John Calipari is sick of long replays taking over college basketball
Are you sick and tired of the long, drawn-out reviews taking over the college basketball world? John Calipari is right there with you. It’s why he went nose-to-nose with Pat Adams in Kentucky’s win over Alabama one week ago.
The interaction came after officials met at the replay monitors to review Alabama’s Darius Miles’ light slap to Lance Ware’s face, a clear exchange that resulted in a technical for the Crimson Tide forward. Calipari’s problem wasn’t with the final decision at all, just how long it took to get to that point.
“It’s frustrating. If you wonder why I went crazy the other game, it’s because everybody saw the slap in the face,” Calipari said Friday. “We all saw it. “TV saw it, camera crew saw it. What took you three minutes? And then you go meet with the (Alabama) coach. My guy’s at the free-throw line waiting to shoot a free throw and you’re having a dialogue about whatever. It couldn’t have been (about) that play because it was a face slap. That’s why I got upset. ‘Let’s play! Let’s go, let’s play!’
“And then all of a sudden, all hell breaks loose. It wasn’t me questioning anything, it was just a ‘let’s go, speed this thing up.'”
That scream is what led to the exchange with Adams, who “charged” Calipari, the UK head coach said after the game.
“Somebody said Pat (Adams) and I went nose to nose,” he said. “I like Pat, he’s a good guy. He charged me but I’m good.”
After touching foreheads, things ultimately cooled down and Ware was able to shoot his technical free throw, a shot he missed.
“Part of it was my guy was shooting a free throw. After waiting five minutes, what did he do with the free throw? He missed it.”
That sequence of events was just one of many long replay reviews in the Alabama game alone, let alone the rest of the college basketball season. It’s an issue that seems to pop up every game at this point. If you ask Calipari, it’s something that needs to get fixed.
“It needs to be done quicker. They need to meet with both coaches, a four-second cut. ‘This is what happened, here’s the call, we’re not discussing. Let’s go.’ Boom, let’s go play.”
Let’s play, indeed.
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