SEC coaches saluted Kentucky Coach John Calipari for the new contract extension and raise announced Monday.
“Well, obviously, Coach Cal has done a tremendous job,” Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy said on a SEC teleconference Monday. “And I’ve said this many times, I think when you start setting the standard for the epitome for success for college basketball, you start with Kentucky. No offense to Cal, but that started way before he got there. Obviously, it’s the most storied program in the history of college basketball. The most passionate fan base of any collegiate following that I’ve ever been a part of. And he’s done a tremendous job of going in and selling that product. He’s an excellent coach.
“I’ve always said, it helps SEC basketball for Kentucky to be Kentucky. So I think it’s good for our league for them to be enjoying the success that they have.”
Florida Coach Billy Donovan noted Kentucky’s unmatched tradition.
“Every program aspires to build that kind of tradition,” Donovan said. ” . . . Kentucky’s always been Kentucky. It’s been that way for 60 years. . . . They are truly the measuring stick.”
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald- Leader has covered Kentucky basketball since the 1981-82 season. That time includes five coaches, five Final Fours, four athletic directors, two interim athletic directors and many memories. Before coming to Lexington, Tipton worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. He covered Marshall’s basketball team for two seasons before coming to the Herald-Leader.
