John Calipari Is the Most Underrated Coach in the NCAA

[William F Hansford]

Think fast: which NCAA head coach receives more negative press than any other?

I know that your first thought was John Calipari, and that is regardless of whether you are a fan of his or the biggest hater outside of Pete Thamel. No college coach gets the presses burning more than the leader of the Bluegrass' team, and there is not any other coach who comes close.

When Calipari began his speech at the 2011 Big Blue Madness event, he explained to 23,000 adoring fans that Kentucky was at the center of college basketball and had this effect on the sport:

“We do more than move the needle. We are the needle. We are UK.”

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

The most incredible skill that Calipari possesses and yet receives the smallest amount of praise for is his player development. No college coach improves a player more over a shorter period of time. In fact, John Calipari can develop more positive traits in one season with a player than some coaches can do in three seasons.

This has been proven time and time again throughout his career, but especially so during Cal's tenure with the Wildcats.

The best example of this can be illustrated with the development of all three of Calipari's point guards. John Wall, Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague each came to Lexington as a five-star, top overall guard prospect who were each the top dog on their high school teams.

John Wall was a phenom who seemed destined to enter college as an immediate superstar. He hit a game-winning jump shot in his first collegiate contest against Miami (Ohio) and became an overnight sensation. However, Wall often tried to make the flashy play over the correct decision, and he struggled at balancing his duties as a playmaker versus his duties as the floor general for the Cats.

As the season progressed, Wall grew more into the point guard that Calipari envisioned and turned himself into a first-team All-American selection. Wall finished the season averaging over six assists per game and entered the NBA as a premier ball distributor with excellent court vision. This growth as a point guard came as a result of working with John Calipari and learning the right way to play the position.

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1178582-john-calipari-is-the-most-underrated-coach-in-the-ncaa