Calipari: "Mission Accomplished"

#1
VolnJC

VolnJC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
26,939
Likes
36,894
#1
Championships: who needs them?

According to John Calipari his goal is to send players to the NBA

Thinking John Calipari publicly dismissing his interest in the New Orleans Pelicans job would be the biggest Kentucky headline this week?

Maybe.

But try this one: Calipari performed a speech and Q-and-A session on Wednesday at Rupp Arena for the Kentucky-based animal crop/livestock/farming/agricultural company Alltech. It held its leadership convention of sorts at Rupp. Calipari spoke, and near the beginning of his speech (audio below), he claimed that getting as many players into the NBA Draft was Kentucky's primary goal this season. It wasn't winning a national title -- it was putting guys into the draft. That was the objective.

"How do we do this? It all starts with players first," Calipari said. "Their dreams become our dreams. Last year we started the season with a goal. You may think that goal was to win the national title! Win all the games! It was to get eight players drafted. 'Well, how can you be about your team if you're worried about players getting drafted?' Well, we kind of work it the other way. What are you dreams? What are you looking for? What are you trying to get out of life? How can we help you with that?"


Calipari says UK's top goal was to get players drafted, not win title - CBSSports.com
 
#5
#5
DocVol said:
Snake oil. Exactly what 5-star high school recruits want to hear.
Click to expand...

How is that snake oil? It may not be what fans want to hear, but in the career of a successful NBA player, college championships really don't matter that much. Kids want to be Kevin Durant or James Harden, not Kyle Singler.
 
#6
#6
Fans get it that it's recruit-speak. No biggie. Moving along.
 
#7
#7
This fall right in line with what I've said about him while at Kentucky. He doesn't coach. He puts his players out there and let's them show off their skills/talents to NBA scouts. That's all he's about and he just said it himself.
 
#8
#8
The point of college is to prepare students with the skills they'll need for a successful professional career.

That said, it's silly to think you can't have goals to do both win the championship and get drafted.
 
#9
#9
Reminds me of the first year when they had multiple first-round selections, and he called it the greatest day in KY basketball history.
 
#11
#11
Had things remained HS to NBA like before, Calipari would be just another run in the mill coach like Billy Clyde
 
#12
#12
508mikey said:
Had things remained HS to NBA like before, Calipari would be just another run in the mill coach like Billy Clyde
Click to expand...

When it was HS-to-NBA he took UMass to the Final Four.

Of course, I think Gillispie is a pretty good coach too
 
#16
#16
TooLegit2Quit said:
With their one and done approach? At least Calipari isn't a phony like K.
Click to expand...

Phony? How so. Coach K has had one and done players since Cory Maggette declared for the draft in '99. He's changed with the times. The difference between Coach K and Calipari is that K is dedicated to winning national titles while Coach Cal uses the "we're just trying to put kids in the league" as a crutch to try and take the pressure off himself for not winning titles. Coach K has struck a balance between the realities of having and needing "one and dones" to win titles...and winning titles.Cal would do well to grow a pair and stop making excuses for his failures to win championships with what is virtually always the most talented roster in the country.
 
#17
#17
KBVol said:
Phony? How so. Coach K has had one and done players since Cory Maggette declared for the draft in '99. He's changed with the times. The difference between Coach K and Calipari is that K is dedicated to winning national titles while Coach Cal uses the "we're just trying to put kids in the league" as a crutch to try and take the pressure off himself for not winning titles. Coach K has struck a balance between the realities of having and needing "one and dones" to win titles...and winning titles.Cal would do well to grow a pair and stop making excuses for his failures to win championships with what is virtually always the most talented roster in the country.
Click to expand...
He's a phony because he whined about the one and done approach a few years ago when Duke was dropping out of the tourney early year after year. Now he's coming off a title using the same model. People sit here and act like he's different than Calipari. It's 2015 people, I don't like Calipari but it's blatantly obvious that he's an above average coach. Scott Drew and Johnny Jones prove that without a doubt.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#18
#18
TooLegit2Quit said:
He's a phony because he whined about the one and done approach a few years ago when Duke was dropping out of the tourney early year after year. Now he's coming off a title using the same model. People sit here and act like he's different than Calipari. It's 2015 people, I don't like Calipari but it's blatantly obvious that he's an above average coach. Scott Drew and Johnny Jones prove that without a doubt.
Click to expand...

So he can't express his thoughts on the system and at the same time understand his job is to win?
 
#19
#19
TNsnyper20 said:
This fall right in line with what I've said about him while at Kentucky. He doesn't coach. He puts his players out there and let's them show off their skills/talents to NBA scouts. That's all he's about and he just said it himself.
Click to expand...

Maybe Rick Barnes will do that...because it seems to be working.
 
#20
#20
joevol33 said:
attachment.php
Click to expand...

Or

Momma says Kentucky fan are so ornery because they won all those games and have no teeth in their mouth to smile for it.
 
#23
#23
TooLegit2Quit said:
He's a phony because he whined about the one and done approach a few years ago when Duke was dropping out of the tourney early year after year. Now he's coming off a title using the same model. People sit here and act like he's different than Calipari. It's 2015 people, I don't like Calipari but it's blatantly obvious that he's an above average coach. Scott Drew and Johnny Jones prove that without a doubt.
Click to expand...

All things considered, Cal's a great coach....just not nearly as good as Coach K IMHO. Perhaps it's partially because Coach K is committed to winning national titles whereas Coach Cal is evidently more interested than putting kids in the league. Who knows? At the end of the day, I'll take Coach K all day everyday.
 
#24
#24
It's almost laughable when the criticism is "he's just not as good as Coach K". Like seriously, 99% of every D-1 coach ever isn't as good as Coach K. Cal is probably in the top 5 right now overall, considering the consistency he's had at UK. Actually getting the to F4 more than Coach K in the same stretch. However, Duke is 2/2 while UK is only 1/4. You could argue a couple of those UK teams didn't deserve to be in the F4, but I completely agree it's been disappointing losing to UConn twice and then Wisconsin. But at least they aren't as embarrassing as losing to Lehigh/Mercer. Yet that's the beauty of winning titles. That's what people remember, and rightly so.

Cal has said in the past his goal was to get to a school like UK and be the best. Now he says something like "getting 8 drafted was more important". I've said it a ton on VN before, but Cal will say the right things to the right people. He's a salesman, more than anyone in the game. Put him in front of UK fans, and he'll say what we want. Put him in front of high school recruits, he'll say what they want, etc etc. Time and place need to be considered. Cal just missed on a bunch of 5*s, so he's no doubt changing his tune and recruiting style to try and have success. If we just won a title and went 40-0 he would be saying how important winning the title was to the program/state and how he's proud he did it with 8 potential picks.
 
#25
#25
TooLegit2Quit said:
He's a phony because he whined about the one and done approach a few years ago when Duke was dropping out of the tourney early year after year. Now he's coming off a title using the same model. People sit here and act like he's different than Calipari. It's 2015 people, I don't like Calipari but it's blatantly obvious that he's an above average coach. Scott Drew and Johnny Jones prove that without a doubt.
Click to expand...

Cal has griped about the one and done system every year
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top