john-calipari-says-blog-post-recruiting-not-aimed-one-school

Uh-huh :rolleyes:

He also said, "What happens to our draft picks ... I really don't have to help them. I'm asking them for help. Give me a loan."

That guy is good.

[English]

Cal spins what he said

"It wasn't specific," Calipari said during his Wednesday news conference, which was streamed on his website, CoachCal.com. "You can obviously ... when I speak, you guys [parse] every word. The reality of it is that post was more in a general sense. It wasn't geared to one person, one program...

Calipari said he just wanted to educate people who might not understand how much his program values the community and education. "

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15509911/kentucky-wildcats-coach-john-calipari-says-blog-post-recruiting-not-aimed-one-school

Uh-huh :rolleyes:

According to the Twitter machine--I saw a number of CBB analysts tweet similar, so I'm not sure who deserves first credit--Cal decided to share the love for his series of rants on the matter. Cal said something to the effect of, (again, paraphrasing)...My sermon wasn't about Duke specifically, but when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the dog that gets hit yelps. In this case, the rock should've hit about 15 dogs.

Sooooo, apparently Cal doesn't take umbrage that Duke promises a better life for its recruits, but rather, Duke and a bunch of other schools do. When, on the other hand, Cal sells a parcel of goods that's above reproach. He promises the NBA and, literally, teaching his players to fish with a rod so that when they're drafted in the second round, they can still feed their families later in life. (Tongue firmly planted in cheek)

[lotusland]

It is appropriate for duke to point out the success of their former players off the court as well as on but I wonder how much sway that has with the top guys that K competes with Cal for. It's impressive to me but I wonder how much consideration top recruits give to their after basketball career.

[MarkD83]

The NCAA must be loving this (not). One of its high profile coaches is trying to argue that other coaches may not be preparing "student athletes" for life outside athletics.

I bet the lawyers in the McCants case would love to call Cal to the stand. (BTW did the judge ever rule about the dismissal of that case yet?)

[MartyClark]

Calipari is always "selling". K makes his pitch, in an honest way, privately to recruits and their parents. Cal is always publicly selling his program,himself, and his half truths.

Really don't like the guy.

[Faison1]

It is appropriate for duke to point out the success of their former players off the court as well as on but I wonder how much sway that has with the top guys that K competes with Cal for. It's impressive to me but I wonder how much consideration top recruits give to their after basketball career.

Well, apparently, to the one recruit who sparked this, life after basketball is important...isn't he supposed to be interested in medicine or chemistry or something like that?

The list of draft picks pitting Kentucky vs. Duke was somewhat interesting. What I would find much more fascinating is a list showing what Kentucky and Duke players were doing after they stopped playing. I bet Duke would win that one in a landslide...

[gam7]

Well, apparently, to the one recruit who sparked this, life after basketball is important...isn't he supposed to be interested in medicine or chemistry or something like that?

The list of draft picks pitting Kentucky vs. Duke was somewhat interesting. What I would find much more fascinating is a list showing what Kentucky and Duke players were doing after they stopped playing. I bet Duke would win that one in a landslide...

You may be thinking of Montgomery-DeLaurier. http://www.nbc29.com/story/27879770/stabs-javin-montgomery-delaurier-develops-into-top-college-basketball-prospect

[Faison1]

You may be thinking of Montgomery-DeLaurier. http://www.nbc29.com/story/27879770/stabs-javin-montgomery-delaurier-develops-into-top-college-basketball-prospect

I could have sworn one of our future prospects is in to school and studying.....

[OldPhiKap]

According to the Twitter machine--I saw a number of CBB analysts tweet similar, so I'm not sure who deserves first credit--Cal decided to share the love for his series of rants on the matter. Cal said something to the effect of, (again, paraphrasing)...My sermon wasn't about Duke specifically, but when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the dog that gets hit yelps. In this case, the rock should've hit about 15 dogs.

My take from this is that Cal advocates animal abuse.

Bad Cal. Bad!

[ipatent]

K's pitch is NOT: "alums will take care of you."

K's pitch is: "come to Duke, and you'll get an education that will allow you to take care of yourself for the rest of your life." And he can back that up by just turning on the tv during March Madness and the NBA playoffs, or pointing to the Duke bench, or ask for a meeting with guys like Ferry and King. Duke is the most successful program over the past 30 years in basketball, but it isn't remotely close if you're looking at the success of our players within basketball when they start wearing long pants. And that doesn't count the guys who go out and get regular jobs.

That's true and a legitimate recruiting pitch, although it remains to be seen whether the trend holds in the era of one and dones. How many will return and finish their degrees when there is three years to be completed instead of one or two?

[NashvilleDevil]

That's true and a legitimate recruiting pitch, although it remains to be seen whether the trend holds in the era of one and dones. How many will return and finish their degrees when there is three years to be completed instead of one or two?

If the OAD guys come to school for a full summer session and then complete their one year at Duke have they completed close to 2 years of college?

[devildeac]

If the OAD guys come to school for a full summer session and then complete their one year at Duke have they completed close to 2 years of college?

If they're allowed to take 2 courses each summer session, I'd think they would have completed 1.5 years of college, assuming no AP credits.

[English]

That's true and a legitimate recruiting pitch, although it remains to be seen whether the trend holds in the era of one and dones. How many will return and finish their degrees when there is three years to be completed instead of one or two?

Jahlil is back on campus continuing his education now that his season has ended. I believe I also saw that Justise was planning to return to join his former teammate, although the NBA playoffs (and the Hornets' inability to close out the Heat) have gotten in the way thus far. I recall Kyrie has been back on campus taking classes in the past. I plead ignorance on Jabari & Tyus, but it would surprise me if they didn't continue their schoolin'.

At least at Duke, the OAD era hasn't completely snuffed out all academic ambition just yet.

[wk2109]

Jahlil is back on campus continuing his education now that his season has ended. I believe I also saw that Justise was planning to return to join his former teammate, although the NBA playoffs (and the Hornets' inability to close out the Heat) have gotten in the way thus far. I recall Kyrie has been back on campus taking classes in the past. I plead ignorance on Jabari & Tyus, but it would surprise me if they didn't continue their schoolin'.

At least at Duke, the OAD era hasn't completely snuffed out all academic ambition just yet.

When Kyrie declared in 2011, he said he promised his dad he'd graduate in 5 years (http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/31160/kyrie-irving-plans-on-degree-in-five-years), which presumably means he'd need to finish 2.5 years of school in 5 summers. This summer marks year 5 -- I wonder if he's going to keep his promise. I wouldn't resent him if he's not able to, but I'm just curious.

[devildeac]

When Kyrie declared in 2011, he said he promised his dad he'd graduate in 5 years (http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/31160/kyrie-irving-plans-on-degree-in-five-years), which presumably means he'd need to finish 2.5 years of school in 5 summers. This summer marks year 5 -- I wonder if he's going to keep his promise. I wouldn't resent him if he's not able to, but I'm just curious.

Yea, those danged playoffs keep getting in the way, and, somehow, they keep winning ;) .

[Billy Dat]

I think what really is killing Cal is that K changed the recruiting playing field, basically laundered it in a sense, through that offshore bank known as USA Basketball. That is was all done in plain sight has got to be what is really driving him crazy.

When he accepted the job as Colangelo's right hand in rebuilding USA Basketball, it wasn't just the Senior Men's National Team, it was the entire program. K knew that the AAU circuit, while involving many reputable coaches and programs, was also dirty in terms of ecosystems of middle men funneling money to families and players to programs (not that D1 hoops is any different). It also wasn't producing very fundamentally sound players - too many games, too little practice/skill work. He felt strongly that USA Basketball should be playing a much bigger role in the American youth basketball world. 10 years later, exactly that has happened. Once the Senior Men's National Team regained it's place atop the world hoops mountain, the stage was set for the very best kids to want to play for the Team USA Youth teams. Year by year, that has happened and gotten younger and younger to the point where nearly every kid on the U19 teams on down are the top top prospects. That isn't to say that our USA teams didn't attract great players in the past, but the participation among the elite is now much higher and there is a real demand to get on those teams. Those teams are being coached by elite college coaches - Brad Stevens used to coach, Sean Miller, Jay Wright, Shaka, Few and on. USA Basketball has added additional showcases/combines and rolled out a coaching curriculum. Colangelo, with K as advisor, didn't just focus on the finish line, they started planting better trees and now the fruit is popping.

This 10 year process has naturally had an impact on players, as has the generation of players they have grown up watching. The current crop of super stars are a fairly admirable group of guys - Lebron, Curry, Durant, Westbrook, Duncan..I mean, really, the league is chock full of good citizens for the most part, and I think kids now get that plugging into the right environment and working hard is the path. USA Basketball is part of that formula now. Aside from getting great coaching and unsurpassed cultural experiences, it's good for a kid's brand.

Coach K is USA Basketball. I don't know what he says when he's one-on-one with a recruit and his family, but I am sure there is a pipeline to getting into those tryouts and getting placement on those teams. When Cal said K had an unfair advantage due to USA Basketball, the only misplaced word was "unfair". He earned every bit of it, and the seeds have flowered and the influence continues. Cal's response - to coach the Dominican National Team which instantly landed him Karl Anthony Townes. I notice that he gave up that job, maybe the pipeline was bare. Had he spent 5-10 years building the pipeline, maybe it would be paying off for him.

That's just a part of the story, but it's a big part. K is not just a coach, and I am not talking about "I'm a leader of men". He is one of the smartest, competitive, cunning, and focused SOBs around and he wasn't going down without a fight. He took the long view, built an insane foundation and now has his primary rival on his heels. Someone like Cal is EXACTLY what K needed at this stage of his career - someone to continue to provoke the fighter in him!!!

[wk2109]

Coach K is USA Basketball. I don't know what he says when he's one-on-one with a recruit and his family, but I am sure there is a pipeline to getting into those tryouts and getting placement on those teams. When Cal said K had an unfair advantage due to USA Basketball, the only misplaced word was "unfair". He earned every bit of it, and the seeds have flowered and the influence continues. Cal's response - to coach the Dominican National Team which instantly landed him Karl Anthony Townes. I notice that he gave up that job, maybe the pipeline was bare. Had he spent 5-10 years building the pipeline, maybe it would be paying off for him.

That's just a part of the story, but it's a big part. K is not just a coach, and I am not talking about "I'm a leader of men". He is one of the smartest, competitive, cunning, and focused SOBs around and he wasn't going down without a fight. He took the long view, built an insane foundation and now has his primary rival on his heels. Someone like Cal is EXACTLY what K needed at this stage of his career - someone to continue to provoke the fighter in him!!!

I agree with everything you say. I also love that in the one year Cal had KAT, after all the work Cal put into recruiting him, it was Coach K and Duke that won the natty.

[g-money]

When <Coach K> accepted the job as Colangelo's right hand in rebuilding USA Basketball, it wasn't just the Senior Men's National Team, it was the entire program. K knew that the AAU circuit, while involving many reputable coaches and programs, was also dirty in terms of ecosystems of middle men funneling money to families and players to programs (not that D1 hoops is any different). It also wasn't producing very fundamentally sound players - too many games, too little practice/skill work. He felt strongly that USA Basketball should be playing a much bigger role in the American youth basketball world. 10 years later, exactly that has happened. Once the Senior Men's National Team regained it's place atop the world hoops mountain, the stage was set for the very best kids to want to play for the Team USA Youth teams. Year by year, that has happened and gotten younger and younger to the point where nearly every kid on the U19 teams on down are the top top prospects. That isn't to say that our USA teams didn't attract great players in the past, but the participation among the elite is now much higher and there is a real demand to get on those teams. Those teams are being coached by elite college coaches - Brad Stevens used to coach, Sean Miller, Jay Wright, Shaka, Few and on. USA Basketball has added additional showcases/combines and rolled out a coaching curriculum. Colangelo, with K as advisor, didn't just focus on the finish line, they started planting better trees and now the fruit is popping.

This 10 year process has naturally had an impact on players, as has the generation of players they have grown up watching. The current crop of super stars are a fairly admirable group of guys - Lebron, Curry, Durant, Westbrook, Duncan..I mean, really, the league is chock full of good citizens for the most part, and I think kids now get that plugging into the right environment and working hard is the path. USA Basketball is part of that formula now. Aside from getting great coaching and unsurpassed cultural experiences, it's good for a kid's brand.

Coach K is USA Basketball. I don't know what he says when he's one-on-one with a recruit and his family, but I am sure there is a pipeline to getting into those tryouts and getting placement on those teams. When Cal said K had an unfair advantage due to USA Basketball, the only misplaced word was "unfair". He earned every bit of it, and the seeds have flowered and the influence continues. Cal's response - to coach the Dominican National Team which instantly landed him Karl Anthony Townes. I notice that he gave up that job, maybe the pipeline was bare. Had he spent 5-10 years building the pipeline, maybe it would be paying off for him.

This post reads like an epic saga of good versus evil, with the future of basketball at stake. I'm glad the good guy is on our side.

[kAzE]

Cal's response - to coach the Dominican National Team which instantly landed him Karl Anthony Townes. I notice that he gave up that job, maybe the pipeline was bare. Had he spent 5-10 years building the pipeline, maybe it would be paying off for him.

I don't think this gets enough attention . . . I think Calipari literally took the job to coach the Dominican national team to get Karl Anthony Towns. (As evidenced by his quitting on the team after Towns went pro) Now that's dedication to your craft. I can't fault him for that, it was a smart move, and he correctly banked on Towns becoming a superstar.

Great post by Billy Dat though. Coach K did gain a recruiting advantage by coaching Team USA, but that just came with the territory. He earned it.

[tbyers11]

I could have sworn one of our future prospects is in to school and studying...

You are correct. Wendell Carter a 6-10 big man who is the #3 overall recruit in 2017 said:

“I don’t know how to answer that,” said the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Carter, laughing. “Of course they’re [Kentucky] a great basketball school, but they’re not the worst academic school ever. They’re still up there in terms of academics.”

The article (http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2016/04/25/cats-battling-duke-harvard-brainy-big-man/83501484/) also states that he is taking his first official visit to Harvard.

[BriantheBlogger]

...but had to clap back at this Calipari nonsense, I also never post my stuff on another site but well here it is anyway - I only dealt with the tip of the iceberg of stuff involving Cal that's in the public record. http://www.dukeblogger.com/thirst-seems-real-john-calipari/

[kAzE]

...but had to clap back at this Calipari nonsense, I also never post my stuff on another site but well here it is anyway - I only dealt with the tip of the iceberg of stuff involving Cal that's in the public record. http://www.dukeblogger.com/thirst-seems-real-john-calipari/

Great job! I agree with everything in your post and your site is very nice. Keep fighting the good fight, brother!

[BriantheBlogger]

Great job! I agree with everything in your post and your site is very nice. Keep fighting the good fight, brother! I appreciate that. I just think Cal needs to stop acting out, says a good amount about him.

[Henderson]

Cal's problem is he has no answer to the question, "What if basketball doesn't work out? What's my plan B?"

[Billy Dat]

I appreciate that. I just think Cal needs to stop acting out, says a good amount about him.

I think there is a fair amount of "pandering to his base" when he does videos and makes comments like that. Big Blue Nation wants to be the big bad boys on the block and they hate Duke with a passion. They expect their coach to do stuff like this, and he has a penchant to do it anyway, but it adds fuel to the fire of his popularity in the commonwealth. He'd get in trouble with UK fans if he didn't do stuff like this. It doesn't make it right, but he knows where his bread is buttered.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I think there is a fair amount of "pandering to his base" when he does videos and makes comments like that. Big Blue Nation wants to be the big bad boys on the block and they hate Duke with a passion. They expect their coach to do stuff like this, and he has a penchant to do it anyway, but it adds fuel to the fire of his popularity in the commonwealth. He'd get in trouble with UK fans if he didn't do stuff like this. It doesn't make it right, but he knows where his bread is buttered.

And rightly so! Can you imagine if a Duke coach began de-emphasizing academics or telling recruits to come to Duke for the co-eds? It wouldn't be true in the slightest and it would piss off a huge portion of the fan base.

To each fan base's own. I like the whole Duke = academics, preparing for life, great classmates & facilities, and we'll get you to the NBA. With the exception of the last point, those were the reasons I went to Duke!