Entries Tagged 'Coaching staff' ↓

The John Calipari era of Kentucky basketball begins tonight without the new coach’s picture on the cover of the opening-game program.

UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said he decided to have only players or the Wildcat mascot on game programs this season. Calipari had no objection, Peevy said.

The Wildcat mascot is on the cover for the Friday night game against Morehead State, Calipari’s first as UK coach.

Calipari’s first game will not pass without some sort of recognition. His picture was on the game ticket, Peevy said.

Former University of Kentucky basketball staffer Bilal Batley received a “letter of admonishment” for committing a secondary violation of NCAA rules, the school acknowledged Tuesday.
In response to an open-records request from the Herald-Leader, UK said that Batley violated an NCAA rule on July 2 when he “participated countable athletically related activities with a student-athlete.”
Batley, who followed new head coach John Calipari from the University of Memphis, shagged rebounds for a current player. He also advised the player to shoot from particular spots on the floor, the UK letter dated Sept. 1 said.
Batley, whose title was men’s basketball administrative assistant, violated NCAA Bylaw 11.7.1.1.1 when he interacted on the court with a current player, the UK letter said.

Batley has resigned and returned to his native Houston because of an illness in the family, UK has said. UK officially announced his hiring on May 30.
Earlier in his basketball career, Batley worked for three programs subsequently found guilty of major violations of NCAA rules. The three were Oklahoma as a student manager, Indiana and Memphis.
In response to the open-records request, UK revealed two other secondary violations involving the basketball program earlier in the year.
Former assistant Tracy Webster violated a rule by engaging in a conversation with a prospect before April 22, which was prior to the permissible contact date. He received a letter of admonishment.
Another violation occurred May 26 when a current player — whose name was redacted in the open-records release — had his name used in an advertisement for The Reggie Warford Basketball Camp. The player was unaware of the advertisement, the UK letter said.
UK self-reported the three secondary violations.

During an appearance on the Mike Francesa radio show on New York’s The Fan, Kentucky Coach John Calipari said he did not know anything about Derrick Rose’s invalidated college entrance exam score.

Calipari said Memphis players took an us-against-them approach to critics and tried to create their own reality within the team. He said he advised Kentucky players to do the same while telling them to expect criticism.

Here’s a transcript provided by the Francesa show:

Did you know about anything going on with Derrick Rose?

“No, but here’s my point in all this: no question those are black marks and I’m really disappointed, I wish that rules were changed, they were changed five years later with the Camby stuff.  The rules were changed so those games wouldn’t have been vacated five years later.  Back then it was even hard and fast… I said back then when this first hit, ‘I gotta read the book, and I’ve gotta stay positive, and I gotta look forward’ because fate intervenes in your life at times, it intervenes.  Some of it very good; I’m at Kansas, why was I ever at the University of Kansas?  How did I get out there?  I met my wife out there.  Fate intervenes, but there are other times, fate intervenes the other way.”

On how the scandal effected his Memphis team:

“If you talk to any of those other kids, they all look at this – it’s not fair to them – but they all look at this, all of them are looking at this and saying ‘No one’s taking away from us and what we did.’  What we did, we created our own happiness.  I’m telling my Kentucky team right now, we’re going to get it from all corners because right now it’s on, we’re gonna get it from all corners.  We have to create our own happiness, and it’s gotta come from us, and that team loved each other.  I gotta create that in this team.”

Kentucky basketball’s connection to LeBron James grew tighter Wednesday with the news that one of the NBA superstar’s high school teammates had joined the UK coaching staff.
Spokesman DeWayne Peevy confirmed a FoxSports.com report that UK hired Brandon Weems, who played with James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. Weems became a graduate student manager, Peevy said.
According to Jeff Young, who coached Weems at Walsh University, the player remains “extremely close” to James.
UK’s first-year coach, John Calipari, has promoted his relationship with James, no doubt an asset to starry-eyed prospects on the recruiting trail. Calipari has sent out several tweets about being with James.
James visited the UK campus earlier this summer. FoxSports.com said the hiring helped pave the way for that trip and further cemented a Calipari-James relationship fueled by a mutual friendship with William Wesley (a.k.a.Worldwide Wes), a man of unspecified influence in the recruiting world.
Weems and James are “pretty close friends,” Young said. “They grew up together. . . . LeBron would show up to watch Brandon play (for Walsh).”
But the Walsh coach noted that Weems should not be considered simply a recruiting tool.
“He was hired because of who he is,” Young said, “not necessarily who he knows.”
Weems excelled for Walsh on the court and in the classroom. He had a 3.6 grade-point average as a business major, the coach said.
As a player, Weems helped lead Walsh to a NAIA national championship as a freshman, led the nation in assists as a junior and was named an All-American as a senior in 2007-08.
“Very head, very smart,” Young said. “One of the best point guards we’ve had.”
After graduation, Weems worked for the Walsh staff while exploring opportunities to continue playing. He came to UK rather than accept graduate assistant coaching positions at Walsh and Akron.

Kentucky Coach John Calipari kicked off — or should we say tipped off? — a 13-city, 14-day tour to promote his new book on Saturday.

The book, Bounce Back, chronicles his advice and his encouraging words for people who face adversity in life. Calipari signed books at the UK Student Center and Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington on Saturday.

Here’s the rest of the tour:

Monday, Aug. 31 — Lexington — Barnes and Nobles, 7-9 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 1 — Crestview Hills — Borders, 11-1 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 1 — Louisville — Borders, 5-7 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 2 — Owensboro — Books a Million, 11-1 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 2 — Bowling Green — Barnes and Nobles, 5-7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 3 — Pikeville — Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, 11-1 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 3 — Ashland — Kroger’s, 5-7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 4 — Radcliff — The Book Store, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 5 — Cincinnati — Joseph-Beth Booksellers, about 4 p.m. (or after the UK football game)

Sunday, Sept. 6 — Versailles — Kroger’s, 4-6 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 7 — Paducah — details to be announced.

Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 9-10 — New York City

Friday, Sept. 11 — Boston

During a Saturday appearance to promote his new book, Bounce Back, Kentucky Coach John Calipari mused about fate and how fickle it can be.

He noted how a friend, Jude Thompson, fretted after losing a job at Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The friend had never failed. Then suddenly, he was unemployed.

The friend became an executive with Papa John’s pizza. That caused Calipari to say, “Would you want to be in health care right now?”

The UK coach also seemed to question the wisdom of “what government’s going to do.” Apparently, Calipari is no supporter of health care reform.

Calipari also suggested fate played a part in his arrival at UK. Instead of having to replace Tubby Smith, a coach who averaged 26 victories a season and a devoted group of fans, he got to replace the fired — and unlamented — Billy Gillispie.

Of the theoretical possibility of replacing Smith, Calipari said, “Part of this community I would have never won over. Ever!”

Calipari wondered aloud of why fate placed him at UK in 2009.

“I have no idea,” he said. “It might not be to win national championships.

“But 20 years from now, we all will look back and say, well, this was what he was able to do or touch or be involved in. None of us knows yet.

“Now, all I know is they hired me to win ballgames, graduate these kids and do it right. To make this university and this state proud.”

During an appearance Saturday at the UK Student Center, John Calipari spoke of his happiness in the new job. His family had settled in and come to enjoy life in Lexington. His wife would join him in promoting children’s issues.

UK had “Disney World facilities” to help do the job.

Calipari also noted how being at Kentucky frees the coach to concentrate on basketball.

“I don’t have to call to raise money for a weight room,” he said. “I do what I’m supposed to do. When they need me, they call.

“I don’t have to call to sell tickets. That’s going to be a first for me. I don’t have to make literally 25 calls (to say) ‘Will you please buy 200 tickets up top so we can give (the seats) to charity.”

No doubt, new Kentucky Coach John Calipari would like a wide audience for his new book, Bounce Back.

But he said he insisted a tour to promote the book begin in Knetucky. His publisher, Free Press, had other ideas.

“They wanted the first week in New York,” Calipari said on Saturday.

When Calipari noted that Kentuckians deserved the debut week, the publishing people tried to insist. “You have to go to New York,” Calipari said of their reply.

Calipari won. The tour began on Saturday morning at the UK Student Center.

New UK Coach John Calipari has come a long way since his first visit to Rupp Arena. That came in 1985 when he attended the Final Four.

His seat location befitted a novice coach beginning his career at Kansas.

“I was nothing,” he said on Saturday after an appearance at UK’s Student Center. He sat two rows from the top of the upper arena.

When led to his seat, the young Calipari had a question for the usher.

“I was, like, these are bleacher seats. How do you know which is yours.”

To which the usher told those already seated to pull in their knees as Calipari moved down the row.

The memory made Calipari recall that his grandfather immigrated from Italy and worked in the coal mines of West Virginia. His parents’ education ended with high school diplomas.

“And I’m coaching at Kentucky,” Calipari told the crowd. “Are you crazy? That would never happen.”

But it did.

At another juncture of his talk, Calipari tried to dampen the expectation of him as a savior. This fit the theme of his new book, Bounce Back, which advises readers on how to deal with adversity.

“Your coach makes mistakes, too,” he said. “Your coach sins, too. I’m a normal human being. Don’t think I’m going to walk on water.”

Not that it’s any scoop, but John Calipari acknowledges by word and deed that being Kentucky coach has a public component.

His predecessor, Billy Gillispie, recoiled from the suggestion that being UK coach required a person willing to be a “celebrity.” Perhaps it was the word “celebrity” that ruffled Gillispie’s feathers.

But Calipari seems well suited for being a man of the people while also coaching UK’s (and Kentucky’s) signature team.

Calipari’s many travels and public appearances prove his willingness to be a public figure. He re-emphasized the point on Saturday during an appearance at the UK Student Center to promote his new book, Bounce Back.

“We’re all temporary in that seat,” he said of being UK coach. “Part of the job is to reach out to the community, let them touch you, let them see you. Because it’s the Commonwealth’s team.”

Calipari said he sensed a responsibility “not to cheat” the fans nor the job by withdrawing form the public.

“I like all the other stuff,” he said. “You have to enjoy it. You’ve got to shake the hands. You have to enjoy the interaction, and I do. But I love coaching the team.”