Watch “Under The Lights: Kentucky Basketball” on Fox Sports South

Watch “Under The Lights: Kentucky Basketball” on Fox Sports
ON TONIGHT.
An Engaging Experience

Foxsportssouth.com
By Ray Goodrich

7:20 a.m. All over Lexington, Kentucky, residents of the Commonwealth are readying themselves for work and school, and another cold winter day as Christmas draws near.

Me? I’m ringing John Calipari’s doorbell.

Now, I like a good practical joke as much as the next guy. But that’s not why I’m here, at this place, at this hour. And while I will admit to being an ardent and respectful admirer of Coach Cal’s, my pre-dawn visit is not fueled by the same crazed devotion that has quickly elevated this man to demi-god status here in the Big Blue Nation.

No. I’m here, along with my cameraman, to take from John Calipari that which he seems surprisingly willing to give to so many people – his time.

Mind you, this is no ordinary morning – as if such a thing exists in the world of college basketball’s most enigmatic coach. The previous evening has seen his Kentucky Wildcats become the first team in college hoops history to win its 2000th game. 24,354 attended the contest and, as Coach Cal would tell us later, “no one left” as a raucous postgame celebration ensued, complete with speeches from the current head coach, as well as former head coach Joe B. Hall. Then came the litany of ‘normal’ postgame obligations; meeting with his team, the press, and his live on-court radio show that routinely draws crowds of 5,000 plus. Really.

So yeah, it had been a long night for John Calipari. And now here we were, ready to follow him for the day, from morning Mass, to venerable Lexington breakfast spot Wheeler’s Pharmacy, to meetings, to practice . . . everywhere he went that day. Having dealt with my fair share of SEC coaches, I am acutely aware that they are often chronically short on just about everything . . . time, sleep, patience. I had prepared myself to be met at Coach Cal’s front door with few words and only a passing effort at cooperation for our shoot that morning. After all, who would blame a guy, on only a few hours’ sleep, who seems pulled in several different directions daily, sometimes hourly? I was just another ‘direction’ pulling at him, and a fairly demanding one at that. Imagine where you were at 7:30 this morning, and what you were doing, and what you looked like . . . then imagine a camera crew being there to tape it. See what I mean?

But the man who met us at the door welcomed us warmly into his home, shared a few of his Christmas cards with us, and even introduced us to the family dog (a large German Sheperd who will make me think twice about ever ringing the doorbell again). Coach Cal was, in short, engaging . . . and over the course of several days at his side, I came to see that as perhaps the main secret to his success.

John Calipari isn’t just a great basketball coach. He’s a great person. I’ve never seen anyone who could be completely engaged with those he’s with, like Coach Cal can. When he’s with his team, he is completely engaged with them. When he was with his staff, the fans, our crew . . . he seems capable of embracing every moment, and every person in those moments. I never once saw him make anyone feel like they were wasting his time. If you think about it, that is a more remarkable accomplishment, on a daily basis, than winning a bunch of basketball games.

I’ll pause here to allow the jeering to subside from the many detractors Coach Cal has garnered on his road to the top. I’ll not repeat some of the adjectives I’ve read describing him – let’s just say there are those who don’t share my viewpoint on the character of this coach. Hey, everyone’s got an opinion. Mine happens to come from being around this guy and his program for four days, enjoying access that few have ever or will ever have. Nothing was off limits, nothing hidden from us. People will say and think what they want about Coach Cal. News flash – it doesn’t really bother him. He’s Kentucky’s head coach, and he’s loving it.

My experience with Coach Cal and his team taught me that you can expend just as much energy making someone feel good as you do making them feel bad. I also learned that John Calipari is as sincere as he is successful.

Even at 7:20 a.m.


Watch “Under The Lights: Kentucky Basketball” on Fox Sports South and SportSouth. Check local listings for times and dates in your are

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