John Calipari and players:
THE MODERATOR: We're joined by John Calipari. We'll take questions for Coach Calipari.
Q. John,
you've won the Coach of the Year award. You've been to so many Final
Fours now, but with the undefeated record looming over you, how
different has this Final Four been and how have you had to treat the
team as they're coming in here?
COACH CALIPARI: Every team that
you coach is different. My first two when I was at UMass, we really had
backed up, were trying to keep them loose. It was our first time,
school's first time. Probably didn't do as good of a job as I needed to
because of that. I mean, our practices were an hour. When we went
back, and at Memphis, that team had a spirit about them that they wanted
to go, but we did back off some, but not as much as we did. This year's
team, I mean, we had two vicious practices Tuesday and Wednesday. I
was on them like it was December. This is a team that wants to go at
each other. Our advantage is that we have a lot of guys. So when we
scrimmage, you really benefit by that. They want to. They don't want
to do drills. This is not a drills team. Stop the drills, throw the
ball up. They go after each other. They argue every call. They fight.
I have to, Stop it! I'm saying that five times a practice. So we
went at it. We're basically done now. I feel that we've done what we're
supposed to do with this team, but you never know. Probably after it's
over, I'll say, I wish I hadn't gone so hard.
Q. Obviously
you've had to learn to trust freshmen a lot over the last several
years. It seems to me you have a level of trust in Tyler Ulis that is
uncommon for your circumstances. What is it about him that inspires so
much trust?
COACH CALIPARI: I've had other freshmen that I've
really trusted, like really, really said, I'm with you. I've had guys
tell me, Calm down, I got this. Then I calm down and I sit down and I
let them do their thing. With Tyler, you know he's going to bring it.
He's going to go as hard as he can. He doesn't always play great, but
he brings it. The second thing you know, he's playing for his team.
I've got to get him to score more, like I did Derrick Rose. Derrick
Rose, his inclination was create for his teammate and make everybody
happy. Tyler, from Chicago, is like the same. I mean, you know, like
the shot in the corner against Notre Dame, he posted it, it came back,
he reposted it. Kenny and I at the same time, You let that thing go,
you let it go. It came back to him and he made that three, which
basically kept us in the game. He's been injured now. He's been injured
for months now with shin splints. But he knows if he doesn't practice,
I'm not playing him. So he figures it out.
Q. The four best big men in college basketball are here. Is that coincidence or a culmination?
COACH
CALIPARI: Look, I know how important big guys are, and I'm proud of our
two. I mean, you think of how far Karl has come in a year, it's
ridiculous. But how far Willie has come in his career is truly
ridiculous, too. At this time of the year, and in college basketball,
guard play is vital. And for us right now, Andrew and Aaron, Devin and
Tyler, but Andrew and Aaron did what they did a year ago, which is
dragging our team. The good news for those two is if they're not all on
point, you got Tyler and Devin. The big guys, the big guys of the other
team, they give you a presence around the goal. We scored against
Notre Dame for nine straight minutes because we threw it to the post
every single time. That would have never happened if we didn't have a
post player like Karl.
Q. How important is it for you to connect your current players at Kentucky with your past players at Kentucky?
COACH
CALIPARI: I don't have to do that. Those kids do it themselves. I
mean, our former players are in touch with our players, in touch with
our staff. I get the texts and the calls. You know, they know over
All-Star break if they're not playing, they stop in. In the summers
they always will pass through. It's been a great thing to see how they
help each other and talk to one another. Anthony Davis sat down with
Karl, basically told him, Hey, kid, you better step on the gas here.
You know, came in and talked to him about it. It's been fun being a part
of this family, knowing that they've benefited by the experience of
being at Kentucky and they give back. They give back in a lot of ways,
but they give back to each other.
Q. What is the biggest challenge when coming back to the Final Four, other than the opponent you're competing against?
COACH
CALIPARI: Tickets (smiling). The challenge is staying away from that,
getting your players to stay away from it. This year, and again this is
the sixth Final Four I've been in, this ticket is ridiculous more than
any other. Well, take that back. We were in the Meadowlands with
Kentucky and Syracuse and Mississippi State. That was a ridiculous
ticket, too, back in the day.
Q. Bo Ryan said he
remembers you going back to the five star camps when you were doing your
thing there. What do you remember about Bo then, also early memories
of the other two coaches here?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, my respect
for all three of these guys, I've talked about Bo. See, Bo was one of
those guys as an assistant you always looked at because he was a class
act, he did his job, he was into coaching, he's a 'Basketball Benny'.
He speaks his mind, he doesn't hold back. He goes to Division III,
which most guys would not do, and he goes undefeated a couple seasons,
won national championships. So then he goes to Wisconsin. Everybody
says, You can't have a division... He's not, he's a coach. He's a
'Basketball Benny', he's into the game. Every time I see him, we just
go spend time. He's from Chester. I'm from Coraopolis, Moon Township.
You're talking about the same kind of upbringing, all those things. So
we've become close. Tommy and I, we've gone through this at the same
stages. I mean, he's a guy that I always throughout the year will call
him if I have issues. If I see something good happening for him, he
knows I'm on the phone for him. We compete, but we don't compete. In
other words, I don't see him, I got to beat Tom and be better. I want
him to do everything, win national titles. He knew I was happy he went
to the Final Four this year. He called, I know you're happy. Because
you beat Louisville. No, I'm happy for Tom. Well, that too maybe, I
don't know (laughter). I was happy for Tom that he got that team,
brought them together when they struggled. Then I've said about Coach K,
I respect what he's done in coaching. I respect what he's done over
decades. I respect the numbers which are jaw-dropping. But what moves
me is what he's done for mine. USA Basketball with, first of all,
Derrick Rose, went from figuring it out, getting better, to MVP. You
had Anthony Davis. He went from, What am I, who am I, to, I'm as good
as anybody, to All-Star, to gold medal winner. I begged he and Jerry
Colangelo. Please, the difference you will make for DeMarcus, you will
take his career, you will save another. They kept him on that team.
Look what happened for DeMarcus. He's an All-Star. He's a 20/20
machine, he's ridiculous. But what he's done for mine, that moves me.
I've told him publicly and privately how much I appreciate what he's
done for my kids.
Q. You are the pup of these coaches, the youngest of the four.
COACH CALIPARI: This is an old crew if I'm the youngest of the four (smiling).
Q. You all have been so accomplished, successful. How have you prevented burnout and is there room for hobbies in your business?
COACH
CALIPARI: Well, I don't live and die with this stuff. The people that
know me know I have other interests. I'm focused on helping these kids
reach their dreams. Their dreams are my dreams. I sit on the same side
of the table as them and their families. Want to win, want to win for
the university I work for, want to win for the program. But the reality
of it is our season ends June 28th here. That's when our season's
over. That makes this different, for me anyway. It makes it different.
Whether I'm with my family, I like to travel, I like to go to baseball
games, I like to go to football camps, I like to go to different events
and hang out. I love being with my friends, big dinners. That's who I
am, what I do. My wife's not always happy. Where are you? But...
Q. Obviously you knew the pressure this team would face. How much have you emphasized drama and distraction that can hurt teams?
COACH
CALIPARI: We're concerned about us, to be honest with you. I talked to
them last night again. We have one job. Individually it's to be the
best version of yourself. Get yourself mentally and physically prepared
to be your best. We have to play at our best. That's the best we can
do. I can't ask them for anything else. I told them, I don't know the
outcome. I can't promise you the outcome. But I do know our chances
are best if you're the best version of you and we're our best as a team.
Things are going to go crazy. We'll adjust. We've done it all year.
If I can count on you for effort, you can count on us for adjustments,
so...
Q. How would you describe the evolution of Trey Lyles from the time you got him to current day?
COACH
CALIPARI: Well, he was injured this summer. He didn't get to play with
us in The Bahamas. The way this played out, which really for him
personally was ideal. When Willie came back, Trey was going to have to
play three because I had to play other people. Trey is probably a 4-3.
Trey professionally will be a four, a stretch four. He's playing three
for us. He's playing like a small forward guard. It's helped him
become a better defender. You get to see his postgame against players.
He's 6'10". Then he got sick and he was out three weeks. Good news is
he did not lose weight, which we were fearful of. So when he came back,
he came back about 80% and he's worked his way back. He's the X-factor
for our team. He did not play well against Notre Dame, and he knows
it. As a matter of fact -- no, I won't say that. He didn't play well
against Notre Dame. Now he's our X-factor. He's that one guy that is
hard to guard, can make rebounds, plays hard, plays big. Makes us a
really big, really team, 7', 7', 6'10", 6'6". Really big.
Q. The
Elite 8 game at the end, your guys ran on the floor and embraced each
other like they made it to the Final Four and they weren't supposed to
be here. Is that a mentality they've created on their own or embraced?
Is that something you've brought on to the team?
COACH CALIPARI:
They're kids. They're 18- and 19-year-old kids. For Karl Towns, those
other freshmen, they'd never been to a Final Four. The other guys had
been there, but it was a hard game. We were lucky to win. You saw their
joy. I can't remember if we didn't cut down nets somewhere, our
conference tournament, we forgot. Oh, they're not enjoying the moment.
No, we forgot. But I wanted them to enjoy the moment. It's a great
accomplishment. I mean, getting to the Final Four is really, really
hard. To be able to do it, I don't care what your record is, 'cause
everybody is 0-0. Right now, whether you're Duke, Michigan State,
Wisconsin or us, everybody's record is the same. We're all feeling the
same thing. We all want to win a national title. So you have two
losses, six losses, zero losses, 11 losses, it doesn't matter. That's
why for us right now, let's just be at our best. If that's not good
enough, I'll deal with the results.
Q. I'm sure you
don't spend a lot of time thinking about awards. You've had a lot of
great teams over the years. This is the first time I believe you've
gotten the National Coach of the Year award from writer voters here.
I'm curious if you're surprised you got this and do you think it maybe
indicates there's a change in perception about you as a coach?
COACH
CALIPARI: I don't know. I mean, you'd have to tell me. I know this:
I'm the same guy I've always been. Well, not really. A lot of things
change as you get older. My heart's the same. My friends are the same.
My approach to things are the same. Hopefully I've matured and grown
up a little bit. That's questionable also, I hear. But, look, I always
say this. The reason I'm not worried about now and how I'm evaluated,
legacy, it doesn't matter. 50 years from now when we're all gone,
people will look back without emotion and say, What has he done? What
did he do for people? What did he do for the universities? Not just
me, but all coaches. Your legacy is how did he benefit these people,
these families? Did they benefit by that connection? Doesn't matter
what I say now. 50 years from now people will look back and either like
what we did or not.
Q. Coach K recently on his radio
show had Charles Barkley on. Both of them seemed to suggest that
college kids, young pros all want to be rich and famous. Not all of
them want to do what it takes to win, aren't as competitive as players
used to be. Would you agree with that? Would you say your team is
unique in that it seems all of them are so competitive?
COACH
CALIPARI: Well, you have to understand, one, where the kids come from.
I'm not saying they're all poor, but many of them are. They struggled,
their family. Their family needs to breathe. They finally get a chance
to breathe in life, to put their toes up. When kids go to the NBA,
their first thing is, they're not thinking about winning, and it's not
about money, it's about establishing who they are. Then they worry
about winning. That was every pro and that was always. Maybe Magic
because he stepped into a team that had three other Hall of Famers, and
maybe Magic is just a different soul. I believe he is. He's a great
guy. Most guys went into the league, Michael scored 40. He figured
out, This isn't going to win me a championship. He went back. He said,
I'll score less, defend more, win championships. All of a sudden he's
the best player in the history of our game, arguably. But I think the
kids nowadays are the same. Look, Anthony is trying to establish
himself. So is John. They want to win, but they need to be
established. After they're established as players, the whole focus
becomes about winning. It's not about money. It's not about how many
points. I think in a way you may say yes. Now, the money's different. I
mean, the money is different. As a coach, I try to respect that.
These kids have a genius just like anyone else on our college campuses
who can leave and go start a business and become Twitter, become Bill
Gates, become Steve Jobs. They're no different. It's not size and
athleticism. If they didn't have a mind, there's no way they're going
to make $250 million. You have to have the mind for it, too. These
kids have a genius. We try to respect that. I mean, I'm not going to
hold a kid back. I'm not going to tell him, You're bad for wanting to
chase your dream. I tell them all, You can always come back and finish.
You have a spot at this university and we'll pay for it. Go chase
your dreams, we're here for you.
Q. You take a lot of
criticism for the one-and-dones. You're not the only one who is doing
it. Why do you think you're the lightning rod for it?
COACH
CALIPARI: Because I got a big nose (smiling). I don't know. But it's
not my rule. It's the NBA and the Players' Association. Now, what we
need to do is control what we can control as far as the NCAA and college
basketball, which means don't put up roadblocks that encourage kids to
leave if they're not ready. Don't have them pay for their own
disability insurance, know I got a $50,000 debt. If I stay another year
it's $100,000. Don't do that to him. If a kid chooses to stay because
he really loves college, but if he's worried about his draft position
moving drastically, maybe the NBA should pay for their loss of value
insurance. If you really want to stay, stay. Understand, if we can get
kids to stay two years and two summers, they're a year away from a
college degree, maybe a year and a half. Why wouldn't we want that?
Why wouldn't we do stipends? How about this thought. How about parents
being able to get a loan versus future earnings? What's the problem?
Their son is going to be worth $25 million. Let them get a loan based
on future earnings maybe through the NBA. Let the NBA do it. Now you're
not pushing kids out the door. I don't ask kids to stay and I don't
tell them to leave. I'll give them my opinion. If they say, I want to
stay, and I believe they should leave, they better tell me why. Patrick
Patterson said, one, I'm going to graduate in three years. Two, I've
never played in an NCAA tournament. Three, you're going to move me away
from the basket and teach me how to play basketball. I said, Welcome
back. Those were good reasons. Don't tell me, Coach, you can teach me
to improve my free-throw shooting. Stop. They can do that up there.
You're the seventh pick of the draft. They can do it. Nothing would
hurt me more than a young man coming back and moving the wrong direction
in the draft and getting hurt. I couldn't live with myself.
THE MODERATOR: We'll bring the Kentucky players up to join us at this time. We'll continue with questions.
Q. Given
the success you've had, the graduation numbers you mentioned yesterday,
why do you think for many you're still a polarizing figure in college
basketball?
COACH CALIPARI: I don't know if I am as much as you
want to portray it. Maybe I am. It's not that I'm trying to be. Here's
my focus. I'm not focused on changing people's minds who don't know
me, their opinion of me. I'm doing my job for these kids. If you like
that, I'm happy. If you don't like that or don't like that kid, that's
your problem, not mine. I'm not doing this to please everybody. I'm
doing this to please these young people and their families. That's my
mission. Now, as that plays out in the next 50 years, maybe I was wrong
doing it this way, being about players first. Maybe I'm not wrong about
doing this. We start moving in a direction to do more for these kids,
help them. Not program to program, will be here 50 years from now.
Kentucky's program will be right here where I'm sitting 50 years from
now. What we do for these kids change their whole lives and a
direction, and that's how I look at this.
Q. John, when
Bo Ryan was up here, he said last year in Texas the shooting background
kind of blew him away, it was so wide open, it was hard to adjust to.
He thought this year would be better even with the dome. What is your
take on that? Do you expect it to be better this year here?
COACH
CALIPARI: I thought it was great. We won the game, so I thought it was
outstanding. Plus the shot. Did it bother you, Aaron, on the game
winner?
AARON HARRISON: No, it was good.
COACH CALIPARI:
Tough playing in domes. The worst one we played in as a coach, we
played in the 2011 Final Four in Houston, that was hard. Every team
shot 30%. It was crazy. I don't think that will be the case here. All
four teams are good shooting teams. The backdrop and the way... We
went out, 75,000. It looks like it's 30,000. We play in a building
that seats 25,000. I don't think it will be an issue.
Q. For the players, if you could briefly, what you respect most about Wisconsin?
KARL-ANTHONY
TOWNS: Just a great team. They have a great coach also. A great
program. I think all together you just have to respect the whole
program as a general to make a team like that come together.
ANDREW
HARRISON: Everything about them. They execute well, play tough
defense, have a great player inside, so it's going to be tough to beat
them tomorrow.
Q. John, I know you're focused on
Wisconsin, but do you see any similarities between UConn last year and
Michigan State this year? Why do you think it is a team like that can
come out of nowhere like they have and get to this point?
COACH
CALIPARI: They defend. Connecticut by the end of the year was a really
good defensive team. Two, they got good forward play. In this
tournament, if you have those two things, you have a chance. I told Tom
after I watched Wisconsin tape with them, I texted him and said, You
know, you can win this thing. He said, We know we can. So this is four
teams, we all have a chance. It's going to be a tough, tough deal for
any of the teams.
Q. You cringed last week when one of
your players used the word 'desperation' after the Notre Dame game.
When you look back on that, because it's finally coming into focus
what's at stake, how much did that game help prepare you for this
moment?
COACH CALIPARI: The game was great. 'Desperation' is
just not a term I've used. Normally they use terms that I use. When I
heard 'desperation,' I said, Geez, I've never heard that word. I think
it was from Willie, was the one that said it. But the point of, they
didn't want to lose and they were desperate to win, their will to win is
what they're about now. Playing a team like Notre Dame, who is an
unbelievable shooting team, passing team, cutting team, efficient
offensively, it was good for us. And we had to play near perfect down
the stretch to try to win the game. And the guys did.
Q. For Willie and Aaron, what is the most upset you've ever seen Coach Cal?
WILLIE
CAULEY-STEIN: Probably in practice when you're doing an action or a
drill and he's explaining to you like two or three times and you're
still getting it wrong. I think it gets to him a little bit and he gets
a little crazy.
COACH CALIPARI: Be careful.
AARON
HARRISON: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm trying to be careful. Just practice.
When we just don't come out to practice with a lot of energy. We come
out kind of cool and things like that, so...
Q. Willie
and Andrew, obviously a lot of pressure on this team. How have you been
able to maintain your focus and avoid the off-court distractions?
ANDREW
HARRISON: I think the pressure is more what other people have put on
us, so I don't think that's like too real. We just have to stay doing
what we've been doing, stay together, stick together, stick to the
script.
WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN: Our coaching staff does a really
good job of making sure we're always together and making sure that every
day we have dinner with each other, everybody's in the locker room with
each other for an hour or so after practice is over. We're just in
there chilling. They just make sure, you know, everybody's staying
together and everybody's in it for each other, not in yourself.
Q. Aaron and Andrew, what were your first impressions of Karl and how has he impacted the game from your perspective?
AARON
HARRISON: Well, last game he completely took the game over really. We
just kept feeding him and feeding him. He's pretty unstoppable on the
offensive end. Really a great player.
ANDREW HARRISON: Well, my
first impression, I mean, he was a freshman. It's like everyone else
when they're young. Like Aaron said, he's gotten better and better.
When he wants to be, when he wants to be, he's pretty hard to stop.
Q. Trey,
can you talk a little bit about what it means to you to be back here in
Indianapolis playing in the Final Four in front of your hometown,
family and friends.
TREY LYLES: It's just an exciting moment for
me and my family. I'm just trying to approach it like any other game.
You know, going to stay focused. You know, just got to go out there and
play hard.
Q. Aaron, I'd like to know, we have all
talked about this perfect season, something you guys don't like talking
about, you're trying to win a championship. What does it mean also to
be trying to do something that no college team has done in 40 years,
long before you were born?
AARON HARRISON: It's just a blessing
to be on such a great team. I mean, I could tell my kids and grandkids
about being on a team that is so far 38-0, just so blessed.
COACH
CALIPARI: We're not perfect. We're undefeated. We've had teams that
had their chances to beat us, and we figured it out somehow. The good
news is, we talked about it as a team. If Willie played bad, we still
won. If Aaron went 3-20, which he's done, we still won. If Andrew
didn't have his spirit, if Trey against Notre Dame... We still won.
Karl, West Virginia, we win by 40, he had one. I told him, We don't
need you at all. They understand their job is being prepared to be the
best version. They've got each other's back. We got enough guys. We
are not a perfect team. We're undefeated, but we're not perfect.
Q. John, how would you define Devin's role on this team and the impact he's had this year for you?
COACH
CALIPARI: When we recruited Devin, I knew he could score the ball. I
didn't think he could guard a little bit. Knew that would be a problem
for me to play him. I saw him in Moss Point playing 40-year-old guys who
would score on him and run by him. I'm like, Oh, my gosh. Now you
look at him, not only does he score the ball for us, he guards and he
rebounds. His shooting takes us to another level. But he's had games
where he's 0-9 and we still won. He's been a good teammate. He and
Tyler in practice, these two can tell you, are ultra-competitive. They
argue every call. Like if we make a call, Wait a minute, that's our
ball. That's what they've added to this team. It's not just as
players. Their competitive spirit. They all feed off of one another.
Then these guys get mad and try to beat them by 100, then they talk.
That's what's been happening all year for us.
THE MODERATOR: We're joined by John Calipari. We'll take questions for Coach Calipari.
Q. John,
you've won the Coach of the Year award. You've been to so many Final
Fours now, but with the undefeated record looming over you, how
different has this Final Four been and how have you had to treat the
team as they're coming in here?
COACH CALIPARI: Every team that
you coach is different. My first two when I was at UMass, we really had
backed up, were trying to keep them loose. It was our first time,
school's first time. Probably didn't do as good of a job as I needed to
because of that. I mean, our practices were an hour. When we went
back, and at Memphis, that team had a spirit about them that they wanted
to go, but we did back off some, but not as much as we did. This year's
team, I mean, we had two vicious practices Tuesday and Wednesday. I
was on them like it was December. This is a team that wants to go at
each other. Our advantage is that we have a lot of guys. So when we
scrimmage, you really benefit by that. They want to. They don't want
to do drills. This is not a drills team. Stop the drills, throw the
ball up. They go after each other. They argue every call. They fight.
I have to, Stop it! I'm saying that five times a practice. So we
went at it. We're basically done now. I feel that we've done what we're
supposed to do with this team, but you never know. Probably after it's
over, I'll say, I wish I hadn't gone so hard.
Q. Obviously
you've had to learn to trust freshmen a lot over the last several
years. It seems to me you have a level of trust in Tyler Ulis that is
uncommon for your circumstances. What is it about him that inspires so
much trust?
COACH CALIPARI: I've had other freshmen that I've
really trusted, like really, really said, I'm with you. I've had guys
tell me, Calm down, I got this. Then I calm down and I sit down and I
let them do their thing. With Tyler, you know he's going to bring it.
He's going to go as hard as he can. He doesn't always play great, but
he brings it. The second thing you know, he's playing for his team.
I've got to get him to score more, like I did Derrick Rose. Derrick
Rose, his inclination was create for his teammate and make everybody
happy. Tyler, from Chicago, is like the same. I mean, you know, like
the shot in the corner against Notre Dame, he posted it, it came back,
he reposted it. Kenny and I at the same time, You let that thing go,
you let it go. It came back to him and he made that three, which
basically kept us in the game. He's been injured now. He's been injured
for months now with shin splints. But he knows if he doesn't practice,
I'm not playing him. So he figures it out.
Q. The four best big men in college basketball are here. Is that coincidence or a culmination?
COACH
CALIPARI: Look, I know how important big guys are, and I'm proud of our
two. I mean, you think of how far Karl has come in a year, it's
ridiculous. But how far Willie has come in his career is truly
ridiculous, too. At this time of the year, and in college basketball,
guard play is vital. And for us right now, Andrew and Aaron, Devin and
Tyler, but Andrew and Aaron did what they did a year ago, which is
dragging our team. The good news for those two is if they're not all on
point, you got Tyler and Devin. The big guys, the big guys of the other
team, they give you a presence around the goal. We scored against
Notre Dame for nine straight minutes because we threw it to the post
every single time. That would have never happened if we didn't have a
post player like Karl.
Q. How important is it for you to connect your current players at Kentucky with your past players at Kentucky?
COACH
CALIPARI: I don't have to do that. Those kids do it themselves. I
mean, our former players are in touch with our players, in touch with
our staff. I get the texts and the calls. You know, they know over
All-Star break if they're not playing, they stop in. In the summers
they always will pass through. It's been a great thing to see how they
help each other and talk to one another. Anthony Davis sat down with
Karl, basically told him, Hey, kid, you better step on the gas here.
You know, came in and talked to him about it. It's been fun being a part
of this family, knowing that they've benefited by the experience of
being at Kentucky and they give back. They give back in a lot of ways,
but they give back to each other.
Q. What is the biggest challenge when coming back to the Final Four, other than the opponent you're competing against?
COACH
CALIPARI: Tickets (smiling). The challenge is staying away from that,
getting your players to stay away from it. This year, and again this is
the sixth Final Four I've been in, this ticket is ridiculous more than
any other. Well, take that back. We were in the Meadowlands with
Kentucky and Syracuse and Mississippi State. That was a ridiculous
ticket, too, back in the day.
Q. Bo Ryan said he
remembers you going back to the five star camps when you were doing your
thing there. What do you remember about Bo then, also early memories
of the other two coaches here?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, my respect
for all three of these guys, I've talked about Bo. See, Bo was one of
those guys as an assistant you always looked at because he was a class
act, he did his job, he was into coaching, he's a 'Basketball Benny'.
He speaks his mind, he doesn't hold back. He goes to Division III,
which most guys would not do, and he goes undefeated a couple seasons,
won national championships. So then he goes to Wisconsin. Everybody
says, You can't have a division... He's not, he's a coach. He's a
'Basketball Benny', he's into the game. Every time I see him, we just
go spend time. He's from Chester. I'm from Coraopolis, Moon Township.
You're talking about the same kind of upbringing, all those things. So
we've become close. Tommy and I, we've gone through this at the same
stages. I mean, he's a guy that I always throughout the year will call
him if I have issues. If I see something good happening for him, he
knows I'm on the phone for him. We compete, but we don't compete. In
other words, I don't see him, I got to beat Tom and be better. I want
him to do everything, win national titles. He knew I was happy he went
to the Final Four this year. He called, I know you're happy. Because
you beat Louisville. No, I'm happy for Tom. Well, that too maybe, I
don't know (laughter). I was happy for Tom that he got that team,
brought them together when they struggled. Then I've said about Coach K,
I respect what he's done in coaching. I respect what he's done over
decades. I respect the numbers which are jaw-dropping. But what moves
me is what he's done for mine. USA Basketball with, first of all,
Derrick Rose, went from figuring it out, getting better, to MVP. You
had Anthony Davis. He went from, What am I, who am I, to, I'm as good
as anybody, to All-Star, to gold medal winner. I begged he and Jerry
Colangelo. Please, the difference you will make for DeMarcus, you will
take his career, you will save another. They kept him on that team.
Look what happened for DeMarcus. He's an All-Star. He's a 20/20
machine, he's ridiculous. But what he's done for mine, that moves me.
I've told him publicly and privately how much I appreciate what he's
done for my kids.
Q. You are the pup of these coaches, the youngest of the four.
COACH CALIPARI: This is an old crew if I'm the youngest of the four (smiling).
Q. You all have been so accomplished, successful. How have you prevented burnout and is there room for hobbies in your business?
COACH
CALIPARI: Well, I don't live and die with this stuff. The people that
know me know I have other interests. I'm focused on helping these kids
reach their dreams. Their dreams are my dreams. I sit on the same side
of the table as them and their families. Want to win, want to win for
the university I work for, want to win for the program. But the reality
of it is our season ends June 28th here. That's when our season's
over. That makes this different, for me anyway. It makes it different.
Whether I'm with my family, I like to travel, I like to go to baseball
games, I like to go to football camps, I like to go to different events
and hang out. I love being with my friends, big dinners. That's who I
am, what I do. My wife's not always happy. Where are you? But...
Q. Obviously you knew the pressure this team would face. How much have you emphasized drama and distraction that can hurt teams?
COACH
CALIPARI: We're concerned about us, to be honest with you. I talked to
them last night again. We have one job. Individually it's to be the
best version of yourself. Get yourself mentally and physically prepared
to be your best. We have to play at our best. That's the best we can
do. I can't ask them for anything else. I told them, I don't know the
outcome. I can't promise you the outcome. But I do know our chances
are best if you're the best version of you and we're our best as a team.
Things are going to go crazy. We'll adjust. We've done it all year.
If I can count on you for effort, you can count on us for adjustments,
so...
Q. How would you describe the evolution of Trey Lyles from the time you got him to current day?
COACH
CALIPARI: Well, he was injured this summer. He didn't get to play with
us in The Bahamas. The way this played out, which really for him
personally was ideal. When Willie came back, Trey was going to have to
play three because I had to play other people. Trey is probably a 4-3.
Trey professionally will be a four, a stretch four. He's playing three
for us. He's playing like a small forward guard. It's helped him
become a better defender. You get to see his postgame against players.
He's 6'10". Then he got sick and he was out three weeks. Good news is
he did not lose weight, which we were fearful of. So when he came back,
he came back about 80% and he's worked his way back. He's the X-factor
for our team. He did not play well against Notre Dame, and he knows
it. As a matter of fact -- no, I won't say that. He didn't play well
against Notre Dame. Now he's our X-factor. He's that one guy that is
hard to guard, can make rebounds, plays hard, plays big. Makes us a
really big, really team, 7', 7', 6'10", 6'6". Really big.
Q. The
Elite 8 game at the end, your guys ran on the floor and embraced each
other like they made it to the Final Four and they weren't supposed to
be here. Is that a mentality they've created on their own or embraced?
Is that something you've brought on to the team?
COACH CALIPARI:
They're kids. They're 18- and 19-year-old kids. For Karl Towns, those
other freshmen, they'd never been to a Final Four. The other guys had
been there, but it was a hard game. We were lucky to win. You saw their
joy. I can't remember if we didn't cut down nets somewhere, our
conference tournament, we forgot. Oh, they're not enjoying the moment.
No, we forgot. But I wanted them to enjoy the moment. It's a great
accomplishment. I mean, getting to the Final Four is really, really
hard. To be able to do it, I don't care what your record is, 'cause
everybody is 0-0. Right now, whether you're Duke, Michigan State,
Wisconsin or us, everybody's record is the same. We're all feeling the
same thing. We all want to win a national title. So you have two
losses, six losses, zero losses, 11 losses, it doesn't matter. That's
why for us right now, let's just be at our best. If that's not good
enough, I'll deal with the results.
Q. I'm sure you
don't spend a lot of time thinking about awards. You've had a lot of
great teams over the years. This is the first time I believe you've
gotten the National Coach of the Year award from writer voters here.
I'm curious if you're surprised you got this and do you think it maybe
indicates there's a change in perception about you as a coach?
COACH
CALIPARI: I don't know. I mean, you'd have to tell me. I know this:
I'm the same guy I've always been. Well, not really. A lot of things
change as you get older. My heart's the same. My friends are the same.
My approach to things are the same. Hopefully I've matured and grown
up a little bit. That's questionable also, I hear. But, look, I always
say this. The reason I'm not worried about now and how I'm evaluated,
legacy, it doesn't matter. 50 years from now when we're all gone,
people will look back without emotion and say, What has he done? What
did he do for people? What did he do for the universities? Not just
me, but all coaches. Your legacy is how did he benefit these people,
these families? Did they benefit by that connection? Doesn't matter
what I say now. 50 years from now people will look back and either like
what we did or not.
Q. Coach K recently on his radio
show had Charles Barkley on. Both of them seemed to suggest that
college kids, young pros all want to be rich and famous. Not all of
them want to do what it takes to win, aren't as competitive as players
used to be. Would you agree with that? Would you say your team is
unique in that it seems all of them are so competitive?
COACH
CALIPARI: Well, you have to understand, one, where the kids come from.
I'm not saying they're all poor, but many of them are. They struggled,
their family. Their family needs to breathe. They finally get a chance
to breathe in life, to put their toes up. When kids go to the NBA,
their first thing is, they're not thinking about winning, and it's not
about money, it's about establishing who they are. Then they worry
about winning. That was every pro and that was always. Maybe Magic
because he stepped into a team that had three other Hall of Famers, and
maybe Magic is just a different soul. I believe he is. He's a great
guy. Most guys went into the league, Michael scored 40. He figured
out, This isn't going to win me a championship. He went back. He said,
I'll score less, defend more, win championships. All of a sudden he's
the best player in the history of our game, arguably. But I think the
kids nowadays are the same. Look, Anthony is trying to establish
himself. So is John. They want to win, but they need to be
established. After they're established as players, the whole focus
becomes about winning. It's not about money. It's not about how many
points. I think in a way you may say yes. Now, the money's different. I
mean, the money is different. As a coach, I try to respect that.
These kids have a genius just like anyone else on our college campuses
who can leave and go start a business and become Twitter, become Bill
Gates, become Steve Jobs. They're no different. It's not size and
athleticism. If they didn't have a mind, there's no way they're going
to make $250 million. You have to have the mind for it, too. These
kids have a genius. We try to respect that. I mean, I'm not going to
hold a kid back. I'm not going to tell him, You're bad for wanting to
chase your dream. I tell them all, You can always come back and finish.
You have a spot at this university and we'll pay for it. Go chase
your dreams, we're here for you.
Q. You take a lot of
criticism for the one-and-dones. You're not the only one who is doing
it. Why do you think you're the lightning rod for it?
COACH
CALIPARI: Because I got a big nose (smiling). I don't know. But it's
not my rule. It's the NBA and the Players' Association. Now, what we
need to do is control what we can control as far as the NCAA and college
basketball, which means don't put up roadblocks that encourage kids to
leave if they're not ready. Don't have them pay for their own
disability insurance, know I got a $50,000 debt. If I stay another year
it's $100,000. Don't do that to him. If a kid chooses to stay because
he really loves college, but if he's worried about his draft position
moving drastically, maybe the NBA should pay for their loss of value
insurance. If you really want to stay, stay. Understand, if we can get
kids to stay two years and two summers, they're a year away from a
college degree, maybe a year and a half. Why wouldn't we want that?
Why wouldn't we do stipends? How about this thought. How about parents
being able to get a loan versus future earnings? What's the problem?
Their son is going to be worth $25 million. Let them get a loan based
on future earnings maybe through the NBA. Let the NBA do it. Now you're
not pushing kids out the door. I don't ask kids to stay and I don't
tell them to leave. I'll give them my opinion. If they say, I want to
stay, and I believe they should leave, they better tell me why. Patrick
Patterson said, one, I'm going to graduate in three years. Two, I've
never played in an NCAA tournament. Three, you're going to move me away
from the basket and teach me how to play basketball. I said, Welcome
back. Those were good reasons. Don't tell me, Coach, you can teach me
to improve my free-throw shooting. Stop. They can do that up there.
You're the seventh pick of the draft. They can do it. Nothing would
hurt me more than a young man coming back and moving the wrong direction
in the draft and getting hurt. I couldn't live with myself.
THE MODERATOR: We'll bring the Kentucky players up to join us at this time. We'll continue with questions.
Q. Given
the success you've had, the graduation numbers you mentioned yesterday,
why do you think for many you're still a polarizing figure in college
basketball?
COACH CALIPARI: I don't know if I am as much as you
want to portray it. Maybe I am. It's not that I'm trying to be. Here's
my focus. I'm not focused on changing people's minds who don't know
me, their opinion of me. I'm doing my job for these kids. If you like
that, I'm happy. If you don't like that or don't like that kid, that's
your problem, not mine. I'm not doing this to please everybody. I'm
doing this to please these young people and their families. That's my
mission. Now, as that plays out in the next 50 years, maybe I was wrong
doing it this way, being about players first. Maybe I'm not wrong about
doing this. We start moving in a direction to do more for these kids,
help them. Not program to program, will be here 50 years from now.
Kentucky's program will be right here where I'm sitting 50 years from
now. What we do for these kids change their whole lives and a
direction, and that's how I look at this.
Q. John, when
Bo Ryan was up here, he said last year in Texas the shooting background
kind of blew him away, it was so wide open, it was hard to adjust to.
He thought this year would be better even with the dome. What is your
take on that? Do you expect it to be better this year here?
COACH
CALIPARI: I thought it was great. We won the game, so I thought it was
outstanding. Plus the shot. Did it bother you, Aaron, on the game
winner?
AARON HARRISON: No, it was good.
COACH CALIPARI:
Tough playing in domes. The worst one we played in as a coach, we
played in the 2011 Final Four in Houston, that was hard. Every team
shot 30%. It was crazy. I don't think that will be the case here. All
four teams are good shooting teams. The backdrop and the way... We
went out, 75,000. It looks like it's 30,000. We play in a building
that seats 25,000. I don't think it will be an issue.
Q. For the players, if you could briefly, what you respect most about Wisconsin?
KARL-ANTHONY
TOWNS: Just a great team. They have a great coach also. A great
program. I think all together you just have to respect the whole
program as a general to make a team like that come together.
ANDREW
HARRISON: Everything about them. They execute well, play tough
defense, have a great player inside, so it's going to be tough to beat
them tomorrow.
Q. John, I know you're focused on
Wisconsin, but do you see any similarities between UConn last year and
Michigan State this year? Why do you think it is a team like that can
come out of nowhere like they have and get to this point?
COACH
CALIPARI: They defend. Connecticut by the end of the year was a really
good defensive team. Two, they got good forward play. In this
tournament, if you have those two things, you have a chance. I told Tom
after I watched Wisconsin tape with them, I texted him and said, You
know, you can win this thing. He said, We know we can. So this is four
teams, we all have a chance. It's going to be a tough, tough deal for
any of the teams.
Q. You cringed last week when one of
your players used the word 'desperation' after the Notre Dame game.
When you look back on that, because it's finally coming into focus
what's at stake, how much did that game help prepare you for this
moment?
COACH CALIPARI: The game was great. 'Desperation' is
just not a term I've used. Normally they use terms that I use. When I
heard 'desperation,' I said, Geez, I've never heard that word. I think
it was from Willie, was the one that said it. But the point of, they
didn't want to lose and they were desperate to win, their will to win is
what they're about now. Playing a team like Notre Dame, who is an
unbelievable shooting team, passing team, cutting team, efficient
offensively, it was good for us. And we had to play near perfect down
the stretch to try to win the game. And the guys did.
Q. For Willie and Aaron, what is the most upset you've ever seen Coach Cal?
WILLIE
CAULEY-STEIN: Probably in practice when you're doing an action or a
drill and he's explaining to you like two or three times and you're
still getting it wrong. I think it gets to him a little bit and he gets
a little crazy.
COACH CALIPARI: Be careful.
AARON
HARRISON: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm trying to be careful. Just practice.
When we just don't come out to practice with a lot of energy. We come
out kind of cool and things like that, so...
Q. Willie
and Andrew, obviously a lot of pressure on this team. How have you been
able to maintain your focus and avoid the off-court distractions?
ANDREW
HARRISON: I think the pressure is more what other people have put on
us, so I don't think that's like too real. We just have to stay doing
what we've been doing, stay together, stick together, stick to the
script.
WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN: Our coaching staff does a really
good job of making sure we're always together and making sure that every
day we have dinner with each other, everybody's in the locker room with
each other for an hour or so after practice is over. We're just in
there chilling. They just make sure, you know, everybody's staying
together and everybody's in it for each other, not in yourself.
Q. Aaron and Andrew, what were your first impressions of Karl and how has he impacted the game from your perspective?
AARON
HARRISON: Well, last game he completely took the game over really. We
just kept feeding him and feeding him. He's pretty unstoppable on the
offensive end. Really a great player.
ANDREW HARRISON: Well, my
first impression, I mean, he was a freshman. It's like everyone else
when they're young. Like Aaron said, he's gotten better and better.
When he wants to be, when he wants to be, he's pretty hard to stop.
Q. Trey,
can you talk a little bit about what it means to you to be back here in
Indianapolis playing in the Final Four in front of your hometown,
family and friends.
TREY LYLES: It's just an exciting moment for
me and my family. I'm just trying to approach it like any other game.
You know, going to stay focused. You know, just got to go out there and
play hard.
Q. Aaron, I'd like to know, we have all
talked about this perfect season, something you guys don't like talking
about, you're trying to win a championship. What does it mean also to
be trying to do something that no college team has done in 40 years,
long before you were born?
AARON HARRISON: It's just a blessing
to be on such a great team. I mean, I could tell my kids and grandkids
about being on a team that is so far 38-0, just so blessed.
COACH
CALIPARI: We're not perfect. We're undefeated. We've had teams that
had their chances to beat us, and we figured it out somehow. The good
news is, we talked about it as a team. If Willie played bad, we still
won. If Aaron went 3-20, which he's done, we still won. If Andrew
didn't have his spirit, if Trey against Notre Dame... We still won.
Karl, West Virginia, we win by 40, he had one. I told him, We don't
need you at all. They understand their job is being prepared to be the
best version. They've got each other's back. We got enough guys. We
are not a perfect team. We're undefeated, but we're not perfect.
Q. John, how would you define Devin's role on this team and the impact he's had this year for you?
COACH
CALIPARI: When we recruited Devin, I knew he could score the ball. I
didn't think he could guard a little bit. Knew that would be a problem
for me to play him. I saw him in Moss Point playing 40-year-old guys who
would score on him and run by him. I'm like, Oh, my gosh. Now you
look at him, not only does he score the ball for us, he guards and he
rebounds. His shooting takes us to another level. But he's had games
where he's 0-9 and we still won. He's been a good teammate. He and
Tyler in practice, these two can tell you, are ultra-competitive. They
argue every call. Like if we make a call, Wait a minute, that's our
ball. That's what they've added to this team. It's not just as
players. Their competitive spirit. They all feed off of one another.
Then these guys get mad and try to beat them by 100, then they talk.
That's what's been happening all year for us.
