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A Q&A with Kentucky Coach John Calipari
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#1 Yesterday, 07:54 PM
WildcatRick
Administrator Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Beaver Dam, Ky USA
Posts: 11,242


A Q&A with Kentucky Coach John Calipari

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It has been a big year for John Calipari. In spring, he left Memphis for one of the most storied programs in college basketball history, Kentucky. Three weeks later, he landed the No. 1 recruit in the nation. More recently, his latest book, Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. And he’s out front - as far as college coaches go - in the social media revolution, with a large following on Facebook and on twitter. His next logical step? An interview with a blog.

Some topics, however, were off limits. Feeling that he had spoken enough about the Derrick Rose SAT situation (for instance here, 6:15 mark) and because the case is in the appeal process, Calipari refused to take questions via email about Rose. Calipari also passed on a question about package deals, declined to talk about what “Bouncing Back” must be like for his new coaching rival, Rick Pitino, and he didn’t want to address the fact that he was a tremendous free throw shooter in his playing days, yet his Memphis teams shot free throws poorly.

Q: Your book – which made both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times best seller lists and is now in its seventh printing - is titled “Bounce Back,” so let’s start with the obvious … how do you bounce back from the loss in the 2008 National Title game? Up by nine with about 2:12, and losing in overtime … is that the kind of game where you don’t sleep for a few nights? Go on an instant vacation? How did you bounce back in the days and weeks following the loss?

Calipari: As I discuss in the book, I was able to handle the title game loss precisely because of what I went through when I was fired by the New Jersey Nets. You realize pretty quickly that it’s not about you. I had a locker room full of players, coaches and staff that needed to understand that not matter how much the loss hurt at that moment, that they had been part of an unbelievable team and a true dream season. I had to take of care of my basketball family and then my real family – I didn’t even think of myself for several days. By that point, I had reconciled that things happened for a reason. Fate intervenes in our lives all the time.
We got back to Memphis and there was a huge crowd there waiting for us and that helped to start the “recovery.” In “Bounce Back” there’s a theme we get into about “getting out from under the covers.” After the Nets firing, my wife, Ellen, had to rip the covers off of me. After the Kansas game, I got out from under the covers on my own. I went right back out and started recruiting. You can’t hide – it sends the wrong message.

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#2 Yesterday, 10:10 PM
freethrow
Blueblood Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: louisville, Kentucky, USA
Posts: 5,774

Q&A with Coach Cal

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I like reading his last comment. I hope he stays for a long while.

Q: Would you coach in the NBA again? I don’t want to sit here and say absolutely not. You never know. BUT, I’ve got a job that’s just about on par with any other NBA job. I would say the chances are I won’t because of where I’m coaching now. I’m at Kentucky. It’s the Meccva. If I was at another job not as high profile as this, maybe I would be more inclined to think about the NBA. But Kentucky? Are you serious? There’s maybe two or three NBA jobs on par with the Kentucky job. Maybe.

http://thebiglead.com/?p=24399


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