Dale Brown compliments Cal

It’s not every day that a college coach compliments John Calipari (genuinely), but former LSU coach Dale Brown did just that in a recent conversation with Larry Vaught. When asked about Cal and the criticism he often faces from his colleagues, Brown said it’s a “bunch of baloney”:

“I think John (Calipari) has done a great job. I heard criticism that John invented the one-and-done. That’s a bunch of baloney. The NCAA invented it,” Brown said. “I would do the same thing as John if I was coaching today. Who wouldn’t? John does not get credit for player development and recruiting. He truly probably has the prestige program in the country now. UCLA has won 11 titles, but as far as fan knowledge, interest, power, it’s all Kentucky. Teams have to be wondering how we are ever going to beat them now.”

Vaught reminded his readers that Brown had his own “players first” mentality during his coaching career, and that may be why he has a soft spot for Cal: “The best way to describe John is that it isn’t where or who he coaches, but why. John genuinely loves his players and he gets knocked for that.”

Similarly, Brown is also a vocal critic of the NCAA, calling them “an archaic institution that legislates against human dignity and practices monumental hypocrisy” in an interview with collegemagazine.com a few months back. So, consider him in Cal’s corner when it come to the critics, whom he would advise to “follow the guidance of Oscar Wilde who said, ‘Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.’” Further, Brown said those critics “better get used to him winning. This won’t be his last national title at Kentucky.”

Preach it.