John Calipari Accepts Kentucky Head Coaching Gig

The initial rumors about Billy Donovan going to Kentucky proved terribly wrong, but the rumors about John Calipari did not. After taking a night to sleep on Kentucky’s gargantuan offer, Coach Cal has accepted the head coaching position at Kentucky.

From ESPN.com:

The coach sent a text message to ESPN.com’s Andy Katz on Tuesday evening saying, “I am accepting the UK job! Go Big Blue, coach Cal.”

A source told Katz that Calipari will receive an eight-year, $35 million deal. He gets a $2.5 million signing bonus and $3 million per year for the first four years. In years five, six, seven and eight, Calipari will get an additional $1.5 million per year, so for the last four years of the contract his salary would be $4.5 million. Incentives push the deal up a few more million to get to the $35 million mark.

The contract is the richest in college basketball.

As I’ve said, I think this is a great move for Kentucky all things considered. And now that he has accepted the job and obviously is looking forward to the challenge, it is a great move for John Calipari.

Don’t have a lot of time right now, but here are some relevant links, including my thoughts on this issue over the past week:

• Calipari a good choice for Kentucky, but there are legitimate reasons for caution – MSF
  
• Calipari bio and initial thoughts on why he would or would not go – MSF
  
• Xavier Henry and Demarcus Cousins back in play – ESPN.com
  
• Will the green send Calipari to the Bluegrass state? – WSJ.com

John Calipari-Kentucky Update: Contract Negotiations Ongoing, Deal Appears Imminent

ESPN.com is reporting tonight that John Calipari and the University of Kentucky are “inching closer” to a deal and that something could even be ironed out as soon as late tonight. (Coincidentally, the picture to the left is reporting that John Calipari likes to spontaneously air-ride motorcycles in the middle of basketball games.)

It’s 11:00 CT as I write this, and I have seen no announcement yet.

According to the ESPN report, the deal being negotiated between John Calipari and Kentucky is for 8 years and somewhere in the neighborhood of $35 million. Such a deal would make Calipari the highest paid coach in America, despite the fact that he has never won a national title nor coached in a conference other than the Atlantic 10 or Conference USA. Hmm…

For more on the bio and career of John Calipari, we traced his successes (at UMass and Memphis) and failures (the NBA, his reputation with the public and some peers) over what has certainly been a distinguished and somewhat controversial career.

Currently, Calipari has four years left on his Memphis deal, which pays him $2.35 million annually. The AP reported that Memphis AD R.C. Johnson said that Memphis will do whatever it can to keep Calipari with the Tigers. Something tells me that 8 years and $35 million may be a bit out of their price range; but, the Tigers are the only game in town, so perhaps they can dig deep and keep their coach around.

Also of interest to Kentucky and Memphis fans: recent Memphis commit DeMarcus Cousins has not signed a letter of intent with Kentucky, and could follow Calipari to Lexington and play next year. Memphis is also supposedly a finalist for the top unsigned player remaining in the class of ‘09: John Wall.

Thus, If Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson stay in school and Calipari comes galloping into town (or air-riding a Harley) with Cousins and Wall, the fortunes of the Wildcats could turn around pretty quickly.

(Excuse me for a moment while the Cream & Crimson blood pumping through my veins induces me to vomit. And while I realize that statement does not make physiological sense, all IU fans know what I’m talking about.)

I’ll keep you posted on what happens, but let’s be honest: you’ll probably find out about a final deal between Calipari and Kentucky before I get it posted here. However, if you want funny John Calipari pics to go along with your Calipari-Kentucky updates, we’re your source!

And, as always, we can’t post about John Calipari without also embedding this video:

If Calipari ups and leaves Memphis for the bluer pastures of Lexington, John Chaney might not be the only person who wants a piece of Coach Cal.

But seriously, he’s a college basketball coach, with a rep as being one of the sleazier ones in the business, and Kentucky is going to pay him more than any other coach in America. Can you honestly say that you’d be surprised, or begrudge him, for leaving?

I can’t. And the truth is, it’s probably a hell of a move for Kentucky if it happens.

Plus, we’ll all get a chance to see if Calipari can only dominate as a big fish in a small pond, or if he can truly build a winner in a legitimately competitive conference.

I just hope that if Calipari is at Kentucky that Tom Crean and the Hoosiers give him a proper ass-whooping welcome in the IU-Kentucky game next year. Losing to Kentucky would be bad enough. Losing to Kentucky with John Calipari on the sidelines…well that would just be…dirty.

And it would make me feel like this:

Good luck Kentucky. Calipari will win games, and all things considered I like this hire for the Wildcats if it comes to fruition, if for no other reason than Kentucky fans and their administration have proven that all they care about is winning.

But all I will say is this: Indiana once made a desperate deal with the devil not too long ago during a moment of weakness when winning was the only thought on our minds. We hired a coach that had been to the Final Four but had never won a title, who was dogged by a less-than-sterling reputation among his peers, and whose huge ego drove him to chase a bigger contract and a higher prestige job right after signing a great recruiting class at his old school.

Sound familiar?

It all started out great — or so we thought — and then a couple of years later we won 7 games.

Look, I don’t know if John Calipari’s reputation is spot-on, or more fact than fiction, or vice versa, and I’m not saying John Calipari will be anything like Coach Snake (nor do I wish that kind of malfeasance on anyone). I’m just saying be careful. When winning is the only consideration, sometimes you end up getting exactly what you wish for…right before getting kicked in the groin with a steel-toed boot that you never see coming.

Just saying…

What do you think?

Is John Calipari a good fit for Lexington and the Kentucky Wildcats?

• Yes
• No

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Here We Go Again: Billy Donovan to Leave Florida for Kentucky – Or Will He?

Earlier today, our Link of the Day sent you over to Sparty and Friends for a rumor that Billy Gillespie would be fired at Kentucky and replaced by Billy Donovan.

A report this afternoon at MyFox Orlando is confirming that rumor, and we tip our hats again to Sparty for alerting us to the latest Billy Donovan-to-Kentucky report.

Update 3:50 – Gary Parrish of CBS Sports is now reporting that Billy Donovan WILL NOT leave Florida for Kentucky or any other job. No link for this story yet, but I’ll provide one as soon as it is available.

Update 4:00 – Trolling the Kentucky message boards I just read that Donovan also released a statement saying he was “committed to the University of Florida”. Some still are not convinced that means he won’t end up in Lexington, but the earlier report from MyFox Orlando is certainly appearing less and less true by the minute.

Update 4:15 – Thanks to Sparty for the tip on this one too, the statement released by Donovan in response to the Kentucky rumors. From GatorSports.com:

“In response to the rumors circulating about my interest in other jobs, I wanted to address this as quickly as possible,” Donovan said in a statement. “I am committed to the University of Florida and look forward to continuing to build our program here.”

Hmm…if that’s the entire statement I can’t say it convinces me wholeheartedly that Donovan will be in Gainesville next year. We’ve heard the “I’m committed to XYZ School” utterance before. It is often followed by a press conference soon thereafter introducing said coach at another school. We’ll see. For now, it sounds like Donovan is trying to slow down the rumor mill, but there is no language in that statement (at least that part of it) that suggests he is totally ruling out Kentucky as a possibility.

According to the report at MyFox Orlando, Billy Donovan will resign as Florida’s head basketball coach and subsequently accept the same position at Kentucky. The University of Kentucky has held a 4:00 PM press conference to announce the firing of Billy Gillespie.

The persistent rumor I’ve been reading is that current VCU coach Anthony Grant would be on the short list of replacement candidates for Florida. Grant was also mentioned a few years ago when Donovan had his I will, I won’t about face with the Orlando Magic job after winning his second straight National Championship in Gainesville. Donovan accepted the position, only to back out a few days later.

Since then, Billy Donovan has yet to take Florida back to the NCAA Tournament. After going 68-11 with two National Championships in 2005-06 and 2006-07, the Gators have been 49-23 over the last two seasons. For his career, Billy Donovan has a 345-146 record at Florida and Marshall. He has led the Gators to at least the Sweet 16 four teams, winning the two titles and losing in the 2001 championship game.

There have long been rumors about Kentucky wanting Donovan, in no small part because of Donovan’s connection to former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino. Donovan played for Pitino at Providence, reaching the Final Four in 1987, and was an assistant with Pitino in Lexington from 1989-1994.

Kentucky is obviously hoping that Donovan can help the program return to prominence after fading for the latter part of this decade. Billy Gillespie went 40-26 in two seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed last year and missing the tournament this season. By contract, Kentucky was 44-25 in the last two seasons under Tubby Smith, but made the tournament as an 8 seed both seasons and won first round games both seasons.

Kentucky had hoped that Gillespie could help the program add to its 7 National Championships, but Gillespie never seemed to get comfortable in Lexington and fans certainly never got comfortable with him.

If Billy Donovan does indeed accept the Kentucky job, he will be only the 7th head basketball coach at Kentucky since Adolph Rupp took the job in 1931.

Is Kentucky better off with Billy Donovan than Billy Gillespie?

• Yes
• Yes damnit...and that sucks because I hate Kentucky
• Hell yes!

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LOTD: Rumor – Billy Gillespie Out, Billy Donovan Potentially In at Kentucky

UPDATE 3:30 CT: According to a report at MyFox Orlando, Billy Donovan will resign at Florida to accept the head coaching position at Kentucky. A conflicting report from CBS Sports says that Donovan WILL NOT leave Florida for UK or any other job. So who the hell knows.

My apologies for not getting many LOTD posts up recently. I’ve been so focused on the NCAA Tournament I have let it slip through the cracks. But I’ve got some great links to share today, the first of which involves some significant rumors coming out of Lexington, KY.

As everyone knows, the Billy Clyde experiment at Kentucky has not gone well. Kentucky missed the NCAA Tournament this year and fans in Lexington have grown weary of Gillespie’s inability return Kentucky to national prominence and some of the personal blunders he has made in his short time there. The conventional wisdom is that Gillespie will be out, perhaps as soon as this afternoon.

What I did find interesting is that, according to our good friends over at Sparty and Friends, Billy Donovan could be the man to replace Gillespie.

Donovan won two national titles at Florida earlier this decade, but the Gators have struggled since then. Because of his position on the Rick Pitino coaching tree, Donovan has always been a rumored candidate in Lexington. Head on over to Sparty and Friends for more:

LOTD: Gillespie Gone: Donovan on his way? — (Sparty and Friends)

Also, while you’re there, take part in the great series of posts Sparty is doing for its Sports Movie Tournament. The following link will take you to the index of all the Sports Movie Tournament posts:

Sparty and Friends Sports Movie Tournament

And now some other links for you before I get back to work:

Taste the Madness — (NCAA Tournament contest sponsored by CokeZero)

Serena Williams is ASSpectacular — (Black Sports Online)

LeBron James: Shades of Kareem — (Josh Q. Public)

30 years ago, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson’s matchup changed basketball — (Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star)

College Basketball’s Movable Beasts — (Wall Street Journal Sports)

March Madness History: All-time List of NCAA Champions – Mens Basketball

Now that we have exhausted all of the major conference tournaments (sorry Conference USA but you have one team, so you didn’t qualify) as a source of March Madness history, it is time to turn our attention to the NCAA Tournament in the first installment of what I have decided to call, in an impromptu burst of creativity, March Madness History.

This will be a fun series for me to research and write, however, because I can relive the glory days of Indiana basketball — that wonderful time when a 1-17 conference record would have been deemed a complete impossibility. As this year proved, however, even the most incomprehensible collapse of a once proud program is possible with the perfect storm of catastrophic player departures and recruiting scandals. All of us IU fans are clinging to the optimism that it was just a one year blip and that Tom Crean will have us back competitive again next year.

Because, you see, while the IU program took a big hit this season, the IU tradition is still alive and strong; and the reason for that is IU’s splendid history of NCAA Tournament excellence. No, Indiana has not been a great tournament team over the past 15 years (except for that awesome 2002 run), but between 1973 and 1993 there were few teams who could match IU in postseason success. The table below, which lists the schools with the most NCAA Mens Basketball Championships, is proof positive of this.

Let’s get to the table and then analyze a bit. First, a few relevant NCAA Tournament links (some of which have not been posted yet, but will be), especially if you are planning on attending any of the tournament games this year:

• 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament History: Past Champions, Final Four participants, Final Four locations by year, and interesting tournament tidbits
• NCAA Tournament All-Time MOPs: Mens and Womens Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Winners
• NCAA Womens Basketball Tournament Champions
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Tickets

The following table provides an ordered list of NCAA Champions in mens college basketball from most to least. It includes the number of titles for each school that has won at least one, and the years in which those titles were captured. I actually included this table at the bottom of a previous post, but figured it deserved its own. Here you go:

Obviously, for me, the best part about this NCAA Champions table is the school in third place: Indiana. The Hoosiers have won as many titles as the rest of the Big 10 combined. The Big 10 needs to get a move on or it could get shut out this decade. Michigan State closed the 90s by winning the 1999-2000 championship, but it has been bupkus ever since for the conference.

North Carolina actually has a pretty good shot to tie the Hoosiers with their fifth championship if the Tar Heels can D up in the tournament. They certainly have the talent to win it all and will likely enter the 2009 NCAA Tournament as the #1 overall seed.

We know one thing: Kentucky won’t be adding to their total any time soon.

UCLA obviously has the most impressive historical resume of any school in the country — by a long shot. And the Bruins have reached three straight Final Fours, but have been unable to close the deal. It appears that UCLA is not good enough to make the Final Four this year, but stranger things have certainly happened. It still boggles my mind to look at their dominance in the 60s and early 70s. Just an amazing run, led by native Hoosier (but collegiate Boilermaker) John Wooden.

Kansas joined the rarified air of 3-time NCAA Champions with their title last year. UConn, Louisville, and Michigan State all have two, but could stretch that number to three in this year’s tournament. I think there is a good chance that San Francisco will be sitting on their two titles for a long, long time in the future…

Out of the NCAA Champions in the Top 6, Indiana is obviously the furthest away from claiming another title based on our performance this season. However, Hoosier fans can take solace in that fact that each of the five other schools has dealt with periods of turmoil and struggle to rebound and become national powers once again. If Indiana is to hang a sixth banner in Assembly Hall, it will have to follow a similar path.

Hopefully Tom Crean is leading us on a path to do just that.

March Madness History: Past Champions and Year-by-Year Final Four Breakdown

I am currently watching Indiana valiantly, but unsuccessfully, try to beat Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The Hoosiers are currently down by 14 despite a strong game by Verdell Jones and it looks like only 1 victory will be our fate in Big Ten play this year.

So, there will be no suspense in Bloomington come Selection Sunday this year. Indiana will end the 2008-09 season the same we have ended every one since 1987: with 5 National Titles.

Well, as you may have noticed over the past couple of weeks, I have been doing a lot of research on the history of the major conference basketball tournaments. As always, I try to enlighten you with the fruits of my research. Because I anticipate the IU-Wisconsin game to be painful to watch, I decided to only give it partial attention, and use the time to do some research on the history of the NCAA Tournament.

So let’s break down the long and storied history of what we all affectionately refer to as “March Madness”. Here are a few quick links of note for this year’s NCAA tournament:

• 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament History: Past Champions, Final Four participants, Final Four locations by year, and interesting tournament tidbits
• NCAA Tournament All-Time MOPs: Mens and Womens Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Winners
• NCAA Womens Basketball Tournament Champions
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Tickets

First, a quick breakdown of every Final Four since they started having Final Fours way back in 1939, plus more interesting notes and tidbits after the table:

Note: The number listed by each team is their tournament seed. Seeding did not occur until 1979, which interestingly is the year that many people feel changed college basketball forever: the Magic-Bird title game. FYI, future Final Four sites include:

• 2010: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN (April 4th, 6th)
• 2011: Reliant Stadium — Houston, TX (April 2nd, 4th)
• 2012: Louisiana Superdome — New Orleans, LA (March 31st, April 2nd)
• 2013: Georgia Dome — Atlanta, GA (April 6th, 8th)
• 2014: Cowboys Stadium — Arlington, TX (April 5th, 7th)
• 2015: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN (April 4th, 6th)
• 2016: Reliant Stadium — Houston, TX (April 2nd, 4th)

The NCAA Tournament has expanded on numerous occasions since 1939. Interestingly, before 1975 only one team per conference was allowed to be in the NCAA Tournament. Here is a breakdown of the number of teams in the tournament during each different iteration:

• 1939-1950: 8 teams
• 1951-1974: varied between 16 teams and 25 teams
• 1975-1978: 32 teams
• 1979: 40 teams
• 1980-1982: 48 teams
• 1983: 52 teams (48-team tourney with four play-in games beforehand)
• 1984: 53 teams (48-team tourney with five play-in games beforehand)
• 1985-2000: 64 teams
• 2001-present: 65 teams (64-team tourney with one play-in or “opening round” game beforehand)

Six times, the National Championship game has been decided by one point, with two of those games being decided in overtime. The most recent 1-point game was 1989 when Michigan beat Seton hall in OT. The largest margin of victory in an NCAA Championship game was 30, when UNLV beat Duke 103-73 in 1990. For more interesting news and notes, follow the link to the NCAA Tournament history page at Wikipedia. Below is a recreation of the table you will find at the above link that lists out the number of NCAA Championships won by each school, with reorganization in order of most titles:

And now that this post is done, I must say that creating the two table above was quite an enjoyable experience — and a nice reminder of the wonderful tradition of IU basketball. Only two schools have won more NCAA Championships, and hopefully Tom Crean can be the guy to add a few more to the list.

Only one week until Selection Sunday…

College Basketball: SEC Tournament Preview and History

There is one primary reason why I enjoy the SEC Tournament: it gives me another opportunity to root against Kentucky.

It’s nothing personal against the Wildcats really, it just comes with the territory of growing up in Bloomington as an Indiana fan. When you grow up cheering for the Cream & Crimson you are indoctrinated early into hating Purdue and Kentucky in pretty much equal amounts.

So I guess when you look at it that way, it is personal against the Wildcats. Oh well.

Luckily, what appeared to be a Kentucky resurgence earlier this year has been derailed, as the Wildcats have lost in three in a row as of this post. They currently sit in a tie for 3rd in the SEC East division with Florida at 8-7. Something tells me that Kentucky will make it to the NCAA Tournament, barring a complete collapse over their final few games, but a run in the SEC Tournament next week certainly would not hurt.

Here is a quick preview of the 2009 SEC Mens Basketball Tournament:

• What: 50th SEC Mens Basketball Tournament
• Dates: March 12- March 15
• Location: St. Pete Times Forum – Tampa, Florida
• Official Website: 2009 SEC Mens Basketball Tournament
• Printable Bracket: 2009 SEC Tournament
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 SEC Basketball Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

And, as is our custom here at MSF with these conference tournament previews, here is a breakdown of the daily schedule and TV listings:

Last season showed us how much the seeds mean in the SEC Tournament. Georgia was 4-12 in the regular season, tied for the worst record in the SEC; they went on to win the SEC Tournament and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Who could be this year’s Georgia? Well, how about Georgia?

They are 3-12 this season, which actually is not the worst record in the SEC. Arkansas currrently sits with a putrid 2-13 record in the conference play. Wow, what a terrible record. I don’t even know their fans can still root for them! (Irony alert: Remember, I’m and IU fan. Yes, I remember that we’ve only won 1 game in conference play this year. Maybe we can pull a Georgia and become the most unlikely NCAA Tournament participant ever!)

Anyway, that’s enough rambling from me. You’re here for specific information, and if you didn’t get it from the schedule above, here is a breakdown of the SEC Mens Basketball Tournament history, with past champions and MVP winners:

As you can see, and no doubt expected, Kentucky has been pretty successful over the years in the SEC Tournament. Can they do it again this year? It might take more superhuman efforts from Jodie Meeks, but if Georgia could win it last year then anything is possble come SEC Tournament time.

And if you want information about the other conference tournaments (minus the PAC 10 because, well, I just haven’t gotten around to them yet), here you go:

• Big Ten Tournament Preview
• ACC Tournament Preview
• Big East Tournament Preview

Jodie Meeks Explodes for 54 Points to Break Kentucky Single-Game Scoring Record

Wow.

While I was writing the Eagles-Cardinals preview that I posted last night, I briefly turned on the TV for a moment and saw that Kentucky was playing Tennessee on ESPN. The Wildcats (who, as a die-hard Hoosier, I personally hate) were leading by about 10 so I quickly flipped off.

Until I got into the car this morning and listened to the radio, I had no idea what I missed: Jodie Meeks scoring 54 points in Kentucky’s 90-72 victory, breaking the all-time single scoring record at Kentucky that had previously been held by Dan Issel (53 points).

Meeks went 10-15 from downtown en route to the single scoring record, as well as 14-14 from the free throw line. Sprinkle in five other field goals and you’ve got 54. And as Pat Forde of ESPN.com noted this morning, if you are looking at Meeks’ performance purely from the perspective of the proportion of his team’s points scored, then the performance of Meeks easily dwarfs that of Issel:

The 54 points broke the 39-year-old school record of Dan Issel, who scored 53 against Mississippi. It should be noted that Kentucky scored 120 points that day, which means Issel scored 44 percent of the Wildcats’ total. Meeks racked up a ridiculous 60 percent of Kentucky’s points here — an extraordinary display of shooting and stamina stretched over 39 jaw-dropping minutes.

If you have not seen the video or highlights yet, they are pretty amazing. Take a look:

As a former three-point gunner myself way back in glory days of high school, I can certainly appreciate a 10-15 performance from downtown. The most I ever made in a game was 7, and I don’t think too many people who have ever played the game of basketball can say that they scored 50 or more points in a regulation game.

It stinks that Kentucky won, as it always does when they are victorious…but congratulations to Jodie Meeks. From one shooter to another, that was an absolutely amazing performance.

(On a quick side note, I would like to take this opportunity to extend both of my middle fingers into the air in the general direction of wherever Kelvin Sampson is. Do you realize what has happened this morning? Indiana played Ohio State last and I did not even consider posting about it. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 33-10 lead and cruised from there. Yet, I am writing a story about a Kentucky player. Something is very wrong here, and it is all the fault of that snake Sampson. Thanks for letting me vent.)