Over the past couple of days there have been two major coaching changes in college basketball involving two fine coaches. Tony Bennett left Washington State to go to Virginia, and John Calipari left Memphis to go to Kentucky. I find it to be interesting how different these two men are, not only in their completely diverse coaching styles, but also, in their personalities. One man, Tony Bennett, completely surprised people with his move. It took the media by surprise, the WSU administration was shocked, not to mention WSU fans. Even his father didn’t know. He found out about it watching ESPN. The other, John Calipari, surprised hardly anyone with his move. As soon as Billy Gillispie was fired, almost everyone felt that Calipari would be Kentucky’s number one choice, and that he would then leave.
Bennett is a hard guy to figure. I do not know him personally, though I scouted him a lot when he was in college and knew him a little when he played in the NBA, as a coach knows opposing players. Enough to say hello, but that was about it. So I cannot say how he thinks, and can only surmise from the outside. After last season when he did not leave WSU when there were some high profile opportunities available (Indiana, Marquette, LSU), I thought that he must really like it at WSU. I assumed he was happy with his new contract and its security, and was going to be there for a long time, kind of like Mark Few at Gonzaga. Then, BAM, he leaves after this season and goes to a program that certainly does not have the high profile like Indiana. What goes here? Did he decide that coaching at the hardest place to recruit in a highly competitive conference like the Pac-10 was too difficult? Certainly he had to know that last year, for he had been there for awhile. It certainly wasn’t money, for I am sure Indiana, and the others, offered him more money than Virginia. From what I understand from people who know him, he likes the underdog role. And, maybe more importantly, he doesn’t like the idea of living in the fish bowl world it is when coaching at a place like Indiana.
I think some of those reasons are true. There are undoubtedly others. He seems to be a low profile guy, so I can see where that big spotlight would make him uncomfortable. He probably knows that his style of play doesn’t fit everywhere. But, I also think he realizes he made a mistake last year when the iron was hot. Maybe when Kentucky didn’t come calling, he started to really realize how fleeting things can be in the coaching world, and he bolted before things slipped at WSU.
Calipari, on the other hand, is completely different. I have know Cal since he was a young assistant coach at Kansas under Larry Brown. Nobody has ever said that John Calipari is a low profile guy. He likes the spotlight. He is open, and wears his emotions on his sleeve. The thought of leading one of the storied programs in college basketball is something he embraces, though the glare of that big spotlight at Kentucky even gave him some second thoughts. I don’t know if there is a place with higher expectations and, less patience, than the fans of Kentucky Basketball.
I remember back in 1978 when Kentucky beat Duke to win the Championship at the Checkerdome in St. Louis. Kentucky was coached by Joe B. Hall, and led by Jack Givens and Rick Robey. As I got back to my hotel after the game, I ran into some UK fans who were chastising Hall because the game was too close. Being the wall flower that I am, I happened to mention that I was pretty chagrined that they weren’t celebrating the win, but instead, were upset with Joe B. Hall because they didn’t win easily enough. I was told that, “winning isn’t always enough at UK.” Whew, that is one tough place.
You have to give it to Cal. He has had a pretty good thing going at Memphis. He has dominated the conference. I know some coaches have left a similar situation because they didn’t feel they could ultimately win a national championship, but Cal has proven he could recruit to Memphis enough talent to challenge for a championship. Last year, if it wasn’t for a great clutch shot, he would have won a championship. Will it be easier to recruit to Kentucky? I don’t know, considering his success at Memphis, but I do know he won’t dominate the SEC like he has Conference USA . So you have to admire that he is willing to take on this new challenge, both on and off the court.
So there you have it. Two terrific coaches. One who seemingly wanted to avoid the glare; one who thoroughly embraces it. One who coaches a deliberate style of play; one who loves it wild and chaotic. One who will be the underdog year after year; one who will be expected to win year after year, and big. And they both will be in President Obama’s high tax bracket.
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In reference to the fans at Kentucky complaining about the margin of victory after they had won a championship. John Wooden has also talked about the same thing happening to him at UCLA. You can win championships, but you can’t appease all of your critics. Wooden mentioned that this is one of the many reasons that he coined his popular definition of success: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
I have a hard time believing that Tony did not consult Dick before making this move. They are very close. I read the same account you did, but I’m not buying it.