Is Calipari the biggest name in hoops?
Simple question: Is John Calipari now the biggest name in college basketball?
Thanks to his recruiting prowess, non-stop Twittering and general media onslaught (a dream for those of us dreading the summer doldrums), Coach Cal’s owned the college hoop headlines every since the NCAA tournament ended.
This story from Jerry Tipton at the Lexington Herald-Leader (hat tip: A Sea of Blue) covers all the bases of Calipari’s wild spring, whether it’s chatting it up with fans, heading to church or just generally embracing all things Big Blue. (The paper's illustration shown below just adds to it all.)
Camille Weber/Herald-Leader |
John Calipari, striking the pose
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That embracing of it all is probably the most important. He’s in the good graces of Wildcats fans because of that once-in-a-generation recruiting class, but has gone above and beyond because of the way he’s adapted to the life in Lexington.
Ex-Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall and former athletic director C.M. Newton have been blown away by the whirlwind 54 days.
"It exceeds anything I've ever seen or dreamed of, really," Newton told Tipton. Newton does think the honeymoon will end sometime, but the start has been pitch perfect.
Sure, the whole thing could get out of hand given the expectations, but for now, he’s thriving at perhaps the most prestigious program in the country.
And if he’s thriving there, does that make him the biggest name in the game?
Coaches rule the college game. Players can only stick around for four years, which elevates the coaches into superstar status. Take the Guitar Heroes.
Roy Williams just won his second NCAA title in the last five years. Rick Pitino was doing all this at Kentucky when Calipari was still at UMass. And it’s tough to watch TV in March without seeing an ad featuring Mike Kryzewski.
Is Calipari bigger than any of them? Right now, for sure. But what about after the recruiting glow wears off? Just how long can Cal and Kentucky dominate the headlines?
It all depends on how much he wins, eh?
