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Calipari works more magic with Kentucky fans

Sep 12, 2010, 10:03 PM EDT

6 Comments

Ed Reinke/AP

Ever wonder why Kentucky fans love John Calipari so much?

Is it the on-court results (35 wins, an SEC title and a trip to the Elite Eight)? The recruiting hauls (three-straight No. 1 classes)? The elevation of the program into 24/7 news coverage? Well, yeah. Those are pretty good reasons.

But there’s something more – like the complete embrace of the Big Blue Nation.

Consider this story from the Louisville Courier-Journal. Calipari’s been making the rounds the last two weeks on a book tour (he sells books, does a meet-and-greet with fans) and stopped to wish

Dr. Gifford Blyton, a 102-year-old Kentucky fan and a season ticket holder the past 62 years, a happy birthday. That’ll earn you some points among the BBN.

“You give money, and you’re giving a fraction of what you have,” Calipari said last week. “But when you give your time, you’re giving everything.”

Mike Miller’s also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller, usually talkin’ hoops. Click here for more.

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  1. Ben - Sep 13, 2010 at 10:10 AM

    Huh, kinda funny that there is nobody here talking trash about Calipari… People only want to believe the bad stuff.

  2. William the Conqueror - Sep 13, 2010 at 3:27 PM

    I have the utmost respect for the Kentucky basketball program; however, you Kentucky fans just don’t get it. This man will win games, players will lose their scholarships in order to bring in better players, players will not graduate and when the time comes, your program will be bereft in NCAA violations. Then Kentucky will settle back into sanctions that will take years to erase.
    This is what Calipari will do to your great school. And, he will leave for another big payday somewhere else; maybe back to the pros.
    Enjoy the ride while it lasts, but I sure would rather see the Kentucky of old, than the Kentucky of today.

  3. Ryan the William defeater - Sep 13, 2010 at 5:16 PM

    Hey William the “repeat the same old lines” clone. You don’t get it. Repeating the same tired line that UK will be left with sanctions that takes years to erase is a farce. Since you and all the other Calipari & UK haters love to bring up the past, when has that happened? Last time I checked, Memphis is just fine. Sure, they weren’t as good as the season before with Cal, but they had a new coach, and a top 5 recruiting class coming in this year. They will be back in the NCAA tournament this year. UMASS sucked before Calipari got there, and they are no worse than they were before he coached there.
    You and all the others that take the stance that one man, John Calipari, can bring down UK basketball is just laughable. Eddie Sutton (in the Kentucky of old I might add) racked up the NCAA violations, and Rick Pitino had them winning it all 5 or 6 years later. NOTHING IS BIGGER THAN BIG BLUE NATION- YOU DON’T GET IT AND YOU NEVER WILL.

  4. William the Conqueror - Sep 14, 2010 at 10:27 AM

    Ryan;
    We’ll see what happens to your vaunted UK basketball program after Coach Calipari gets done with it.
    I hope that I’m wrong about the guy, but tigers don’t change their stripes.
    By the way, Pastner at Memphis is a follower of Calipari. I just wonder how many players will graduate from his program? And, you are correct, U Mass has never been as good as when Calipari was there, but they also don’t have sanctions hanging all over their program.
    My gripe with Coach Calipari has nothing to do with recruiting or the violations that some day will come; I have a problem with running players off your team for better players and not graduating or attempting to graduate players from your team. This is a travesty of his position. Coaches have a responcibility to the parents of the student/athlete and the athlete himself to make sure he goes to class and gets his diploma after his four years of play.
    As a former D-1 basketball player, I feel it is a sad day when players are thrown away like trash when a year or two before, these same coaches wine and dine you and tell your parents that they will make sure you get help, if needed, to graduate in four years.
    I, fortunately, went to school at a very well known academic and basketball powerhouse. I graduated with a degree in Business with a 3.0 cumulative average. And, I’ve had a very good business career. I only want to see student/athletes get a degree, so they can support their families after their basketball or any athletic career is over.
    Certificates of attendance do no one any good.

  5. FREE ENES - Sep 14, 2010 at 10:34 PM

    Yes it is a real shame that cal didn’t let John wall Demarcus cousins and the rest of last years 1st round picks finish up school and earn a degree. He ran them off to the NBA where they will make millions. What a jerk!

  6. memphis tiger fan - Sep 28, 2010 at 10:49 AM

    its true Cal will try to coach he will hire good assistants to coach and he will keep bringing in players to play for one yr and then there gone and one other thing he will do is get QUOTE BBN in trouble the man isnt a coach he has NOOOOOOOOOO FINAL 4 on his resume because HE IS A CHEATER THAT GETS CAUGHT and when he does it there dont come on here crying

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