Yesterday, Cal spoke at the Smart Futures dinner for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County, Indiana and the fact that he was in the Hoosier state was not lost on him. But, instead of mentioning current IU coach Tom Crean, Cal aimed his comments at his predecessor, Bobby Knight, who as recently as last season, accused Cal's players of not going to class and the program for giving academics a low priority. During his speech,
Cal managed to get in a jab at Knight and maybe even UNC over their recent academic fraud scandal:
“A lot of people think players at our level don’t attend class or are given their grades. Absolutely not true. Anthony Davis, No. 1 pick in the draft, was a 3.8 student and he finished the school year."
Somewhere, Bobby Knight is putting his hands over his ears and shaking his head violently.
When asked how he is able to rebuild entire teams into championship contenders year after year, Cal said that 1) he never looks back; and 2) focuses on getting the right kind of player into his system:
“I’m not one to look in the rear-view mirror. Last year is over. That trophy is in the case. Now, how do we make this team the best team it can be. All we’re trying to do is make sure we’re bringing in kids that understand that this (Kentucky) isn’t the easiest place to play basketball ... I tell them that they will have to play at a high level, train at a high level, play with other guys who can play, and you must share and do it together.”
Simply put: if you can't handle the absurdity of autographing an actual baby, or living in the BBN fishbowl, this might not be for you. That's why they call us elite.
[Palladium-Item: Calipari captures crowd's attention]
Yesterday, Cal spoke at the Smart Futures dinner for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County, Indiana and the fact that he was in the Hoosier state was not lost on him. But, instead of mentioning current IU coach Tom Crean, Cal aimed his comments at his predecessor, Bobby Knight, who as recently as last season, accused Cal's players of not going to class and the program for giving academics a low priority. During his speech, Cal managed to get in a jab at Knight and maybe even UNC over their recent academic fraud scandal:
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