Editor's note: An earlier version of this column had the incorrect salary for John Calipari.
If you want to be optimistic about the economy, forget the stock market. Focus on college basketball.
Alabama just hired Anthony Grant for about $2 million a year to coach its basketball team. If a football school is offering those kind of wages, imagine what a basketball school might do.
Memphis coach John Calipari is about to find out.
Don’t try telling him how tight the job market is. He might have to decide between Memphis and Kentucky. A basketball coach hasn’t had it that good since Roy Williams picked North Carolina over Kansas.
Calipari has averaged 34 victories the last four seasons at Memphis, where he is making $2.35 million a year in base salary. But a donor-funded holdover bonus could net him another $5 million if he stays at Memphis through the 2012-13 season. With that kind of success and money, why leave?
Answer: Ego.
You can win big at Memphis or Kentucky, and you can make big bucks doing it. But if you want recognition commensurate with your paycheck and won-lost record, there’s a big difference in Kentucky blue and Memphis blue.
At Memphis, you can be the toast of the town. At Kentucky, your dominion is statewide. So what does Calipari want to be: mayor or governor?
Kentucky should know by now what it wants. It should hire Calipari for the same reason it shouldn’t have hired Billy Gillispie, who was fired last week after two seasons at Kentucky.
Gillispie is a good coach. So was his predecessor, Tubby Smith. So were Eddie Sutton and Joe B. Hall.
Kentucky needs more than a good coach. It needs a Rick Pitino. It needs someone who can handle coaching in a building that was named after another basketball coach.
Kentucky’s coaching model is Adolph Rupp, dubbed the “Baron of the Bluegrass.” You don’t become a “Baron” by just being a good coach.
Rupp won 82.2 percent of his games for 41 years. His teams were as entertaining as they were successful. Pitino’s teams were the next best thing in Kentucky basketball. They won 81.4 percent of their games while captivating fans with a relentless up-tempo, 3-point attack.
Smith won as many national championships at Kentucky as Pitino did. But he never won over the fans like His Rickness.
Calipari would thrive with the celebrity status afforded the Kentucky basketball coach. He not only has the personality for the job. He has the resume, which extends beyond Memphis. He averaged more than 24 victories per season at Massachusetts of all places. In his last five years there, he averaged 29 victories.
In 17 years as a college head coach, Calipari has averaged 26 victories. That will pass even a Kentucky inspection.
There’s nothing mysterious about Calipari’s success or Kentucky’s recent drop-off. You can attribute both to recruiting. And anyone who can recruit big-time players to Memphis can do the same at Kentucky.
Kentucky’s gain would be the SEC’s gain as well. Like Kentucky, the conference needs more than another good coach. It needs a personality. Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl has provided that, but he needs help.
Look what Calipari vs. Pearl has done for the UT-Memphis rivalry. That’s based on just one game a year. Imagine what they could do with at least two games a season while competing in the same division.
Memphis doesn’t want to think about it. Instead, it is prepared to make Calipari the highest-paid coach in college basketball if he stays, according to a Memphis Commercial Appeal source.
But Kentucky can offer more than money. It can offer one of the biggest stages in college basketball.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 95
suPEARLman writes:
ha....
TopTenn writes:
Bruce will own Cal.
http://www.wlextv.com/Global/story.as...
chrisw2967 writes:
I think the article said calamari, not for sure, I didnt read it.
TommyJack writes:
He's a jerk. Their fans are jerks. Seems like a match made in heaven.
ZacharyUTK writes:
YES!
I WOULD *LOVE* FOR TENNESSEE TO PLAY COACH CAL TWICE A YEAR! WHAT A SLIMEBAG! GET HIM, KENTUCKY, GET HIM.
chrisw2967 writes:
I wonder if the riots have started in memphos yet?
well this just might get rid of the tiger interlopers.
ncvol17 writes:
wonder where that big mouth tiger high fan is now.. guess he'll appear and say Calipari wasn't so great after all. Hey Gillespie is available.
Irwin_Linker writes:
Give them a escalade and some throw back jersey's and they will come. Not sure where I read it, but Calipari may have said that before.
chrisw2967 writes:
I think the 2 7th graders will end up having to go to high school now that billy is gone.so theres the 2 schollies.
dvols writes:
sallie looks like he could be a star in the making, would go nice with meeks...
anyone think that cal and ky been flirtin for a few weeks?
Volsfanstuckintx writes:
This is going to be good for SEC basketball in general. This will bring more spotlight to the conference and, yes Kentucky will get better. However, this should help tennessee recruit the Memphis area. And it's really not that scare because Bruce has done just fine against him in the past, and its not like he is going to get better players at Kentucky than he was already getting at Memphis.
Madkels writes:
Question of the day....Will UK have a better free throw % than UM? Just wondering?
TopTenn writes:
The VOL boards are tiger troll free today.
Rick4UT writes:
I do not think that we have had a basketball coach in the SEC that is hated...Will kinda bring back thoughts of Steve Spurrier in football...Love it :)
Volsfanstuckintx writes:
You might be right, however if the Vols continue to improve and bring in strong recruits then it should become easier to go into Memphis. With Cal being at KY now, you could use the in-state ploy and maybe swing a few.
IBleedOrange444 writes:
I wonder if the kickback UK paid Daniel Orton's dad will be enough to keep him committed to UK now that Calimari is coming to town. Orton's dad was a "guest speaker" at a UK b-ball camp. Guest speakers usually aren't free. He has said that his son will stay with UK if they hire a coach who runs his offense through the post. I don't think spreading the court and letting the guards try to drive their man 1 on 1 all the time constitutes "running the offense through the post".
It will be great to see Tiger High duking it out for 3rd in C-USA in about 2-3 years!! HA HA HA!!!! Who's got the last laugh now Overated?????
mempuss writes:
very true! But the good thing about being a VOL fan is, that you always have the trump card against tiger high and the mildcats......FOOTBALL!!!!!
VolFanNC writes:
Agree with you there. Playing Kentucky with Billy G just didn't feel like a big game. Playing Memphis that past few years sure did. Will be great to have that atmosphere twice a year.
Go Vols!!!
mempuss writes:
hahaha no! i gotta stick with the name...its in honor of one of the tiger high trolls. Memphis will always be trash in my book....but it is nice to have another reason to hate the boys in blue too!
kabzs writes:
Stay in Memphis. The barbeque is better.
beartn#223846 writes:
Some posters have made light of this situation, but Kentucky with Calipari will be a major challenge for us. He will bring some of his recruits from his stellar class fo next year with him. His recruiting ability and Kentucky's resources should get Kentucky back to the elite. I think it's a good hire for Kentucky, and a better Kentucky is good for the SEC in basketball. It will make winning the East much more difficult.
Voluvr writes:
The SEC needs Kentucky to be winning. It's always been and it's much sweeter when we win.
txvolsfan writes:
ditto from the sunshine state
Kiffin_fan writes:
Fear the Kiffin...... Orange SWARM
mempuss writes:
What will Kentucky fans think about calapari's national recruiting base? The bluegrass state prides itself on basketball and in state talent. Will UK fans be receptive to a UK team with no true "blue" players?
jsmithnga#207674 writes:
The Lexington article said a fifth rabid skunk was found in Lexington; wonder if they were referring to Calamari?
pastorlee#372395 writes:
There will not be one article concerning the ridiculous amount of money that Coach Cal will be paid, (whether he leaves or stays). I guarantee you that it will be more than Lane and Monte combined, but you won't hear a peep from the media. I guess they really do hate our guts.
chrisw2967 writes:
I wonder if the current tiger fans will get on the ky bandwagon or ride them and the tigers bandwagon ?
teampenny#658108 writes:
He will help the SEC. Cat BB fans and Vols fb fans have much in common. We think to much of the past instead of living in the now. Neither school has been made an impact in the sports their fans love the most in a decade. Love often blinds us to the truth. We hope LK makes us a national power again. Go Vols
chrisw2967 writes:
well if they are really a dynasty like most tiger interlopers claim,then this shouldnt hurt them at all.
If calamari didnt like pearl before he will hate him now.I just hope Pearl doesnt decide to jump ship.
dvols writes:
anybody want to tell me why memphis is gonna start sucking and kentucky is gonna be totally dominant???
Vol_Jokes writes:
Vol fans seem to really be enjoying this. I'm not sure why you think it's so funny. You still have Bruce Pearl. That would be enough to wipe the smile off of most peoples face. I guess it's just a matter of who you want beating you, Memphis or Kentucky.
I've heard Pearl is knocking off $1 on the admission price of his home tour during the off season. Is it true that when you walk in the main door he has a sign on the wall that says "Your season ticket dollars at work" ?
volpreacher writes:
I think this would be a great hire for Kentucky and the SEC. But why would anyone want to go there? I mean, they are a known basketball school with a huge reputation. But it is sort of like coaching football at Alabama or basketball at UCLA. UCLA wants the next JOhn Wooden (ain't gonna happen), Alabama wants the next Bear Bryant (ain't gonna happen) and Kentucky wnats the next Adolph Rupp (ain't gonna happen). Why, because the parity is too great now much more than when these other guys were coaching. It was much easier to win games then. If Calipari is smart, he will stay in Memphis.
gohawks1 writes:
Sports Center talked today like it was just a matter of getting the details worked out. They also mentioned that he could possibly take some (or all) of his current recruits with him. This could get ugly for Memphis.
chrisw2967 writes:
your right we still have out coach and you dont.whats cal record against pearl ?
actually he has a sign when you walk through the door that has a picture of calamari and it says Im Pearls B^tch.welcome
chrisw2967 writes:
our*
chrisw2967 writes:
I bet cops are pulling 24 hr shifts and the suicide watch is in full effect tonite.
Bearwuzacheater writes:
Who is this and what did you do to the real catscratchfever? This post is respectful and almost complimentary of Tennessee and other SEC schools. This is not the type of message I am accustomed to seeing come from you, please keep surprising us with rational thought and civility. It is much appreciated.
gohawks1 writes:
Rumor is they will do that, but they may have to sweeten the pot even more to get him to stay in the crime capitol of the South.
Vol_Jokes writes:
Yea Bolivar they tore Crump stadium down but I hear the state's mental hospital is still in Bolivar.
CoachFulmer writes:
Great hear this. This is when Memphis falls back to the ruins after ol Cal Pal leaves. Screw both these teams, GO VOLS!
TopTenn writes:
Tic Price returns to the Memphis tigers.
TopTenn writes:
Tic Price returns to coach the Memphis tigers.........good luck
TopTenn writes:
Tic Price returns to memphis
PeayPride writes:
We will see what happens when he coaches against real talent year around. Wonder if he would try to pull the stunt like he did at Memphis. Playing the game at a neutral site so that none of Tennessee coaching staff would recruit memphis.
Colliervol writes:
I agree with you cat. The KY-UT rivalry always was pretty good even when UK was killing us. But add Calipari to that mix and it will be on. Pearl and Cal are carbon copies of one another and that's one reason why they don't mix well. They are both just alike. But I think, deep down, that Calipari respects Pearl for what he's done at a football school.
And I think it would be good for the SEC as well. I posted the other day that too many SEC schools have gone "cheap" lately in basketball when it comes to hiring coaches. The SEC needs UK to be good.
IBleedOrange444 writes:
I gotta agree with the interloper. Pearl and Calamari will be going at it like the Hatfields and McCoys. Hopefully for many years to come, and it will definately raise the profile in the SEC.
Colliervol writes:
They are trying their best to keep him. And it will be more devastating than you think if he does leave. Word is that, in addition to Cousins and Wall possibly coming with him, that the Henry kid has some sort of out in his LOI and could come as well. Add that to Evans and possibly Taggart leaving and the word is that Sallie and Witherspoon may also tranfer. What would Memphis have left? Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack and Pierre Niles? Oh brother. Talk about going from the penthouse to the outhouse in one day. They had better hope that Cal has a last minute change of heart. Or that program will be in the dumper for years.
Some of the Memphis fans don't understand why we'd be so happy. It's not so much Memphis' misery because they are a non-factor for me. What they don't understand is that not only do we root for UT but most of us root for the conference to be strong too. (That comes with being in a conference that's been around for a long time. We may argue with one another but we are part of the same family.) And it's much more rewarding to beat UK when they are up and playing well. When everybody is clicking and you do manage to beat them and Florida and win the division, it's an accomplishment. Even if we don't win it every year, there's nothing that says we can't still do just fine in the NCAA's. Pearl has proven he can get us there. All they need is a little fine tuning and he's working on that.
IBleedOrange444 writes:
Look at the bright side... Memphis in the crapper and 2 chances every year to beat Calamari and sway his recruits!
Colliervol writes:
Rob, I wouldn't worry at all about the scholarship thing. Assuming all this happens and if all those players renege on Memphis and some of the current Memphis players follow him, there will magically be a number of openings at KY in scholarships. The only ones that should worry are the current bench warmers at KY.
The scholarships are not 4 year deals. They are one year and renewed annually. No coach worries about scholarship limitations. They will make room. Trust me.
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