"My credo is 'Players First.' It drives everything I do as a coach. Notice that it’s plural, not singular. Players First.“ - Can’t Coach Cal
- Thread starter Gus Polinski
- Start date
I imagine when Calipari farts he cups his hand around his BH and wafts it directly into his own mouth
I would have no problem with this philosophy if it worked where he had multiple championships, continued dominating the SEC and had great on court performance.
The results are in.
Nope
The results are in.
Nope
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Not now he cups it and then puts it in Brads face
I agree, although the SEC is a lot better and has more depth than it used to. I think the days of UK dominating the SEC (I am talking winning 7 or 8/10 SEC titles/tournaments in a decade stretch) are over and the coach won't matter there. Cal has won 50% of the SEC Tournaments he does not care about since being here and that is on par with historical averages. Pitino was the one outlier here as he just plain dominated the tournament, probably due to his pressing and depth.
I also agree that his "philosophy" is nothing more than a strategic recruiting pitch. The problem with it is, as you pointed out, it didn't last and sustain great successes at UK so now it just looks like cringe/out of touch quote one after another. I know bad luck/bad officiating/injuries happens, but I really do feel he should have won a 2nd title at UK. I do not think that would make one difference today though, and we would still be having this conversation, assuming the last 2 years still happened. It might give him more pull with Barnie & a higher percentage of our fans, but the last 2 years are unacceptable regardless to me.
He even said himself this is a 10 year job and if not for Barnie, that would have been true if we had just let him go to UCLA in 2019. His legacy here would be viewed so much differently if he had done so. Yeah, he would still have the 1 title but people could just point out he had raw mostly freshmen teams and that Hall, Smith & Pitino just won 1 as well so not like any other UK coach other than Rupp has been successful with that either. Now his legacy is in flames and only going to get worse for him IMO.
If you worked for a company and their motto was “We love our employees and put them first”, would you be happy working there?
It’s a recruiting tool. Most on here know that but use it to set their agenda. Terrible
If I was only going to work there for just a year and not care what happens to the company after that year then I guess so. Ultimately that company has to produce a good product to remain successful though. Those employees that you put first are leaving the company after a year. If I was a stock holder in the company, I would care more about the customer buying the product than I would about who works there. Calipari cares more about making his players rich which is good for the players but sucks for the customers buying the tickets. You are looking at it from the players standpoint and not the fans. We don’t play for UK. We as consumers want a good product. Would you want to put your time and money in a product that sucks but the company treats their employees good but you will never work there? Any good company knows that the customers as a whole is as important as the worker. The company can puts its workers first but that doesn’t mean that company is going to put a good product on the floor and also doesn’t mean that they will be successful. As a fan, I care more about success of the team than I do about how high they get drafted.
Very well stated, but remember. No amount of facts will change the mind of idiots, some of them even bass fish if you get my drift.
Meh, it’s more than just a recruiting tool. I used to think that as well. However, all one needs to do is really pay attention to Cal’s actions and how he puts players and the NBA way above the program. Anyone that pays attention to these things knows it’s more than merely just a recruiting tool.
If cal does what some of these Nimrods want him to do...he will be lucky to pull Brad in, not a player like Brad, but Brad
My problem is it is not all players first, seems some players are more first than others under him.
Just out of curiosity -- Who should he put first?
People who may or may not have attended UK at some point in their life and now sit on the couch and watch games? Boosters? "The university" whatever that means?
I've been following Kentucky basketball since the days of Rupp's Runts. Pat Riley and Louie Dampier were my first favorite players. I played college basketball on scholarship at a smaller school, so didn't get to attend UK, but many, many of my family members have -- and my son is a student at Kentucky today.
Do I think Calipari should put me first? My family and friends? My son and his buddies?
Keep putting the players first, coach, or at least saying that. Even if it is not the whole truth, anyone with a brain understands its the best approach to attracting players who see themselves as future NBA millionaires.
People who may or may not have attended UK at some point in their life and now sit on the couch and watch games? Boosters? "The university" whatever that means?
I've been following Kentucky basketball since the days of Rupp's Runts. Pat Riley and Louie Dampier were my first favorite players. I played college basketball on scholarship at a smaller school, so didn't get to attend UK, but many, many of my family members have -- and my son is a student at Kentucky today.
Do I think Calipari should put me first? My family and friends? My son and his buddies?
Keep putting the players first, coach, or at least saying that. Even if it is not the whole truth, anyone with a brain understands its the best approach to attracting players who see themselves as future NBA millionaires.
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CAL's top priority is to the program. If he does his job right, putting the players first can also be what is best for the program. What becomes problematic is when
1. CAL allows players to sit the bench, collect NIL and leave without playing a single game
2. Plays players 25+ unproductive minutes in hopes of raising their NBA "stock".
3. No longer develops younger players due to #2 above.
Ultimately, what CAL says about players first is fine so long as it is not a detriment to the program. And the last couple of years, the program has lost some of its luster.
The real question is, do you put Cal first or UK first. If Cal is operating at odds with the best interest of the program, will you criticize him, or can he do no wrong whatsoever AS LONG AS he is the coach?
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