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ICYMI: John Calipari Enters the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

By Chris Godfrey

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Like him or hate him…the man can flat out coach.

This seems to be the prevailing narrative when college basketball fans invoke the name of John Calipari.

The current coach of the Kentucky Wildcats has built national contenders at UMass and Memphis before creating a juggernaut of a program in Lexington.

While much of his career has been mired in controversy, supporters of Coach Cal can always hang their hat on the fact that he has never been convicted of wrong doing by the NCAA.

What he has done has proven to be a master of player management, sending numerous players to the next level no matter where he has been.

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    • At UMass, he turned Marcus Camby into a household name before heading to Memphis to do the same for Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. Even Chris Douglas-Roberts, a lightly regarded prospect in comparison to Calipari’s usual All-America charges, still found his way to the NBA under the tutelage of Calipari.

    At Kentucky, Calipari has steered clear of NCAA watchdogs and has finally allowed his results to do the talking. He continues to set records for success in the win column and on NBA Draft Night, where he has almost become an honorary emcee for the evening.

    Since leaving Memphis to become the savior of the Big Blue Nation, it’s amazing to think that he’s only won a single national championship. However, he has been to the Final Four on four separate occasions in his six years as coach, fielding a team that has been a threat to win it all almost every season.

    Friday night, Calipari entered the hallowed halls of Springfield flanked by a small army of former players (64 according to ESPN), coaches, and friends who came to pay homage to the man who perfected the dribble-drive motion offense.

    He was officially welcomed into his sport’s most elite fraternity by Larry Brown, Pat Riley, and Julius Erving (unfortunately, the good doctor wasn’t able to be present for the ceremony).

    Despite already reaching the pinnacle of his profession, Coach Cal still has a lot left in the tank. He’s been adamant about the fact that he plans to continue coaching, and he still carries a youthful exuberance about him despite his many years logged in the profession.

    He will try to add to his Hall of Fame legacy this season behind the senior leadership (I can’t believe I just typed that) of Alex Poythress and the presence of another loaded recruiting class.

    Next: Wolfpack Grab Five-Star Point Guard Dennis Smith Jr.

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