LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 1) - New Kentucky basketball John Calipari told
the Kentucky faithful Wednesday that he is not the "grand poobah" or the "emperor."
John Calipari speaks after being introduced as the new Kentucky men's basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari gestures after being introduced as the new Kentucky men's basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari wears a broad smile after being introduced as the new Kentucky men's basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari responds to a question after being introduced as the new Kentucky men's basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari wears a broad smile after being introduced as the new Kentucky basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. At left is university President Lee Todd. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari answers questions after being introduced as the new Kentucky basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari reaches to hug Karen Keightley Marlowe, the daughter of former Kentucky basketball equipment manager Bill Keightley, after he was introduced as the new Kentucky coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari wears a broad smile after being introduced as the new Kentucky basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari points to national championship banners hanging on the wall after being introduced as the new Kentucky basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the news conference Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that will make Calipari the highest paid coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
John Calipari wears a broad smile after being introduced as the new Kentucky basketball coach during a news conference in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Before the press conference Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that will make Calipari the highest paid coach in the nation. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
AP
He got a king's ransom, however, to leave Memphis.
Before the news conference, Kentucky's athletics board approved
an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that makes Calipari the
highest paid basketball coach in the nation. Athletic director
Mitch Barnhart defended the salary saying that the university paid
a premium price to get their guy, adding that Calipari can flat out
coach.
"I'm a regular guy, folks," Calipari said. "I do not walk on
water; I do not have a magic wand."
He might need to find a magic wand. Kentucky fired Billy
Gillispie last Friday after two seasons and he went 40-27,
including losing 14 games this season and failing to lead the
Wildcats into the NCAA tournament.
"The challenge of being here is competing for national titles,
but winning them," Calipari said. "But that's what you buy into
when you come here."
And Kentucky has demonstrated its willing to pay whatever it
takes to back to that level.
Calipari's decision to take the job didn't come easy. He spent
more than a day mulling Kentucky's lucrative offer while reporters
camped outside his home.
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"This decision was extremely hard," Calipari said. "It wasn't
coming here, this was easy. It was leaving Memphis. The support
that my family and I received over the years there ... to walk away
from that was very difficult."
Calipari had such strong ties to Memphis that after his UK
introduction, he was expected to fly back to Memphis for an
afternoon news conference during which university officials were
expected to discuss the future of their basketball program.
Calipari, 50, knows what he is getting into at Kentucky. He said
before he made his decision, he reached out to several former
Wildcats coaches.
"I talked to coach (Joe B.) Hall. I talked to Tubby Smith. I
talked to Eddie Sutton. And I talked to Rick Pitino about this job.
And ... none of those coaches would trade their time here for
anything in the world.
"This is pretty heady stuff for me."
Calipari is 445-140 in 17 seasons, leading both Memphis and
Massachusetts to the Final Four. He said he has long dreamed of
coaching college basketball's winningest program.
"This was a dream I've had since we brought our team down
here," Calipari said. "I believe it was 1992, we had won the
Alaskan Shootout, came down here to play and I could not believe
the environment. At that point I said - 'I would love to coach
there some day."'
That day has come and he has Calipari has work to do. The
Wildcats have not been in the Final Four the past 11 seasons. And
Calipari cautioned Kentucky's fan base not to expect too much too
soon, as he had informed Barnhart and university president Lee
Todd.
"I told Dr. Todd and Mitch, if you want something to happen in
a year, do not hire me," Calipari said. "That's now how I do
things."
Barnhart said after firing Gillispie that he wanted to hire a
coach that embraced what the Kentucky job meant, on and off the
court. Calipari sounded like he understood what they meant.
"Our goals will be to make the entire commonwealth proud of
this team, proud of their program, proud of their team by our work
on the court and our integrity off the court," he said.
Calipari's deal eclipses the $3.5 million average salary of
Florida's Billy Donovan and dwarfs those of Calipari's predecessors
Pitino, Smith and Gillispie.
Pitino, now the coach at rival Louisville, never made more than
$2 million a season during his remarkably successful eight-year run
at Kentucky. Smith's compensation neared $2.1 million at the end of
his decade with the program and Gillispie received a base salary of
$2.3 million with another $750,000 available in incentives.
The salary nearly triples the $1.6 million salary of Kentucky
football coach Rich Brooks, a rarity in a conference where football
reigns.
Calipari has a reputation as one of the nation's best
recruiters, and it's possible some of his latest recruits will
follow him to Lexington. Still, the cardboard is hardly bare at
Kentucky.
The Wildcats went 22-14 this year, missing the NCAA tournament
for the first time since 1991 despite having two of the SEC's best
players in guard Jodie Meeks and forward Patrick Patterson.
Patterson said after the season he'd likely return for his
junior year, while Meeks - a second-team All-American - was going
to take his time on a decision.
Hiring Calipari might be all the incentive they need.
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Kentucky fans would still go to the games and bring in revenue without having to hire a $31.65 million coach. A coach is only as good as the players he coaches. If the players don't respect him and aren't motivated enough to stand behind his ideas, then Kentucky could have hired a less expensive coach and will get the same results. It's sad to think that the $$$ signs have rolled on into the college ranks and schools think they can't have a competitive team without forking out the bucks.
I thought the same about such a high salary and how it is unfair to the students....but the university only pays for his base salary of 400,00 per year. That is alot but not as much as 31.4 paid over 8 years. The remainder of his salary is paid through media relations/contracts. Another point is that Kentucky fans are extremely faithful and will bring in the revenue to make Calapari a very worthwile investment.
All of you are *********** alot of money but it has absolutely nothing to do with the cost of tuition or anything else at the unversity. Other than his base salary of $4oo,ooo the rest comes from the athletic dept. with money they receive from tv and radio contracts, etc. No money comes from the general funds from the university. If you want to complain about the salaries of coaches, fine, but get your facts straight.
THIRTY ONE MILLION TO COACH? WHO THE HELL CAME UP WITH THIS AMOUNT AND WHY DO THEY THINK A COACH IS WORTH ********* BAD ENOUGH THAT PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS MAKE OBSCENE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, BUT A COACH? COME ON!!!!
WAY TOO MUCH EMPHASIS IS PUT ON STUPID SPORTING EVENTS AND NOT ENOUGH IN THE ARTS! OH, YEAH. THE ARTS REQUIRE "TALENT" AND "CREATIVITY"!!!! ANY CRETIN CAN THROW A BALL AROUND (AND PICK HIS GROIN AND SPIT AT THE SAME TIME). IT IT ONLY REQUIRED A BRAIN!!!!
I am happy for Kentucky. Great school. Great basketball tradition. I have family who have attended UK but could not afford it so they chose to join the military and allow the ROTC program to assist with getting an education. Tuition in this country is sky high and how do colleges slap potential/current students, their families and college employees in the face? They give athletic coaches millions of dollars to coach. 8 years 32 million dollars to coach basketball. Wow!! Good luck to all those paying tuition. It appears you should send your money directly to the new coach. I am glad to see that education is the top priority...lol.
And we wonder why so many of our children are unable to go to college. The price of tuition is so high, now I can understand! We need to pay for the coaches insanely high salaries!!! this is such crap and it's really sad
He says it was a tough decision to leave Memphis. I don't think so. Money talks with Coach Cal. He left Umass for the nba real quick, no second thought.
WAY TOO MUCH EMPHASIS IS PUT ON STUPID SPORTING EVENTS AND NOT ENOUGH IN THE ARTS! OH, YEAH. THE ARTS REQUIRE "TALENT" AND "CREATIVITY"!!!! ANY CRETIN CAN THROW A BALL AROUND (AND PICK HIS GROIN AND SPIT AT THE SAME TIME). IT IT ONLY REQUIRED A BRAIN!!!!