Coach Cal gave a nod to Pitino saying he hoped the allegations in the hooker book weren't true and that he was certain Pitino wouldn't tolerate such stuff. He could'a have piled on like a typical UK fan but took the high road instead. I for one appreciate it!
Calipari Supports Pitino
- Thread starter mgrody
- Start date
Decent of Cal but I'm going to get suspicious if Indiana and UK suddenly renew their home and home basketball series.
What Cal says doesn't interest me one bit.
LOL, why did you click on this thread than? Apparently it did interest you.
lol good point kyjeff. and I'm pretty sure ky has no interest in playing iu. if ky did renew no way would they go back to play at iu. would have to be arena stuff.
I'm going to say this some will believe some won't,but I'll be honest. did it piss me off when rp took the ul job? yes I was furious. rooted against the man every game. what made it worse was his attitude that it was just not a big deal so UK fans should just get over it. yes I wished he lost every game and would of gotten run out of this state because of his job performance.
but in no way am I taking any pleasure in what has happened off the court. I believe his wife is a good women and had already been through enough. I also believe rp is a good man. flawed like all men but human.
and to all of my UK faithful. you can take joy in the sypher crap and now this all you want. but at the end of the day try to remember what rp did for us and not to mention the mans name hangs in our rafters. so 20 years from now you can make fun of these horrible incidents and laugh, but just remember rp is and will always be a huge part of UK history also.
rp is a strong man. if he wasn't he would of walked away after the sypher thing. but rp does what he does best and buckle down hit it head on and won a championship with another final 4 thrown in since then. gotta admire the mans ability to move forward.
I'm going to say this some will believe some won't,but I'll be honest. did it piss me off when rp took the ul job? yes I was furious. rooted against the man every game. what made it worse was his attitude that it was just not a big deal so UK fans should just get over it. yes I wished he lost every game and would of gotten run out of this state because of his job performance.
but in no way am I taking any pleasure in what has happened off the court. I believe his wife is a good women and had already been through enough. I also believe rp is a good man. flawed like all men but human.
and to all of my UK faithful. you can take joy in the sypher crap and now this all you want. but at the end of the day try to remember what rp did for us and not to mention the mans name hangs in our rafters. so 20 years from now you can make fun of these horrible incidents and laugh, but just remember rp is and will always be a huge part of UK history also.
rp is a strong man. if he wasn't he would of walked away after the sypher thing. but rp does what he does best and buckle down hit it head on and won a championship with another final 4 thrown in since then. gotta admire the mans ability to move forward.
Good post Whhs22.
A man's private life is, private.
Whatever his sins, he'll have to answer to his 'God' for that. That skank had no
effect whatsoever on the Basketball team.
Not to hijack the thread, but neutral site games are for tournaments. Teams
should play home and home. UofL didnt cancel when uofk fans rushed the field
in 2007.
A man's private life is, private.
Whatever his sins, he'll have to answer to his 'God' for that. That skank had no
effect whatsoever on the Basketball team.
Not to hijack the thread, but neutral site games are for tournaments. Teams
should play home and home. UofL didnt cancel when uofk fans rushed the field
in 2007.
Calipari isn't stupid. I think most if not all who post here know how I feel about John Calipari, but I know he is a extremely intelligent man. There is no way he is going to say anything even borderline controversial about this scandal to the press. It serves him no purpose to do so other than open a can of worms that he doesn't want opened.
Last edited:
Disagree. Cow is most definetely stupid or he wouldn't be such a failure as a coach. How do you have the roster and NBA talent he's had over his tenure and only have 1 title? It' because Cow is not smart and can't teach, keep these kids in line, and make proper coaching moves in game. Cow is an idiot and the proof are in his results. Nearly any other coach reels in at least 3 titles with that talent. Heck, he's even ridden multiple 1st rounds to the NIT.
Failure as a coach? I see why you are saying it but he's a hall of famer. This is a little much
Nobody dislikes Calipari more than I do but even I can't call him a failure as a coach. He has moved himself up in the coaching ranks and is a multimillionaire, so anyone who can do that is far from a failure.
Not to speak for him, but failure in relative to expectations, goals, and
Commodities. He's had 39 five stars, and only ONE TITLE.
Also two vacated Final Fours. Getting the uofk job, is a success, yet he's
severly underperformed in the NCAA tourney.
It would seem that your expectations for him are a little too high. I get that he has recruited a lot of talent, but it wasn't too long ago that most were saying that you can't win a title with freshmen. In a few short years, we have gone from that, to expecting him to win every year? Seems a bit much. Cal has been the most successful NCAA tourney coach of the past decade. His teams have almost never gotten beat early. He has been to 4 Final Fours in 6 years at UK. He has advanced to at least the Elite 8 in each of his tournament appearances at UK. I realize you hate Cal, but to say he has "severely underperformed" is a huge reach.
Also, if you consider Cal a failure, you have to consider Coach K a failure. He has been reeling in top talent every year for nearly 35 years. He is averaging less than 1 title every 6 years. He is averaging a Final Four every 3 years. Both are great accomplishments. Cal is tied or ahead of the pace on both of those while at UK. Coach K is a legend. I am not saying you need to consider Cal a legend (despite being in the Hall of Fame), but to call him a failure is plain wrong.
Last edited:
I caught his answer regarding Louisville and Pitino also. I was glad he decided to take the high road on this. Whether the allegations turn out to be true or whether Pitino knew anything or not, Calipari and UK needs to leave it alone and say nothing negative. I think that's wise. I don't think it's wise to say too much before the dust settles. Even if it turns out to be true, what good could come from piling on? None.
My expectations of uofk come from crap illustrated, the larry glover show, co-workers,
Louisville media,
and the 40-0 talk of the last 3 years. If uofk was a NBA team, cal would have been fired
after 3 years. You can spin it all you want.
And yes , uofk fans have relentlessly bashed coach K for underperforming.
trust me cal has had his issues with the other women thing. in Memphis their is a rumor about a lady who lives in harbor town who cal visits while in.
for me that is a issue between cal and his family. like rp cal is here to keep this program playing at a high level. yes of course we want a clean image. but things happen and that's when the AD and Pres step in and decide if the coach is worth keeping.
as far as cal under achieving at UK. I think their are some irrational fans who think we should win the title every year. but most like me feel like we should be in the hunt and get 1 every now and then.
some of you act like it's easy to win a title. lose and your out tournament on the biggest stage in coll ball brings the best out in most. yes cal has had talent. very young talent but none the less talent. and he has been on the door step of the biggest prize in coll basketball 4 times in 6 years winning 1. that's pretty impressive and not easy to do.
and not sure he had a ton of nba talent while at umass? but I could be wrong. last year going 38 and 1 in this day and time a lone is impressive. and in my opinion if he had went to a 7 to 8 man rotation and not let everyone eat he would of gotten his 2nd title.
to say he is stupid and a horrible coach is just soar grapes. if anything I think he is lazy when coaching. I believe he lets the talent run the game when coaching should. and he is a good coach. I did not think so until I watched him take that team with BK and Harrelson and over the year coach them up to the point when tournament time rolled around that was a good solid team. so I know he can coach, question is why doesn't he all the time?
for me that is a issue between cal and his family. like rp cal is here to keep this program playing at a high level. yes of course we want a clean image. but things happen and that's when the AD and Pres step in and decide if the coach is worth keeping.
as far as cal under achieving at UK. I think their are some irrational fans who think we should win the title every year. but most like me feel like we should be in the hunt and get 1 every now and then.
some of you act like it's easy to win a title. lose and your out tournament on the biggest stage in coll ball brings the best out in most. yes cal has had talent. very young talent but none the less talent. and he has been on the door step of the biggest prize in coll basketball 4 times in 6 years winning 1. that's pretty impressive and not easy to do.
and not sure he had a ton of nba talent while at umass? but I could be wrong. last year going 38 and 1 in this day and time a lone is impressive. and in my opinion if he had went to a 7 to 8 man rotation and not let everyone eat he would of gotten his 2nd title.
to say he is stupid and a horrible coach is just soar grapes. if anything I think he is lazy when coaching. I believe he lets the talent run the game when coaching should. and he is a good coach. I did not think so until I watched him take that team with BK and Harrelson and over the year coach them up to the point when tournament time rolled around that was a good solid team. so I know he can coach, question is why doesn't he all the time?
Ah, now that you've made the edits to your post, I can at least understand it. I'm not defending Pitino. He defended himself against an extortionist. I'm commending him for taking a stand and owning his mistake. I'm really not surprised you don't understand the difference.
It means, UofL fans, and Louisville metro people cant keep their mouths shut.
uofk co-workers have told me Coach Pitino had dalliances while coaching at uofk.
They kept their mouths shut.
Cheating on his wife is bad, however its between them. They also might have an open
relationship. Its their business and no one elses.
Like the uofk fan alluded to. Cal has had his share of women who werent his wife.
Even rumors of sleeping with his current wife, while she was still married to former
NFL player Nolan Cromwell. Who C A R E S.
This is getting more OT, but as usual LPT fans can't resist taking the bait...
I wouldn't dub Pitino Lite "stupid"... Hell, he's parlayed great salesmanship and poor coaching skills into big money and fame. But I wouldn't argue strongly against the notion that he's stupid based on the basketball knowledge he puts on display. A head coach who asks his bench for permission to call a timeout in the NCAA tourney wouldn't instill in me a lotta confidence as a fan.
His postseason performance at LPT is largely a function of his tremendous recruiting advantage. Damn straight that Coach K has done a better job in that timeframe: two titles vs. one with less than half the number of five-star players. No one appreciates just how many five-star kids LPT signs until you look at the numbers...
That's a tremendous advantage that Pitino Lite has. And playing in the SEC, it means he always has an easier path to the championship as well, less tested, over seeded, etc. Amazing that he's only had one title with those advantages.
And I think that's what a U of L fan means when he says Pitino Lite is "stupid". How do you not win at least one more championship?
"Elite program", my a$$...
This is getting more OT, but as usual LPT fans can't resist taking the bait...
I wouldn't dub Pitino Lite "stupid"... Hell, he's parlayed great salesmanship and poor coaching skills into big money and fame. But I wouldn't argue strongly against the notion that he's stupid based on the basketball knowledge he puts on display. A head coach who asks his bench for permission to call a timeout in the NCAA tourney wouldn't instill in me a lotta confidence as a fan.
His postseason performance at LPT is largely a function of his tremendous recruiting advantage. Damn straight that Coach K has done a better job in that timeframe: two titles vs. one with less than half the number of five-star players. No one appreciates just how many five-star kids LPT signs until you look at the numbers...
That's a tremendous advantage that Pitino Lite has. And playing in the SEC, it means he always has an easier path to the championship as well, less tested, over seeded, etc. Amazing that he's only had one title with those advantages.
And I think that's what a U of L fan means when he says Pitino Lite is "stupid". How do you not win at least one more championship?
"Elite program", my a$$...
On the other side of the coin, how on earth can a coach start fresh every single year with a brand new lineup and continue to have great success? How can he keep getting to the final four with freshmen? Pitino himself said that he cannot do what Cal does. Nobody can. You can crunch numbers and look up stats all day long and it doesn't matter. ESPN just aired a UK practice live in the middle of football season. Not a game......Practice! He is a revolutionary. I get the rivalry but if you think Calipari is a failure then you are either jealous or a hater.
Siva and Behanan weren't all that great as freshmen. Aaron was rated higher than Booker. Could Rick have the same level of success with Cal's players?
Wait, I thought star athletes at big time programs don't need to pay for prostitutes because they can get girls whenever they want?
Gentlemen,
Coach Cal supported your coach and backed his integrity. No, it's not a conspiracy, or anything he had to do. I too have a lot of respect for CRP on the hardwood. Instead of brow beating and insulting Coach Cal I would worry about the omnipotent NCAA...and who is now the head of the NCAA infractions committee. JMHO.
Coach Cal supported your coach and backed his integrity. No, it's not a conspiracy, or anything he had to do. I too have a lot of respect for CRP on the hardwood. Instead of brow beating and insulting Coach Cal I would worry about the omnipotent NCAA...and who is now the head of the NCAA infractions committee. JMHO.
Yeah. I was talking about Kentucky. I don't see how that has anything to do with a big time program. #2ndinyourownstate
Lol - Zipp keeps toting that 5 star chart that would result in an F in any remedial community college stats course if using it to support the point he's making. By only accounting for the input and not the output of the system, he's attempting to make it look like UK has had twice as much talent as Duke on an average roster of the past 6 years. Anybody who takes the time to look at who Duke was starting/rotating over that period and averages out their star ratings from HS can see that such a claim would be beyond heinous. They both have 2, 3+ five stars coming off the bench most years - the difference is that up until recently K has replaced them less frequently.
What is so hard to understand about that concept? I don't begrudge you using stats to praise Rick's performance relative to incoming talent - you can make a perfectly sound argument just by comparing rosters based on average recruit ranking.
K just tied Cal for the most burger boys on one roster last year, Arizona was starting 4 burger boys and another four star, Self just had the 1 and 3 pick in the same draft - these guys all have close to 5 star averages across their rotation. Same is usually true of Roy, who held the lottery pick record before Cal, though he's hurting a bit for recruits now it seems.
Cal brings 'em in and out the fastest, but having a roster star average close to 5* is certainly not unique to him.
You've got guys like Cal, K, Roy, Self, Miller, who have average rotations of like 4.5-5*, then you have other great coaches like Pitino, Ryan, Beilein, Izzo who get great results with an average star rating more in the 3.5-4* range. Then other guys like Billy Donovan and Thad Matta are somewhere in the middle.
What is so hard to understand about that concept? I don't begrudge you using stats to praise Rick's performance relative to incoming talent - you can make a perfectly sound argument just by comparing rosters based on average recruit ranking.
K just tied Cal for the most burger boys on one roster last year, Arizona was starting 4 burger boys and another four star, Self just had the 1 and 3 pick in the same draft - these guys all have close to 5 star averages across their rotation. Same is usually true of Roy, who held the lottery pick record before Cal, though he's hurting a bit for recruits now it seems.
Cal brings 'em in and out the fastest, but having a roster star average close to 5* is certainly not unique to him.
You've got guys like Cal, K, Roy, Self, Miller, who have average rotations of like 4.5-5*, then you have other great coaches like Pitino, Ryan, Beilein, Izzo who get great results with an average star rating more in the 3.5-4* range. Then other guys like Billy Donovan and Thad Matta are somewhere in the middle.
4 Final Fours in 6 years is under performing!? Sign me up for some of that any time.
^This.
Weren't there even people writting articles about how UK was better than the 76ers and even how if they were in the NBA they'd be a playoff team? So you mean to tell me that this NBA playoff team lost to a college team yet Cow is not a failure?
Touting over 25 NBA draft picks in 6 years and only winning one title. Players staying over for a sleepover. Players talking back to their coach and doing whatever they want. Just rolling the ball out and letting them play streetball. Players not going to class. Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass. You and Cow can have that.
Just curious, but why do you assume Cal is the failure and not those making the expectations? Also, haven't you argued that UK plays a very weak SEC schedule and had an inflated record as a result, so wouldn't that further suggest that it was the "expectations" that were off, not the coaching?
No, I am saying they have basically fielded an NBA team the entire tenure of Cow. Your fans have said the same thing. Thus, not winning the title with an NBA roster for 6 years more than once is a huge failure. Has nothing to do with "expectations". I don't care what those are. You have an NBA roster every year. You have to win it more than once. In fact, Cow should have at least 3 if not 4 with the rosters he's had. Sorry, that's the facts Jack.
First, the argument is FIVE-star kids and wasting talent. These are also primarily your OAD kids.
Secondly, as usual with LPT fans, the facts don't support your position. From recruiting classes between 2009 and 2014--starting with Pitino Lite's first season and ending the year kids have used at least one year of college eligibility--LPT has signed 24 five-star kids and Duke has signed 9.
During that time frame, LPT's five-star kids have played a total of 36 seasons. A couple like Ulis and Lee may yet add to that number before they turn pro.
Duke's same kids played 17 years. And none of their five-star guys from those classes are still around to add to that number.
If you ratio the total years played by the number of players, you get the average number of years a five-star kid plays for each school. For LPT, that number is 36/24 or 1.50. For Duke, the number is 17/9 or 1.89. Again, the LPT ratio will increase if Ulis or Lee hangs around past this coming season. The ratios show that the average Duke kid stays around one-third of a season longer than his LPT counterpart.
BTW, I also counted Rasheed Sulaimon as having played a full third season at Duke which he did not.
So, what we basically have here is another LPT fan with his head up his a$$.
"Elite program", my a$$...
Not to mention from 2009-2014:
5 star signees, Kentucky- 24= 1 NCAA Title
5 star signees, Louisville- 1. = 1 NCAA Title
I think we know what Rick would have done with 24 five star guys in that time frame. He would have kicked 5 or 6 dirtbags like Bledsoe, Cousins and Terrance Jones off the team for bad behavior and still won 3 more National Titles.
Wait, are you saying Pitino would've won 4 titles in 6 years at UK with the talent Cal has had?
Pitino had a boatload of talent when he coached at UK. He also lost games in the tournament UK should've won.
95 against UNC in the elite 8, 97 championship game, 94 against Marquette.
The best team doesn't always win, coaches make mistakes, and teams deep in the tournament are usually pretty tough.
No I said he would have won 4 titles at UofL. Thanks Bill for contributing though.
Holy lord you guys have a lot of free time! All these numbers and all these stats and bar graphs and math means NOTHING. At some point you have to get your eyes off the calculator and point them at the court. UK is in the middle of one of the best runs in college basketball history. You're using stats to bolster an argument that it isn't happening. This is what trash talk in this rivalry has become and it's weird. In the last 7 years UK and UL are the kings of college basketball. Multiple final fours in a tight stretch is a hell of a thing. Toss around stats all day long but the truth is UK is killing it. Duke is killing it. As a matter of fact your cardinals are right there with us. Who cares about all these numbers and ratios? I can turn on the tv and see three teams getting it done and I don't even need to draw up an equation. More common sense and less saber-metrics. This rivalry deserves better!
I would simply argue the stats provided are proof that Calipari is a much better recruiter than a coach. Pitino is a much better coach than recruiter, and coach K (since you mentioned Duke) is pretty damn good at both.
I think you make some good points here. The only thing I will disagree with is Cal's coaching ability. Yes he is a better recruiter than a coach but that's only because he's such a great recruiter.
Now as far as coaching, it's not like he's getting beat by chump teams early in the tournament. Heck, Duke has lost twice recently in the tournament to non FBS teams such as Mercer. How many times has KU lost early in the tournament with a stacked team? Happened to the great Louisville a few years ago too. Losing close games to UConn in the title game and FF and losing to Wisconsin last year in the FF with the team they had is not something Cal should hang his head about. Yeah, 2010 was a sure title team and they lost to WVa but is that as bad as Duke losing to Mercer with coach K running the team? I don't think so, Wva was a 2 seed and played a style that was something UK couldn't solve.
Any coach that can get to 4 final fours in 6 years can't be labeled a bad or even mediocre coach. He's still a great coach trying to win with young players. There's a reason RP isn't trying it. It's hard.
