Is John Calipari a good coach or just a corrupt recruiter?

His teams play good team defense, they have everywhere he's been a head coach in the NCAA (UMass, Memphis, Kentucky). That's the mark of a good coach.

He's a good, not excellent coach. They run a lot of pro style sets and they stand around and watch each other a lot on offense. Cousins is a lazy version of Derrick Coleman. Personally, I think he's dirty recruiter. He definitely has superior athletes, the best money can buy on the college level. Too much evidence (UMass, Memphis both vacated after he left) of violations in his wake. There's a reason UNC and Duke both cooled on recruiting the IN STATE recruit John Wall....

Bob Huggins is probably closer to a Tarkanian type than Calipari is.

hotsauceinmybag wrote:

His teams play good team defense, they have everywhere he's been a head coach in the NCAA (UMass, Memphis, Kentucky). That's the mark of a good coach.

The first two schools you listed also had to vacate wins and Final Four appearances after he left.

I wont argue with that..... I'm a Charlotte alum and I despise Huggins. Stole Beasley and ruined his "friend" Bobby Lutz's recruiting and career....

To the above poster, as I watch W. Virginia scoring at will, how's that Calipari defense looking? Enberg just described Mazzulla going coast to coast as "returning a kickoff".....

I didn't say ALWAYS. ;) Their D is looking pathetic today.

Violations are administrative, he's still a damn good coach. You'd be glad to have him at your alma mater.

We might not be all that great in basketball but I'd rather be 17-10 every year than see the athletic department sell their souls for 25-2. Administration is part of the gig. Go coach in the NBA if you're that good... oh, wait he did and that didn't work too well. So, instead he cheats at the college level to get the edge he needs to win. Cal's dirty. Period.

Cal is getting out coached by Huggins today! Both are bad guys in terms of recruiting who can slime it the best. Years ago I had a chance to sit with a major D1 bball coach and some others in the SEC I coached with explain how to "legally" cheat. Today these guys pay the hs or club coach for coming to their campus for a camp and the money is then passed on to the atheltes and its all legal. I could cite a couple other issues but you get the point. John Wall got $50,000 to come to UK on top of scholarship and who knows how many post-game $100 handshakes. Not so many after today though.

Sour grapes, period. Don't be naive, pretty much every program that routinely gets seeded 5th or higher (and a lot who don't) in the NCAA tourney is just as dirty. Cal got caught and where he's been previously he didn't have influential boosters to protect him. If you think the games you're seeing this weekend and next are truly contests between amateur student-athletes (rather than well-compensated athletes masquerading as students) then you're delusional. I'm no Cal apologist, don't get it twisted, but he's damn good at what he does and he has my respect just as much as Krzyzewski and Roy Williams and Boeheim and Izzo do.

I think tonight's game is sufficient evidence that he is corrupt recruiter and bad coach.

End of thread.

[quote]MSCoach wrote:

I wont argue with that..... I'm a Charlotte alum and I despise Huggins. Stole Beasley and ruined his "friend" Bobby Lutz's recruiting and career....

quote]

Really? I have never heard of Bobby Lutz but maybe if Hugs taught his "buddy" how to count to 5 he would still have a job.

A little research clearly shows this guy Dalonte Hill (his AAU coach) is who Beasley followed out to K-State. All Huggy Bear did was hire Hill. Beasley made his choice AFTER Hugs left for WV.

Hill was a former player for Lutz at Charlotte and was given a job as an assistant with Charlotte (probably to secure Beasley). The only reason Huggins hired Hill was to get to Beasley. Hill is a piece of crap too. And yes, I know Lutz can't count....

I just wish they would go back to letting these guys go pro right after highschool. The one and done thing has totally turned me off to college ball.

I think Cal is still dirty, remember Huggins got in more trouble for showing up drunk in photos with students. Now that WVU is in the final four he could stay their forever.

All of those coaches you just listed (except Williams) have been at their school for 15+ years. What's Calipari's longest tenure? 8 years, half of which he had Camby receiving cash. Maybe they don't have to run to the next school because there is nothing to find. Or Cal is too stupid to not get caught up in that mess, which by you're logic would be part of the coaching game and would be further evidence that he is a BAD coach.

Great but corrupt recruiter and mediocre coach who hasn't done what's possible with all his talent. Sorta like Thad Matta except Thad's not a cheater.

"I would rather have talent over experience in March" - John Calipari.

You tell me.

Could Cal win at Stanford or Ivy League? Probably, me thinks.

he's not a bad coach at all, but he has a very young team and they faced a very good West Virginia basketball team that won the Big East and put down a very solid Missouri squad. A side note: today's game was my first chance to actually see John Wall play. His numbers were not that impressive this year or tonight, and he fouled out. However, I was very impressed with his drive/determination, his strength, his body control in driving to the cup, and his defense. Those two plays, one of offense, one on defense, where he threaded through the WVA defense and seemingly changed direction in the air to get a layup, and where he came from behind to swat away a dunk or layup (not something guards do often), showed me why he is considered to be the top prospect in college.

Cousins is hardly a lazy version of DC. DC defined lazy. Cousins is very active on the floor: hence, the great numbers.

letthemgo wrote:

Huggins got in more trouble for showing up drunk in photos with students.

You're thinking of Larry Eustachy (formerly) at Iowa State.