Sporting News names Calipari its 'Coach of the Decade'

While some of you argue that John Calipari has lost his way at Kentucky, the Sporting News named him its Coach of the Decade in the sport of men’s college basketball. Turns out, 305 wins, 31 NCAA tournament wins, nine NCAA tournament appearances, seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours and an NCAA championship is pretty damn good for a 10-year span.

More from the Sporting News’s story:

No one defined the 2010s in the same way as Calipari, though, nor achieved the same degree of consistent excellence. Calipari won more NCAA Tournament games this decade than all but five other active coaches did in their entire careers, or 18 coaches in the game’s history. He avoided sub-.500 seasons and first-round NCAA defeats. Kentucky was a single basket away from two more Final Four appearances.

If you’re still not convinced, head on over to read Mike DeCourcy’s entire story on Calipari’s greatness. We don’t need Mike to tell us about all the good things Calipari has done, but it doesn’t hurt to refresh our memories during this two-game skid that has many fans upset with the Coach of the Decade.

There’s a little something in there for the anti-Cal crowd, too. In explaining the players-first program, he tells DeCourcy, ““We were going to make decisions based on them and their needs. And it’s not just about the name on the front. It’ll be about the name on the back. That’s how we’re going to do this.”

I’ll see y’all in the comments section. Merry Christmas.