Started By
Message
Kentucky fans, help me understand what happened to Calipari
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:05 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:05 pm
I mean, he was one of the most incredible college coaches ever, just look at this one paragraph from his Wiki page:
Calipari had coached Kentucky to four Final Fours, in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. He also led UMass and Memphis to the Final Four in 1996 and 2008 respectively; those appearances were later vacated, though Calipari was cleared of wrongdoing in both cases.[1] As a college coach, Calipari has twenty-nine 20-win seasons, eleven 30-win seasons, and five 35-win seasons.
What changed? Is he recruiting the wrong players? Lax discipline? Bad schemes? Something else? To me this is like if Saban started losing to Group of 5 teams or something, help me understand.
Thanks.
Calipari had coached Kentucky to four Final Fours, in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. He also led UMass and Memphis to the Final Four in 1996 and 2008 respectively; those appearances were later vacated, though Calipari was cleared of wrongdoing in both cases.[1] As a college coach, Calipari has twenty-nine 20-win seasons, eleven 30-win seasons, and five 35-win seasons.
What changed? Is he recruiting the wrong players? Lax discipline? Bad schemes? Something else? To me this is like if Saban started losing to Group of 5 teams or something, help me understand.
Thanks.
14
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:11 pm to Tideroller
not trying to be rude, but here it goes...
they have answered this continually throughout the board.
Older and won't change his ways in Recruiting (one and dones vs Portal), focuses on the NBA draft over winning championships, ticked off wealthy donors, lost the fan base...
In a nut shell...
they have answered this continually throughout the board.
Older and won't change his ways in Recruiting (one and dones vs Portal), focuses on the NBA draft over winning championships, ticked off wealthy donors, lost the fan base...
In a nut shell...
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:12 pm to Tideroller
It was a multitude of things that have impacted the overall success. Coach Cal has had to deal with things such as:
-The SEC improving greatly overall as a conference. Some games that were gimme wins when he first arrived have turned into absolute wars.
-Some tough first round losses that made really strong years end up seeming underwhelming.
-Missing out on national championship opportunities in both 13-14 and 14-15.
All of these factors have hurt UK, but Cal has still done a great job. I just think it was a good time for both parties to go seperate ways.
-The SEC improving greatly overall as a conference. Some games that were gimme wins when he first arrived have turned into absolute wars.
-Some tough first round losses that made really strong years end up seeming underwhelming.
-Missing out on national championship opportunities in both 13-14 and 14-15.
All of these factors have hurt UK, but Cal has still done a great job. I just think it was a good time for both parties to go seperate ways.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:15 pm to Tideroller
IMO, short summary
Mix of different things.
-He lost a few assistant coaches that kept him grounded, his ego started to exceed the results.
-I don’t think high school recruits are as good as they were 10 years ago, so it’s harder to rely on a team full of them.
-And lastly, he lost his drive. His actions and decisions suggested that he thought success would just come back to him instead of grinding it out to do what it takes.
-The reason he is complaining about NIL is because he thought it should just be handed to him, never took it upon himself to build those relationships with donors.
Mix of different things.
-He lost a few assistant coaches that kept him grounded, his ego started to exceed the results.
-I don’t think high school recruits are as good as they were 10 years ago, so it’s harder to rely on a team full of them.
-And lastly, he lost his drive. His actions and decisions suggested that he thought success would just come back to him instead of grinding it out to do what it takes.
-The reason he is complaining about NIL is because he thought it should just be handed to him, never took it upon himself to build those relationships with donors.
This post was edited on 4/10/24 at 1:21 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:15 pm to Tideroller
- Struggled adjusting his offense (that's why he hired John Welch) once the game started to change. When he did change the offense, the defense fell off a cliff.
- Got complacent after the lifetime contract was signed.
- Pissed off all of the boosters and the AD, so they became less willing to hand him a blank check without results.
- Had a harder time adjusting to the transfer portal than anything. For the handful of exceptional transfers that came in, he had issues with fit for others.
It all just kind of snowballed and then when he couldn't get out of the first weekend the last 4 years, it became untenable. This last class he had, which was an exceptional recruiting class, losing to Oakland was his last opportunity to prove he could still do it at Kentucky. He couldn't.
ETA: We probably haven't talked about it enough, but him losing Robic as his right hand man was a HUGE issue from an Xs and Os standpoint.
- Got complacent after the lifetime contract was signed.
- Pissed off all of the boosters and the AD, so they became less willing to hand him a blank check without results.
- Had a harder time adjusting to the transfer portal than anything. For the handful of exceptional transfers that came in, he had issues with fit for others.
It all just kind of snowballed and then when he couldn't get out of the first weekend the last 4 years, it became untenable. This last class he had, which was an exceptional recruiting class, losing to Oakland was his last opportunity to prove he could still do it at Kentucky. He couldn't.
ETA: We probably haven't talked about it enough, but him losing Robic as his right hand man was a HUGE issue from an Xs and Os standpoint.
This post was edited on 4/10/24 at 1:17 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:17 pm to Tideroller
Imagine if Saban managed to continue signing a bunch of 5* skill position guys while running Iowa's offensive scheme and what that would have done to you as a fan. That is essentially what Cal has achieved on the basketball court.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:19 pm to Robot Santa
quote:
Imagine if Saban managed to continue signing a bunch of 5* skill position guys while running Iowa's offensive scheme and what that would have done to you as a fan. That is essentially what Cal has achieved on the basketball court.
So Arkansas just hired a 65-year-old dog that refused to learn new tricks in Kentucky.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:21 pm to BluegrassBelle
We know he can recruit, but it appears that the assistant coaches were the ones doing the actual "coaching"
So he is Jimbo Fisher 2.0
quote:
Imagine if Saban managed to continue signing a bunch of 5* skill position guys while running Iowa's offensive scheme and what that would have done to you as a fan. That is essentially what Cal has achieved on the basketball court.
So he is Jimbo Fisher 2.0
This post was edited on 4/10/24 at 1:23 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:23 pm to bamameister
quote:
So Arkansas just hired a 65-year-old dog that refused to learn new tricks in Kentucky.
Maybe, maybe not. Maybe he needs the change of scenery to rejuvenate him. He could be successful at Arkansas if he doesn't get in his own way.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:23 pm to Tideroller
quote:
Kentucky fans, help me understand what happened to Calipari
Remember the 2022 Alabama football team with BOB and Pete in charge of schemes and finding new and more idiotic ways to screw up winnable games with a starting lineup full of Top 50 picks?
Imagine that for 5 straight seasons.
This post was edited on 4/10/24 at 1:24 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:25 pm to Temple of the Dog
Bet you guys won’t win one in the next 5 years either
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:27 pm to momentoftruth87
quote:
Bet you guys won’t win one in the next 5 years either
Bet we won't be as poorly coached as we were that season in the next 5 seasons, either (just like we weren't last year).
I think Cal is going to do a good job at Arkansas. Maybe even a great job. Changes in scenery and chips on shoulders do wonders for high level competitors. That doesn't change the results of the last 5 years, though.
And every Arkansas fan was saying the same thing until 72 hours ago.
This post was edited on 4/10/24 at 1:30 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:28 pm to Tideroller
No coach will ever be good enough for UK fans unless he has them in the Final Four every year. Every other fan base in the SEC would be happy to have him as their coach. There is a large segment of their fan base that thinks Hurley is a realistic possibility “because Kentucky”.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:29 pm to Lucado
Wasn't everyone on this site laughing because UK had to retain him for next year? Lot of hypocrites here ...
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:29 pm to Robot Santa
quote:
Imagine if Saban managed to continue signing a bunch of 5* skill position guys while running Iowa's offensive scheme
One of Saban’s attributes is that he would change and adapt. Well, he kept Golding way too long, but never mind that.
This post was edited on 4/10/24 at 1:30 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:29 pm to Temple of the Dog
quote:
Remember the 2022 Alabama football team with BOB and Pete in charge of schemes and finding new and more idiotic ways to screw up winnable games with a starting lineup full of Top 50 picks?
Imagine that for 5 straight seasons.
2018-2022, we just call it the Pete Golding "error."
Turns out, coaching does matter.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:30 pm to Tideroller
UK just hasn’t strung together a good NCAA tourney run the last few years. Yeah, it’s disappointing, but to make a judgment on Cal as a coach over a 4 game sample size, when you look at his whole career and fact he’s still been fielding teams that have been at the top of our conference, is short-sighted.
2023 NCAA tournament, 6 seed UK lost to 15 seed KSU in the second round. KSU would go on to win its Sweet 16 game against 7 seed Michigan State, then lost by 3 points in the Elite 8 game against FAU. UK’s second round loss to KSU was unfortunate but they won 22 games that year and finished 3rd in the SEC.
2022 NCAA tournament, 2 seed UK lost to 15 seed St Peter’s in OT in the first round. St Peter’s would go on to make the Elite 8, beating a 7 seed and a 3 seed in the process. Kentucky won 26 games that year, but got upset by a hot Cinderella.
This year, they lost a close game to another hot Cinderella in Oakland. Oakland would then take the eventual Final 4 team NC St to overtime.
Close losses to lower seeded teams happens. Can’t let the one and done nature of the tourney weigh too heavily though on a coach’s overall evaluation. If the last 3 losses in the NCCA tourney were sprinkled throughout Cal’s tenure, instead of coming in a row, people’s perception would be much different.
2023 NCAA tournament, 6 seed UK lost to 15 seed KSU in the second round. KSU would go on to win its Sweet 16 game against 7 seed Michigan State, then lost by 3 points in the Elite 8 game against FAU. UK’s second round loss to KSU was unfortunate but they won 22 games that year and finished 3rd in the SEC.
2022 NCAA tournament, 2 seed UK lost to 15 seed St Peter’s in OT in the first round. St Peter’s would go on to make the Elite 8, beating a 7 seed and a 3 seed in the process. Kentucky won 26 games that year, but got upset by a hot Cinderella.
This year, they lost a close game to another hot Cinderella in Oakland. Oakland would then take the eventual Final 4 team NC St to overtime.
Close losses to lower seeded teams happens. Can’t let the one and done nature of the tourney weigh too heavily though on a coach’s overall evaluation. If the last 3 losses in the NCCA tourney were sprinkled throughout Cal’s tenure, instead of coming in a row, people’s perception would be much different.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:31 pm to BluegrassBelle
quote:
Maybe, maybe not. Maybe he needs the change of scenery to rejuvenate him. He could be successful at Arkansas if he doesn't get in his own way.
65 years of age? Seems like a difficult time in life to get rejuvenated.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:34 pm to ColoradoAg
quote:
Wasn't everyone on this site laughing because UK had to retain him for next year? Lot of hypocrites here
People were laughing because UK fans were disappointed, which is typical for this site. I bet you’d be happy if A&M had just hired Cal, just like LSU fans would be if we had hired him. Just like Hog fans are happy now. UK might find itself in a worse situation without him.
Posted on 4/10/24 at 1:35 pm to Lucado
quote:
just like LSU fans would be if we had hired him.
Not if he was the guy who replaced Will Wade. And you know it. Cal just isn't that homerun hire he was at Memphis.
Page 1 of 3
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News