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Whether You Like It Or Not, You Listen To John Calipari

By Michael Whitlow

Apr 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks during a press conference for the 2015 NCAA Men
Apr 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks during a press conference for the 2015 NCAA Men /
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John Calipari is easily the most polarizing figure in college sports.

When it comes to college basketball’s recruiting king, you’re bound to find and hear so many differing opinions on the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.

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Actually, let’s stop there.

“John Calipari, the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.”

The head of the most successful college basketball program of all-time (depending on whether you measure success with UCLA’s reign under the great John Wooden) isn’t liked? Shocking.

Even before Calipari arrived in Lexington before the 2009-10 season, you either liked John Calipari or you despised him. During his days at Massachusetts and Memphis, both programs found themselves vacating Final Four appearances and victories after his departure.

Calipari was seen by many as “college basketball’s bad boy” with infractions by Massachusetts big man Marcus Camby, taking $28,000 from two different agents, and superstar point guard Derrick Rose, not taking the SAT Exam before arriving at Memphis for his lone season.

But, he also became the “cool kid on the block” in the eyes of recruits when he was hired on to save the Kentucky program from utter disaster after the dismal Billy Gillispie era concluded.

Calipari has recruited seven classes during his time with Kentucky. Per ESPN’s RecruitingNation class rankings, Kentucky has had the top class five times, along with finishing second in the two other instances (2012 and 2014).

As soon as Calipari arrived, the likes of now-NBA All-Stars John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis wanted a part of the “greatest tradition in college basketball.”

In six seasons with the Wildcats, John Calipari has won 83.3 percent(!) of his games (190-38) with four Final Four appearances, including a national title in 2012 with Davis as his All-American leader.

With all of that being said, why is John Calipari making headlines as the days towards the college basketball season inch closer?

A Twitter user (@Lisa4UK) recorded this video from a recent Calipari interview, and in the short clip, Calipari mentions that he felt some of his kids were relieved that they fell two games short of perfection in last year’s Final Four against Wisconsin.

“Now that I can look back, hindsight, I would say it probably would’ve been better if we lose a game,” Calipari said. “When we lost to Wisconsin — we were up four with five minutes to go — when we lost to Wisconsin, some guys were relieved in that locker room.”

I know you’re probably thinking, “How in the hell could ANYONE be relieved that you didn’t complete a perfect season and win a championship?”

My answer to you would be, “You can’t. It has to be one of the most devastating feelings ever. To be that close and not finish the job has to sting.”

Remember Andrew Harrison‘s thoughts on Frank Kaminsky during Kentucky’s post-game press conference right after the loss in Indianapolis back in April?

WARNING: NSFW language is used in the clip below.

The dejection on their faces is quite noticeable. There’s no question about that. For a bulk of those kids, it was easily one of the hardest things they’ve ever had to go through in their short time living life.

BUT, let me remind you of something.

There is no college basketball program in the country like Kentucky, period.

How am I so sure? I attended Kentucky for two years. Now of course, I give credit for Mark Stoops for trying to turn around a deflated football program, but nobody in the city of Lexington, or the state of Kentucky, cares about anything (other than maybe bourbon on a Saturday night) more than basketball. “Big Blue Nation” eats, breathes, sleeps, and camps out for Kentucky hoops.

That’s just what everyone in the state is raised to do (unless you’re a Louisville fan, obviously).

Having said that, the pressure that these 17- and 18-year-old kids have to go through playing for the program is indescribable. For their opening practice of the year, better known as “Big Blue Madness,” 24,000-plus fans file into Rupp Arena to watch these kids SCRIMMAGE against each other. People camp out for days trying to get tickets for the first look at the Wildcat roster.

Plus, all seven stars on the 2013-14 Kentucky roster that were draft-eligible are now on NBA rosters and will make millions of dollars.

So, when you think about the entirety of the situation, Calipari isn’t that crazy, right?

Grantland writer Danny Chau wrote a really good piece on John Calipari earlier in the week, and what I loved so much about the piece is, his first sentence might be the most effective sentence in the entire article.

Chau simply wrote, “It’s different when John Calipari says things.”

That’s probably one of the truest sentences I have ever heard or seen about John Calipari. It is different when Calipari says things.

An excerpt from Chau’s piece:

"Within the framework of amateur athletics as it currently stands, Calipari is damn near omnipotent. You know this already. He is the antihero vigilante exploiting the system for the betterment of his school, his players, and himself. At the 2015 NBA Draft, sitting close enough to see Cal walk out of Barclays Center with a stack of four NBA team caps before the end of the lottery, it was hard not to be in awe of the big blue monolith he’s created. So, yeah. He says things, we listen. He knows we do."

Last week on the ESPNU College Basketball Podcast, Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg spoke to Calipari, and in typical Calipari fashion, he said,

"“This year’s recruiting class, where we’re in the middle of right now, could be one of our best ever,” Calipari said. “The kids that I’m seeing, that we’re involved with, that I feel really good about. This could be our best class ever. And that’s a pretty scary statement coming from who we’ve been able to recruit over the last 25 years.”"

This is the same guy that coached John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins in the same season and coached the 2012 NBA Draft’s top two selections to a championship. He coached SIX McDonald’s All-Americans on the same roster in another campaign.

I already know there’s that one person out there saying, “This guy is full of (expletive).”

And my response to that would be, “But you’re listening, right?”

Next: Ranking Each No. 1 Recruit in CBB Since 2005

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