John Calipari turned his cellphone off for the weekend and returned to a whole bunch of missed calls and textual content messages following Kentucky‘s loss to Oakland within the NCAA Match. He feels about the way you’d anticipate the chief of this program to really feel when it hasn’t been to a second weekend in 5 years with two first-round exits in three tries.
“Have had higher weekends, hurting. Our group, gamers and employees, their households, we’re all hurting. I’m hurting for them, however I’m hurting,” he stated throughout his call-in radio present. “I’m hurting for our followers. I do know many followers on the market are hurting. Nobody is hurting greater than me proper now.”
He’s hurting as a result of he is aware of Kentucky is just not residing as much as its requirements underneath his watch, one which calls for annual excellence — no excuses. That’s not what that is and it’s not what it’s been.
“Now we have a normal right here. I stated early on, they don’t put Last 4 banners up, solely nationwide championship banners,” Calipari stated. “My customary is we’re enjoying to play deep into the NCAA Match and compete for nationwide titles, win nationwide titles. I wished this job figuring out that was the case. I like this job figuring out that was the case. I’ve by no means left this job. That’s what the usual is for me.
“… We’re not altering the usual and we’re chasing what we chase right here, which is championships.”
In his personal phrases, that’s simply one thing you settle for whenever you take this job. The highs are excessive and the lows are low. And sadly for him, the lows have been infinitely extra constant than the highs as of late.
“There’s a customary right here. And it’s a excessive customary. For those who play or coach right here, you’ve obtained to know what that customary is and adore it, relish it. It’s laborious,” he added. “And likewise should you lose a recreation, I imply, our followers are engaged however they’re additionally engaged whenever you lose.”
That’s why he’s dedicated to turning this factor round, irrespective of how laborious he has to work for it. Calipari says he desires to show he can nonetheless do “one thing particular” because the chief of this program.
Not anyplace else, right here.
“I talked about the usual, that’s the usual that I consider in, that I feel we will do. That customary of nationwide titles has been right here, from Coach (Adolph) Rupp on,” he stated. “The one factor that I’m saying to all our followers, you already know I’m gonna work. I’m gonna work for this state, work for this program and this college. Actually work for these younger individuals. And that’s my dedication. I’m not altering, 24/7, let’s go. Whether or not it’s recruiting, all of the stuff that we’ve obtained to do, that’s the dedication that I give to the followers and I haven’t modified.
“That is like carrying a coat, it by no means goes away. However I adore it, that is what I would like. That is what I wished, that is why I by no means left. That is it. Now it’s, let’s come collectively and let’s go do one thing. Let’s do one thing particular, we will do it. We’ve completed it, let’s do it once more.”