Here's John Calipari discussing tomorrow's matchup with Kansas:
On if his home record gives him insight into playing at a place like Allen Fieldhouse:
“Well, they have lost three games now at home – in the last like 10 years. You have really good players. You have really good fans that push you over the top many times. You have a team that’s
comfortable in that environment. I think that’s both schools. To win those kinds of games as an opponent you’ve got to be careful of runs and 3s. A team like that can score a bunch in 12, 15 seconds, and that’s what you’ve got to guard against. Really in a game like this you’re just trying to give yourself a chance to win the game. You’re not trying to go and blow anybody out because it’s just unusual.”
On his fondest memory of his time at Kansas:
“Meeting my wife. You knew I was going to say that. Met my wife there. I had nothing. I had no aspirations for anything other than to learn basketball. Felt so blessed that I had an opportunity to start on that campus. The guy who invented the game was their first coach. (Then) Phog Allen, who coached Adolph Rupp, who was, you know. Wilt (Chamberlain). I mean, you can go on and on, but I was just blessed to have that chance. Made no money. When they offered me the position, Coach (Ted) Owens said, ‘I’d like you to stay in the volunteer assistant slot.’ I said, ‘Really? How much does that guy make?’ And then Coach (Larry) Brown asked me to stay. I was blessed to be able to stay with him for two years and I look back fondly. I had nothing except basketball. I think I had a Plymouth Arrow at that time. Do they still make Plymouth Arrows? I don’t think they do. But no worries. I didn’t have—I stayed with Randolph Carroll, who was a part-time assistant. He let me stay with him. It was a great time for me because, can you imagine being 23, 22 and your first opportunity to be around the game is in a program like Kansas? I just felt every day I woke up, I was like, ‘I can’t believe this.’ And I had the same feeling when I got this job. And John Robic looked out and saw Kentucky across that wall out there and it was glitter and I’m like, ‘Can you imagine that we’re here at Kentucky?’ It’s the same thing. Kansas is exactly the same kind of program.”
On how last season’s game between UK and Kansas could influence this year’s game:
“I mean, look, I think Bill (Self) is not going to make anything personal because he knows if he does that your team can’t win the game when it becomes a personal thing. But he will remind them that a different Kentucky team got them pretty good last year. I’m not worried about last year’s game; that’s totally different. We’re going into a hostile environment. I’m going to tell you, our building, I can remember when we played North Carolina here and we won on the last play, and I’ll tell you it was so loud. Allen Fieldhouse is louder. Like, much louder. Acoustically it’s built like that (gestures to evoke an arched roof) so the sound hits it and it comes right back at you. And it literally moves you. If you’re standing and they really get loud, it will move you. I was there. I coached there and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can feel it.’ It’s like you’re at a concert and you’re near the bass. Boom! Boom! You feel it. I mean that’s how it is there. It’ll be interesting for these guys, especially these young guys, to walk in and to feel it. I love the tradition of it. I’ll go through (the arena). I’ve got to take a picture of Bob Marcum – the former (UMass) AD – is one of my dear friends and his portrait is on the wall somewhere. I’ll take a picture of it and send it out when we get there tonight. Our people need to go out to look at it and see how they have it set up because it’s really neat.”
On how the team is playing and having to play this game during this part of the season:
“Well, I wasn’t for any of this, whether it be the matchups or playing them in midseason. None of that. It’s here, so we play the game. When I was at UMass, I always, later in the year, played a game like this. Usually it would be in February to get out of the league so that we could get ready for our run in the NCAA Tournament. We played Louisville, I think, twice late, like in the end of February. Everybody said, ‘Why are you doing this?’ I said, ‘We have to get out of our league and get against somebody that can get us ready and juiced.’ This is a different deal. This is like a March. Going out there and playing this kind of team and they fight. Their guards fight. Their bigs fight. They run great stuff. They really do run great stuff. So it isn’t like you’re just playing. ‘Man oh man, I’m playing great defense.’ You’ve gotta play some of their things. Different ways they play. They put you in a lot of positions. I’m anxious to just see how we respond.”
On how many games he’s seen in that building since he left as a coach:
“In that building? I don’t think I’ve seen any. I’ve only been back there a couple of times. My wife is coming with us. She usually doesn’t travel unless it’s the NCAA Tournament. So, she’s going back. Her parents are going to meet her. She grew up two-and-a-half hours from there. She’ll probably go back with her parents after the game. I’ve been back a couple of times. Let me just tell you about the campus. The campus, every stone – unless it’s changed – every stone on every building is from the same quarry. Think about that. Every stone on every building is from the same quarry. I mean, it is a unique place. It’s special. That state takes great pride in their school. And they take pride in that basketball program and what’s gone on there. What we want to talk about is the home record. How about he (Bill Self) has won more league championships than losses at home? I mean, what are you talking about? It’s Kentucky and Kansas. Like you said, it’s going to be a hyped game. We’re finally starting to do some stuff. We’re finally starting to become a team that I’m like, ‘OK, that looks like somebody I coach.’ But, this will be one that, ‘Alright, you got hit in the mouth. Now how are you doing? Are you going to foul yourself out? Don’t you foul yourself out. You gotta play.’ I mean this will be a war.”
On whether this team is starting to become the aggressor:
“We’re beginning to have a swagger because we’re guarding. But, we need Alex (Poythress) to keep taking strides. Like, keep getting better. Not be consistent; get better. Because if he really gives us something, it gives us that one piece that makes it—but I like what I’m seeing. I like how we’re playing offensively. It’s going to be harder this game because they get after it. They switch. They do stuff. They’re man-to-man. They run gaps. They take chances. They get up in you. It’ll be a challenge again for the young guys.”
On if his home record gives him insight into playing at a place like Allen Fieldhouse:
“Well, they have lost three games now at home – in the last like 10 years. You have really good players. You have really good fans that push you over the top many times. You have a team that’s
comfortable in that environment. I think that’s both schools. To win those kinds of games as an opponent you’ve got to be careful of runs and 3s. A team like that can score a bunch in 12, 15 seconds, and that’s what you’ve got to guard against. Really in a game like this you’re just trying to give yourself a chance to win the game. You’re not trying to go and blow anybody out because it’s just unusual.”
On his fondest memory of his time at Kansas:
“Meeting my wife. You knew I was going to say that. Met my wife there. I had nothing. I had no aspirations for anything other than to learn basketball. Felt so blessed that I had an opportunity to start on that campus. The guy who invented the game was their first coach. (Then) Phog Allen, who coached Adolph Rupp, who was, you know. Wilt (Chamberlain). I mean, you can go on and on, but I was just blessed to have that chance. Made no money. When they offered me the position, Coach (Ted) Owens said, ‘I’d like you to stay in the volunteer assistant slot.’ I said, ‘Really? How much does that guy make?’ And then Coach (Larry) Brown asked me to stay. I was blessed to be able to stay with him for two years and I look back fondly. I had nothing except basketball. I think I had a Plymouth Arrow at that time. Do they still make Plymouth Arrows? I don’t think they do. But no worries. I didn’t have—I stayed with Randolph Carroll, who was a part-time assistant. He let me stay with him. It was a great time for me because, can you imagine being 23, 22 and your first opportunity to be around the game is in a program like Kansas? I just felt every day I woke up, I was like, ‘I can’t believe this.’ And I had the same feeling when I got this job. And John Robic looked out and saw Kentucky across that wall out there and it was glitter and I’m like, ‘Can you imagine that we’re here at Kentucky?’ It’s the same thing. Kansas is exactly the same kind of program.”
On how last season’s game between UK and Kansas could influence this year’s game:
“I mean, look, I think Bill (Self) is not going to make anything personal because he knows if he does that your team can’t win the game when it becomes a personal thing. But he will remind them that a different Kentucky team got them pretty good last year. I’m not worried about last year’s game; that’s totally different. We’re going into a hostile environment. I’m going to tell you, our building, I can remember when we played North Carolina here and we won on the last play, and I’ll tell you it was so loud. Allen Fieldhouse is louder. Like, much louder. Acoustically it’s built like that (gestures to evoke an arched roof) so the sound hits it and it comes right back at you. And it literally moves you. If you’re standing and they really get loud, it will move you. I was there. I coached there and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can feel it.’ It’s like you’re at a concert and you’re near the bass. Boom! Boom! You feel it. I mean that’s how it is there. It’ll be interesting for these guys, especially these young guys, to walk in and to feel it. I love the tradition of it. I’ll go through (the arena). I’ve got to take a picture of Bob Marcum – the former (UMass) AD – is one of my dear friends and his portrait is on the wall somewhere. I’ll take a picture of it and send it out when we get there tonight. Our people need to go out to look at it and see how they have it set up because it’s really neat.”
On how the team is playing and having to play this game during this part of the season:
“Well, I wasn’t for any of this, whether it be the matchups or playing them in midseason. None of that. It’s here, so we play the game. When I was at UMass, I always, later in the year, played a game like this. Usually it would be in February to get out of the league so that we could get ready for our run in the NCAA Tournament. We played Louisville, I think, twice late, like in the end of February. Everybody said, ‘Why are you doing this?’ I said, ‘We have to get out of our league and get against somebody that can get us ready and juiced.’ This is a different deal. This is like a March. Going out there and playing this kind of team and they fight. Their guards fight. Their bigs fight. They run great stuff. They really do run great stuff. So it isn’t like you’re just playing. ‘Man oh man, I’m playing great defense.’ You’ve gotta play some of their things. Different ways they play. They put you in a lot of positions. I’m anxious to just see how we respond.”
On how many games he’s seen in that building since he left as a coach:
“In that building? I don’t think I’ve seen any. I’ve only been back there a couple of times. My wife is coming with us. She usually doesn’t travel unless it’s the NCAA Tournament. So, she’s going back. Her parents are going to meet her. She grew up two-and-a-half hours from there. She’ll probably go back with her parents after the game. I’ve been back a couple of times. Let me just tell you about the campus. The campus, every stone – unless it’s changed – every stone on every building is from the same quarry. Think about that. Every stone on every building is from the same quarry. I mean, it is a unique place. It’s special. That state takes great pride in their school. And they take pride in that basketball program and what’s gone on there. What we want to talk about is the home record. How about he (Bill Self) has won more league championships than losses at home? I mean, what are you talking about? It’s Kentucky and Kansas. Like you said, it’s going to be a hyped game. We’re finally starting to do some stuff. We’re finally starting to become a team that I’m like, ‘OK, that looks like somebody I coach.’ But, this will be one that, ‘Alright, you got hit in the mouth. Now how are you doing? Are you going to foul yourself out? Don’t you foul yourself out. You gotta play.’ I mean this will be a war.”
On whether this team is starting to become the aggressor:
“We’re beginning to have a swagger because we’re guarding. But, we need Alex (Poythress) to keep taking strides. Like, keep getting better. Not be consistent; get better. Because if he really gives us something, it gives us that one piece that makes it—but I like what I’m seeing. I like how we’re playing offensively. It’s going to be harder this game because they get after it. They switch. They do stuff. They’re man-to-man. They run gaps. They take chances. They get up in you. It’ll be a challenge again for the young guys.”
