Calipari full of it at Big Blue Madness...

[MikeHamiltonFan]

First of all it must be said, that Rupp was completely full with rabid fans who are the most knowledgeable about basketball in NCAA.

Kentucky has excellent tradition, excellent support, excellent facilities etc.

All of that said, listening to Calipari give his speech about academic excellence is like listening to Bill Clinton or Mark Sanford give a speech on marital fidelity.

Calipari:

"I look at this team behind me and the passion in front of me and I see the foundation for MY VISION FOR OUR PROGRAM.

It’s a vision where we are THE GOLD STANDARD NOT JUST for College Basketball BUT FOR ALL College athletics.

THAT MEANS superiority in EVERYTHING FROM OUR ACADEMIC STANDARDS to our FACILITIES TO OUR LIVING SPACES. WE WILL be A PROGRAM rooted in INTEGRITY AND run with class and we will always remember that we represent this great commonwealth.

WITH those principles guiding us, we will earn the PRIVILEGE OF BEING HELD TO a higher standard both as players and coaches. AND THAT’S exactly WHAT IT IS – A PRIVILEGE to represent all of big blue nation in everything that we do."

I am pleased that Selby and Harris did not commit at UK despite Nike bringing in multiple paid agents of theirs.
I suppose I should be happy that Kentucky is coached by someone so easy to hate with such obvious flaws. Hating Billy D because he looked like the child Vampire on the Munsters was one thing, but not a great reason. Hating Pitino is easy. Hating Cal is easy. Listening to him pretend that he is a coach who cares about anything other than sending guys straight to the NBA and facilitating their work with agents is hard.

[Voldaddy]

Please. If Cal was coaching at UT, and gave this exact same speech, you'd be on your knees slurping his coin pouch.

It's easy to hate someone superior, like Pitino or Cal, because they are better than you.

SOS was another in football.

I like all of the above coaches. They set the standard that our staff should aspire to attain.

[ukvols]

Agreed. Cal is a joke. It sickens me that a guy with such a checkered past is being treated like a god by those people. I hope he leads that program into trouble soon. Cal being the KY coach is the perfect match.

[ukvols]

Originally Posted by Voldaddy

Please. If Cal was coaching at UT, and gave this exact same speech, you'd be on your knees slurping his coin pouch.

It's easy to hate someone superior, like Pitino or Cal, because they are better than you.

SOS was another in football.

I like all of the above coaches. They set the standard that our staff should aspire to attain.

Only one of the coaches in your post has led two programs into trouble. I know - he knew nothing about it.

[MikeHamiltonFan]

Originally Posted by Voldaddy

Please. If Cal was coaching at UT, and gave this exact same speech, you'd be on your knees slurping his coin pouch.

It's easy to hate someone superior, like Pitino or Cal, because they are better than you.

SOS was another in football.

I like all of the above coaches. They set the standard that our staff should aspire to attain.

Pitino is in no way better than most people in the United States. He makes the transgressions of Bob Knight look like a joke. He is a disgusting pathetic man...If I was his child I would be so sad/angry/ashamed.

[VolNC2316]

Well, he has to do this and he is one of the best out there at what he does...Still, reading it makes my stomach turn...If he was at UT, yeah I'd be all about it...He isn't, so I'm not...GO VOLS !!

[NEVolFan]

Just takes one thug in his program to bring a measure of reality to that speech.

[zjcvols]

I'll take John Calipari any day over Bruce, how don't care how cocky Cal is.

[Unimane]

*

[Unimane]

Originally Posted by zjcvols

I'll take John Calipari any day over Bruce, how don't care how cocky Cal is.

Why? Do you want to see how fast we could remove a banner from the ceiling of TBA?

Sorry, I would feel like I sold my soul to the devil (Now, Roy Williams?...). Plus, Pearl has played Cal straight up with lesser talent. I'm curious to see how Cal competes in a conference that isn't full of pushovers. He wasn't that impressive when he had to deal with Marquette, Louisville and others before CUSA was gutted.

[DyronNix]

I suspect this Coach Cal thing will probably work out terrifically well for UK much to my consternation living so close to the KY line.

HOWEVER, I keep hope alive with the thought that Coach Cal will stumble, if only a little bit below the massive expectations, and the whole thing unravel out of control soon.

Seriously, how satisfying would it be to see the wild hoard of UK bb fans eat Calipari alive? Just imagine if a VMI-type moment were to repeat itself early on this season? Extremely unlikely, but it is what I pray for everynight before I go to bed.

[MikeHamiltonFan]

Dyron that is awesome.

It is not unrealistic to think that when you put 4 Carmelo Anthony's on one team, they get pissed off when they are not the center of the offense.

Patrick Patterson is not going to let freshmen stand in the way of his NBA $$$.

[TIGER DEN]

Originally Posted by ukvols

Agreed. Cal is a joke. It sickens me that a guy with such a checkered past is being treated like a god by those people. I hope he leads that program into trouble soon. Cal being the KY coach is the perfect match.

He wont have to cheat , it's KY and Cal . He's going to get the best players and other schools are going to have to beat them . It sucks but , oh well .


Hatred hurts the hater worse than the hated.

[jrobison]

Coach speak...typical.

Just can't wait till he has UK in hot water.

[tclowers23]

After watching UK's Big Blue Madness, it's obvious this team has special talent.

- John Wall might be the most talented PG in the country. His quickness and athleticism are out of this world. He seems to be a scoring PG, and not the pass-first type. Regardless, he's a playmaker. Cal will feel very comfortable will the ball in his hands in key situations.
- Demarcus Cousins is ready to contribute right away. Cousins and Patrick Patterson are obviously the best frontcourt in the SEC.
- Daniel Orton needs some time to adjust and develop.
- Eric Bledsoe looked very quick and strong. He finishes strong around the basket. If Tennessee had either Wall or Bledsoe, the Vols would be in much better shape heading into this season. That goes without saying...
- Perimeter shooting will be an issue for the Cats this season.
- They'll take their lumps early in the season, but could potentially be best team in the country come March.

As much as it hurts... Kentucky is back.