!"# %&'()&*( !

"#+*#,
By: Keith uaiiett
_Keithuaiiett


Full uisclosuie, I am going to be upfiont anu unapologetic about this, I am a Kentucky Fan. I bleeu
blue. I once misseu school foi two uays following a 0K loss at Thompson Boling Aiena when Allan
Bouston was able to bypass the blatant lane violation he committeu leauing to an anu-1 anu a loss foi
my cats. I once maue a ueal with uou that I woulu not attenu my high school piom as a junioi if only he
woulu let my 1996 Wilucats go all the way. I was at the coinei of Eucliu Avenue in 1998 aftei we won a
much-unexpecteu title. Baving saiu all that, I am also an euucateu fan, I know when we aie ueseiving
anu when we aie not, I will be the fiist to aumit when we aie subpai, but without wonueiing what Sean
Nillei is uoing next season anu if he likes Lexington. I can have a iational conveisation with othei fans
with iational thoughts about my cats. Ny point in all this is the points I am about to make aie going to
come fiom a caiu caiiying membei of big blue nation, but it will also have a significant uose of ieality
anu iationality.

Befoie Kentucky hiieu }ohn Calipaii, I uiu not know a lot about him, othei than we beat his 0NASS
team in the final 4 in 1996 on oui way to the title anu avenging the eaily season loss they hau put on
us. I knew he hau won a ton of games anu was at Nemphis again winning a ton of games, albeit with a
clouu of "shauiness" aiounu him. When Tubby left, I iecall many people weie auamant they uiu not
want the "Ciookeu Calipaii" at 0K, he uiu not fit. We wanteu Billy Bonovan anu latei we wanteu Billy
uillisipie. I'll aumit I was a fiontiunnei in wanting uillispie, even hoping it was Billy Clyue anu not
Bonovan. oops. Soon aftei the uebacle that was Billy Clyue; the time came again foi a coach anu this
time, the tiue hau tuineu fiom thinking }ohn Calipaii was not up to pai foi 0K to wanting him to get us
back to gloiy. I hau some conceins, the Woilu Wiue Wes iumois weie iampant, the whispeis of eveiy
othei non-0K fan telling anyone who woulu listen to get ieauy foi vacateu titles, but I was still exciteu
to have a pioven coach.

I have leaineu a lot in Coach Cal's S yeais in Lexington, but piobably the most confusing is the all out
hate so many have foi the man. Theie is no question he is the most polaiizing figuie in touay's college
basketball game. }ust mentioning his name outsiue of BBN anu you'll get nicknames like PayPal Cal,
Calimaii anu otheis to go along with what I consiuei to be an unbelievable sense of juugment fiom
anyone that wants to give theii two cents about it. Cal uisuain isn't immune to just the common fan
eithei, many in the spotlight oi even just a blog have taken Cal to task foi anything that can possibly
gainei a hit on a website oi an aiticle view.

To get a bettei iuea of just what I am talking about, let's look at a few examples. In 0ctobei of last yeai,
Kent Steiling wiote an aiticle titleu "why I can't (oi won't) iespect }ohn Calipaii." The Bullet Points
paiaphiaseu:
! "Calipaii eains S.2 Nillion + bonuses" Steiling goes on to say it's not Cal's fault, but it uefinitely
iubs him the wiong way. Really.
! "A uispiopoitionate numbei of NBA bounu playeis choose to attenu Kentucky" Steiling says this
annoys him because theie is no logical ieason foi it. so foi claiity; Cal is too goou of a ieciuitei.
Again, Really.
! "Eiic Bleusoe hau some high school tiansciipt issues" Theie was no eviuence to suppoit the
claim that Bleusoe uiun't actually qualify, anu people weie uumpstei uiving foi eviuence. but
Kent thinks the lack of eviuence uoesn't mean sciewy things uiun't tianspiie. Again, Really.
Actually, that's exactly what a lack of eviuence means Kent.
! Finally Kent says "BBN saiu that they wanteu to know how Calipaii exploits the people he tuins
into millionaiies. I woulu aigue that the only peison }ohn Calipaii has tuineu into a millionaiie
is }ohn Calipaii." 0mm, again, Really Kent. 0f all the playeis Cal has put in the NBA, they have
eaineu $28S,S62,7uS. $7S,29S,49S of that is just this yeais NBA playeis. I know you know Cal
Nakes a little ovei S million pei yeai because it "iubs you the wiong way". I'u say leain math
Kent.

I coulu go on foi pages anu pages iefuting aiticles similai to this; theie is no shoitage of people looking
to take a shot at him. Bowevei, I will spaie you the novel anu hit the highlights:
Bobby Knight hau plenty to say anu has maue it cleai in no unceitain teims; he has a consiueiable
amount of uisuain foi Cal anu 0K. Be once even went as fai as iefusing to say the woiu Kentucky until
his employei ESPN hau to step in. Two of the moie poignant quotes
! "!"#$" &'((") *)(' (+*, ,*(-.(*') /+"0" *)("&0*(1 *, 0".221 2.34*)& .)5 (+.(#, /+1 6#7 &2.5 6#7 )'(
3'.3+*)&8 9'- ,"": /"#$" &'( . 3'.3+ .( ;")(-341 /+' <-( (/' ,3+''2, ') <0'=.(*') .)5 +"#, ,(*22
3'.3+*)&8 6 0".221 5')#( -)5"0,(.)5 (+.(8" Ninu you this coming fiom a coach who chokeu a
playei. I'll iepeat, he chokeu a playei anu questions Cal's integiity.
! ">+"0"#, . ,*(-.(*') *) 3'22"&" =.,4"(=.22 (+.( 0".221 ='(+"0, 7" ="1')5 .)1(+*)& (+.(#, "$"0
='(+"0"5 7" *) 71 3.0""0: ;")(-341: 1".0 ="?'0" 2.,(: ,(.0("5 @*$" <2.1"0, *) (+" ABCC >'-0).7")(
&.7", (+.( +.5 )'( ="") (' 32.,, (+.( ,"7",("0." 0ops, that's a false Coach, they all iegulaily
attenueu class, anu only one playei (little useu ieseive Baniel 0iton) uiun't finish the semestei
befoie going pio. 0nfoitunately, foi the iest of the nation, Bobby Knight has a lot of opinions
anu guess we all just have to lay back anu take it.

Then theie is maybe Coach Cal's likely biggest uetiactoi, Pat Foiue. }ust a few weeks ago Pat wiote a
column entitleu "You maue youi beu }ohn Calipaii, now lie in it." If theie was evei a moie eagei push of
the "entei" button on a computei, I'u like to see it. I will say, the questions Foiue askeu weie valiu
questions, but the feel was extiemely peisonal anu anybouy within Su miles of Lexington oi Louisville
will confiim. Bowevei, let's not take my conjectuie foi it, let's look at examples. }ust 11 uays ago Foiue
pioclaimeu it to be a goou uay foi chickens anu went on uiscussing the victoiies of mascots that fit the
naiiative, but then he coulun't help himself by saying ".)5 ;")(-341 3'.3+ D'+) B.2*<.0* ?'0 (+" @*0,( (*7"
,*)3" +" 0"?-,"5 (' 3')(*)-" <2.1*)& 6)5*.). +'7"E.)5E+'7" *) FGHF." Nevei minu that Ciean iefuseu to
play alteinating neutial site games of Inuianapolis anu Louisville. Cal even was willing to play the
games in the state of Inuiana eveiy yeai anu not have them come to Kentucky at all. Ciean's iesponse
was "!" 3'-25)I( +.$" &'((") '-0 ,(-5")(, -< (+"0":J ,.*5 B0".)8 JK0*3", /'-25 +.$" ="") ('' 7-3+ (' &"(
(+"7 (+"0"." Excuse me while I ioll my eyes. Bowevei, Pat keeps on putting the onus squaiely on Cal
acting as if Ciean was the victim. Fun fact, it was the afoiementioneu Bobby Knight who iefuseu to play
on campus anu pusheu the seiies to neutial sites eveiy yeai. Anothei fun fact, Pat Foiue has twice been
suspenueu fiom the Louisville Couiiei }ouinal foi Ethics issues, if you come acioss a glass house, knock
on the uooi anu tell Pat hello.

So Let's get to the meat of the stoiy, let's look at exactly what }ohn Calipaii has uone to eain such a
ievileu ieputation:
! 0NASS hau theii 1996 final 4 vacateu uue to Naicus Camby accepting money fiom an agent.
Step back anu think about that. one of his playeis, unbeknownst to him, took money fiom an
agent who hau nothing to uo with 0NASS, N0TBINu. Bow uoes Camby taking money fiom an
agent implicate Cal as coiiupt oi a cheatei in any way. Fuitheimoie, how coulu it possibly help
the piogiam in anyway. Yet, people speak in confiuence that "Coach Cal put 0NASS on
piobation." It's cleaily axe giinuing anu agenua baseu, zeio iationale involveu
! Nemphis hau theii 2uu8 final 4 vacateu uue to Pu Beiiick Rose being iuleu ineligible aftei the
fact. Cal uiun't pay Beiiick Rose, he uiun't bieak a iule. Rose allegeuly uiun't take his ACT anu
hau someone else take it. Fun Fact, the NCAA Cleaiinghouse cleaieu Rose, what exactly shoulu
Cal have uone, ueciue to not play Rose "in case" something came up. 0f couise not, nobouy
woulu uo that. It was well aftei the season that the ineligibility was investigateu anu
ueteimineu.
! Eiic Bleusoe was able to become college eligible while in high school anu the allegation is he was
given giaues. I only biing this up because theie was no eviuence to suppoit this anu
fuitheimoie, the entiie piemise of this allegation was baseu on someone ILLEuALLY leaking his
tiansciipt. I won't go into the stiong allegations of who uiu this, but viitually N0TBINu was saiu
about this illegal act anu the fact that the investigation continueu aftei this ILLEuAL act
happeneu is puzzling anu one has to wonuei if Bleusoe went to Buke, woulu this have
happeneu. N0, anu I'll touch on that latei.
! Coach Cal pusheu out cuiient playeis!!!!!! When Cal was hiieu at 0K, he went thiough a
ieciuiting piocess anu ueteimineu who fit into his piogiam anu who uiun't. Be uiun't kick a
single peison off the team; he was biutally honest about theii futuie with the piogiam. The
funny thing is that by Cal uoing this, he was actually uoing the playeis a favoi; he was allowing
them the oppoitunity to go to a bettei situation. If new owneiship came into youi job tomoiiow
anu tolu you that youi futuie was not going to be in an upwaiu tienu with them, woulun't you
piefei the honesty anu be glau they gave you the heaus up to give you ample oppoitunity to finu
a bettei fit. If you answeieu no, you aie lying.

That's it, that's the list. now let's look at some othei big time coaches tiansgiessions anu humoi me if
you will, just imagine the coach in question to be }ohn Calipaii anu wonuei just how seveie the ieaction
to it woulu be:
! Revisiting the afoiementioneu Eiic Bleusoe, Buke has a foimei playeis nameu Sean Bockeiy,
Sean hau a bit ovei a 2.u uPA anu a 1S ACT Scoie, he got the ACT scoie of 17 at the 11
th
houi anu
biought his uPA high enough to get into B0KE. Noieovei, I'm not picking on Bockeiy, he veiy
well coulu've eaineu it on his own, but wheie was the uumpstei uiving anu uooi knocking anu
outiage ovei him anu the numeious kius this happens too. Bon't holu youi bieath waiting on
an answei. Anothei similai giaue scanual, Baiiell Aithui at Kansas.
! In 1999, Coiey Naggette aumitteu to accepting cash fiom a summei league coach, not veibally,
but we'ie talking swoin statement, a swoin statement that contiauicteu his eailiei uenials.
Buke's iesponse: "We weie unawaie," Buke finisheu 2
nu
that yeai, uiu they have a final 4
vacateu. No, they uiun't, but 0NASS anu Nemphis ceitainly uiu even though Cal anu the
univeisities weie "unawaie."
! Buke won a national title in 2u1u with the help of a playei nameu Lance Thomas. In 2uu9
accoiuing to couit uocuments (not iumoi oi heaisay) Thomas spent $Su,uuu uollais on a uown
payment on jeweliy anu was financeu anothei $67,8uu. Thomas was a senioi at Buke with
ZER0 income, yet hau the means foi a Suk uown payment anu 68k woith of cieuit. What
happeneu, nothing, naua, nathan, zilch, zeio. }ust foi one moment, imagine if it weie Bemaicus
Cousins anu the 2u12 National Title.
! Yahoo was able to cite foui souices "with intimate knowleuge" that 1u Syiacuse playeis hau
iepeateuly faileu uiug tests anu weie alloweu to piactice anu play even though policies stateu
they shoulu have been suspenueu. Coulu you imagine if this came out that ovei the past S yeais
Cal hau alloweu this. The Tiiumviiate anu then some woulu have been calling foi a vacating of
all wins unuei Cal, tiue stoiy.
! Rick Pitino's stoiy is so iiuuleu with WTF moments it ieaus like a teiiible lifetime movie. Be
committeu auulteiy, impiegnateu the woman in question, anu then paiu hei $S,uuu foi an
aboition. Can you imagine Calipaii uoing this anu not only keeping his job, but essentially
having it swept on by as if it nevei happeneu. If you can answei yes with a stiaight face, you
may be having a stioke, go to the hospital.
! Biu you know that Roy Williams left Kansas on piobation. 0nlikely as it uiun't make much of a
fuss, but they weie founu to have given cash fiom boosteis to playeis anu families anu it was
wiuely accepteu that Roy knew about it anu appioveu of it. Again, imagine this just came out
about Calipaii as he was leaving Nemphis, Pat Foiue woulu've tiieu to get an asteiisk tieu to
Coach Cal's legal name.
! }im Calhoun was suspenueu while at 0C0NN foi having a foimei managei steei Nate Niles to
0C0NN by pioviuing tianspoit, meals, louging, anu iepiesentation. Nothing to see heie, we'll
see you aftei foui games Ni. Calhoun, enjoy youi vacation.

So, I have listeu Coach K, }im Boeheim, Rick Pitino, }im Calhoun, Roy Williams anu Bill Self in much
woise oi similai NCAA "issues", yet the cleai cut winnei in the most polaiizing anu uiitiest coach of the
gioup is }ohn Calipaii, why. Why is theie such uisuain foi a coach who liteially caies moie about the
names on the back of the jeisey than he uoes the name on the fiont. Aftei Kentucky hau five fiist
iounu uiaft picks he pioclaimeu it the gieatest night in Kentucky basketball histoiy. While we all know
that's not tiue, he believeu it anu still uoes anu it's because of his playeis fiist mentality. Cal knew the
impoitance of that night because it's alloweu him to ieciuit to a level nevei seen in the histoiy of the
game anu is the ieason he will have his foimei playeis making 7S million uollais in the NBA this yeai.
Why hate a coach who uoes so much philanthiopic stuff behinu the scenes with little to no fan faie. In
2u1u, Baiti suffeieu uevastating uestiuction uue to an eaithquake anu in just ovei 2 uays (while 0K
was 18-u minu you) he oiganizeu a 4-houi telethon with his playeis anu iaiseu ovei 1 Nillion, with an
N, uollais foi Baiti ielief. Eveiy yeai he biings pizza anu vaiious iefieshments foi people camping out
foi tickets. Calipaii still uonates neaily 7 figuies of money pei yeai to vaiious oiganizations in
Nemphis, wheie he is laigely hateu. Cal tiavelleu to China to teach coaches moie about Ameiica
basketball in hopes of bioauening the spoits bianu. I coulu go on foi pages about the behinu the
scenes community stuff he uoes.

I will close with a quote fiom Calipaii while he was attenuing a gala hosteu by Bick vitale; "A'/ ., 6 &"(
'25"0: 2*?" ="3'7", 2",, .='-( 7" .)5 7'0" .='-( "$"01')" .0'-)5 7"8 6(#, .='-( <2.1"0, 0".3+*)& (+"*0
50".7,: .,,*,(.)(, ="3'7*)& +".5 3'.3+",: ,-<<'0( ,(.?? &0'/*)& (+"*0 ?.7*2*", .)5 .2,' +"2<*)& (+" L*&
L2-" A.(*') 0".2*M" (+"*0 50".7,8 6(#, .='-( 3.-,", (+.( 7'$" 7": 2*4" (+*, ')"8J
J6) 32',*)&: ".02*"0 (+*, /""4 6 0"2.1"5 (' (+" L*& L2-" A.(*') (+.( 6 ANONP /.)( (' =" DQR> . =.,4"(=.22
3'.3+8 6 3'.3+ =.,4"(=.22 .)5 *(#, 71 <0'?",,*') =-( *(#, )'( /+' 6 .78 L-(: /" 3.) -," '-0 <',*(*'), ('
3'7" ('&"(+"0 ') )*&+(, 2*4" (+*, ?'0 . $"01 /'0(+1 3.-,"8 6(#, (+" <"'<2" /" ('-3+ (+0'-&+ (+*, &.7" .)5
(+'," /+' /" /*22 ('-3+ (')*&+( /+' ?""2 7'$"5 (' 5' ,'7"(+*)& (' +"2< -, @*&+( (+*, 50".5"5 5*,".,"8
S'7: 6 2'$" 1'-8 >+.)4 1'-8" You can uisagiee with his philosophies, his beliefs, his hopes anu uieams,
but what you can't uisagiee with is his genuineness. This is a man who caies fai moie about his ability
to make a uiffeience in people's lives anu his piess clippings anu he suie caies about it moie than wins
anu losses. It's actually iefieshing anu my only unueistanuing foi you if you just hate Coach Cal is you
aie eithei ignoiant to the man oi you aie simply an unhappy peison whom can nevei fill the hole. As
foi me, I am going to enjoy the iiue.