Calipari uses Haiti disaster as a teaching moment College Sports

Calipari uses Haiti disaster as a teaching moment
College Sports
http://www.courierpress.com/blogs/college-sports/2010/jan/22/01212010/
* By Randy Beard
* Posted January 22, 2010 at 3:46 a.m.



John Calipari has done the second best coaching job behind Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl in the Southeastern Conference this season and he may soon have the nation’s best team – as long as the Wildcats don’t slip up Saturday against Arkansas.

It’s why you have to consider what he did during his spare time last weekend such a remarkable achievement – whether you are skeptical of Calipari’s motives or not.

After doing a little brainstorming with some Lexington, Ky., businessmen prior to Saturday’s game at Auburn, Calipari managed in a matter of hours to put together a state-wide fund-raising telethon for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Oh yeah, the Wildcats still managed to beat Auburn 72-67 to improve to 18-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC.

To Calipari, the “Hoops for Haiti” telethon was just another sign – like his nearly two million followers on Twitter – that coaching at Kentucky offers him unique opportunities.

“What other coach can make a call and get statewide TV for an hour and a half?” said Calipari. “Lots of people are doing what they can. This job allows us to do this. That’s all it is. Anyone who was the Kentucky basketball coach would’ve done this.”

Perhaps, but it was Calipari who served as the telethon host on Sunday while his players helped answer the phones as the donations rolled in. Celebrities like Ashley Judd and Taylor Swift agreed to auction time and/or merchandise for the good of the cause. Coaches like Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jim Boehim of Syracuse, Tubby Smith of Minnesota, Rick Barnes of Texas and Tom Izzo of Michigan State made donations.

Former UK star Nazr Mohammed gave a $10,000 gift to push the telethon total over the $500,000 mark. Then a group of 40 or so businessmen – Cal’s Pals for Haiti – matched the donations dollar for dollar to get it beyond a million.

All the money was donated to American Red Cross' efforts in Haiti.

WKYT in Lexington served as the flagship station for the broadcast.

In addition to accepting donations over the phone, a companion auction was held on eBay. The big prize was dinner for six at Calipari’s home that will include Judd. It brought in $98,100.

Granted, Calipari will never be more than another snake oil salesman in some circles because the NCAA took a giant eraser to its record book and wiped away his two Final Four appearances with Massachusetts and Memphis because of ineligible players.

But unless a smoking gun – no, that’s not a cheap shot at Pearl – is found in John Wall’s hands between now and March, it’s a good bet Calipari will be taking his third team to the final weekend.

But even he knows that what he did on Sunday will be his most meaningful achievement in 2010.

When he and his wife watched the images of suffering in Haiti, he said he knew he had to try to make a difference. He said he was particularly struck by the story of a couple holding an injured child in their arms desperately pleading for help.

"How don’t you do something?” said Calipari. “I tell our players all the time, ‘We’ve had fame thrown at us because were at Kentucky. How are you going to use it?'

“Well, we’re going to try to use it for as much good as we can.”