Coach Calapari and UK

Recruiting at UK isn’t necessarily finished for the 2010/11 class just yet, but I think it is time we took a look at what has transpired in the last year and perhaps a little before that.

Coach accepted the position at UK just over a year ago now with much fanfare and “hoopla” if you will allow that word. Every time a new coach is hired there is a measure of all that along with great expectation at the #1 school for basketball in America or I should say the world. No don’t give me an argument about that statement because it is true. It is going to be that way for some time too so get used to it, but the post isn’t about that. I just inserted that to set the stage for the expectations that surround the next god at UK until they take themselves down from the throne. They do take themselves down from the throne in various ways and it is never pretty. It may happen to coach Cal as well, but so far he hasn’t. He is the only coach that has kept the momentum going at a pace that has far exceeded expectations.

He has just sent 5 guys to the NBA. I know that none have been picked yet, but it is going to happen if they all stay healthy and out of trouble. The amazing part is that only two of them were expected to make the jump this year and one of them only came back because of the love for the university and the possibility of going deep into the tourney. That, of course, wouldn’t have been possible without with coach Cal. Let us just call him Super Cal, because he has been just that. It took kyrptonite to bring him/team down from title #8 this past season. Everything he touched seemingly turned to gold and none of it fools gold either.

A quick re-cap looks something like this: He inherited a team practically devoid of talent at the level to which the fans have been accustomed and were about to lose Patrick Patterson to the pros. Within only a few weeks coach together the #1 recruiting class in the land and not only that, but they were/are super talented. Fans were ecstatic and amazed at the same time. He never wavered in his beliefs or delivery of the expectations that were thrust upon the team even though they were such a young team.

The end result at the years end was a climb back into the elite status of college basketball and with it more expectations. He delivered again with a great recruiting class that may not be finished as I stated at the beginning of the post.

What gives with the man? What makes it all possible? How could someone deliver so much to such hungry fans as we without flinching or wavering?

He is a maestro and it is that simple! He is just the best at managing time and people. Just think he took 5 freshmen and kept them happy for the most part. Not only that, but they enjoyed playing together and kept getting better all year which made not only possible, but probable 4 of them would jump to the NBA.

Super talented John Wall was expected to make the move, but even he with all the speed, moves and magic became a much better player. Demarcus Cousins came to campus a man-child, but needing a lot of work mentally as well as honing his outrageous talents and he was made into something formidable and unstoppable at the college level. Eric Bledsoe was expected to be here for at least two but most likely three years, but he too advanced far beyond expectations. Eric was one of my favorite players because of his outward passion, but I never thought he would be going to the NBA as a 1st round pick and he may not yet, but I think he will. Good for him and that brings us to Daniel Orton. Daniel was one that needed a lot of work and it was very obvious from the start of the season. Daniel is a very serious and proud person and I could tell that he wasn’t happy being 2nd to Cousins, but he was there because of what he needed to learn early on and bring his offensive game up to par with Cousins. It was great to see him develop his game and now even though he wasn’t a starter is projected to be a high 1st round pick and good for him.

What then is the secret with Calapari? How could all that happen where others have failed and miserably so for the last coach. First of all he is a great recruiter, but the reason he is that is because he tells the players what he will do and then he does just that. He is hard on them and can be snippy and tough, but they like him because he tells them the truth rather than what they want to hear. He isn’t afraid to tell a #1 lottery pick what he needs to hear, but when it is over he lets them know he loves them. He isn’t just talk either, because he proves he loves and appreciates them. He is the epitome of the phrase, “he is just like a father to me”.

However, there is something more to his madness! His style is fun to play. That in itself may say more than all the other things to a player, because he promises them they can shoot if they will play defense and if they don’t play defense they can’t play.

Imagine what Rajon Rondo would have been able to do under coach Cal or imagine what Randolph Morris would have turned into under Cal’s tutelage. He would have either picked up his game and been a lottery pick or he would have been a bench warmer, but I think he would have been a super star. True he became a very good player, but the sky was the limit for him and he never reached it.

That is why the players want to play for Cal. They develop and develop well and now they have even more reason to play for Cal. Why is that, well it is because he is coaching at the #1 school for basketball! He has the facilities, money and fan base to make it all happen.

Sounds like a recipe for success to me and not to mention the fun and pleasure to fans and players. Now if we can just get rid of the kryptonite!