I certainly don't equate him as being on the same putrid level as Henson/Frieder and others like them (*cough* Wade Houston). Could just be that Calipari's greatest coaching strengths are on display in practice/pre-game prep moreso than they are in a tie game with 35 seconds to play.

 

 

That was perfectly stated. There it is.

I think that looking at how players like Harrelson, Liggins, and Miller have developed speaks for how great of a coach that Coach Cal is. Of coarse Liggins and Miller were probably bound to get a little better, but not as much as I believe they have under Cal. And Harrelson is definitely the player he is because of Cal (also his heart). Heck, you could even say Patterson improved his game and took it to another level because of Cal.

 

Anyone disagree?

I think that looking at how players like Harrelson, Liggins, and Miller have developed speaks for how great of a coach that Coach Cal is. Of coarse they Liggins and Miller were probably bound to get a little better, but not as much as I believe they have under Cal. And Harrelson is definitely the player he is because of Cal (also his heart). Heck, you could even say Patterson improved his game and took it to another level because of Cal.

 

Anyone disagree?

 

That's kind of where I'm coming from as well -- that improvement is directly attributable to what Calipari does during practice.

From reading this thread, there are a lot of people who, like me, draw distinctions between "coaching" and "recruiting."

 

For example, Bill Frieder and Lou Henson were some of the best recruiters in college hoops history, but awful bench coaches. Bobby Knight was an average recruiter but a great bench coach who regularly made the aforementioned Frieder and Henson look like middle-school coaches.

 

As far as Calipari goes, he's a solid bench coach whose motivational prowess helps him overcome most shortcomings in the x/o dept. The fact that he's the best recruiter in the biz means he's able to overwhelm opposing teams with talent, in most cases. I may not care for him personally, but would gladly replace Pitino with him in a New York minute.

 

That is correct. He is an amazing motivator.

I certainly don't equate him as being on the same putrid level as Henson/Frieder and others like them (*cough* Wade Houston). Could just be that Calipari's greatest coaching strengths are on display in practice/pre-game prep moreso than they are in a tie game with 35 seconds to play.

 

I think that is fair.

 

I have always maintained that actual in game coaching is somewhat overrated. Utimately players have to make plays.

I think that is fair.

 

I have always maintained that actual in game coaching is somewhat overrated. Utimately players have to make plays.

 

You are right about this and that is what Cal believes IMO.

 

Here is the thing about Cal in game ... what adjustments do you (not you specifically KD, I am addressing this to all posters) want him to make to prove he can coach? He believes in man defense so he isn't going to change up defenses. His offense is the dribble drive and there aren't a lot of adjustments there. He is committed to those offensive and defensive schemes. He believes in putting his talent on the floor using those schemes and let them play. He plays 7 guys (6 this year) so not a ton of substitution moves to make. The only strategic moves he can make under his philosophy are putting on the press and calling timeouts at the right time to control game momentum. On that last part, he has done a very good job this year. If I were to criticize anything in game this year, there are 2 times I can recall where I thought he should have called a timeout in the last couple of minutes of close games. Outside of that, what does anyone think he should have done this year differently in game? I would like to hear examples instead of generalized perception.

You are right about this and that is what Cal believes IMO.

 

He believes in putting his talent on the floor using those schemes and let them play.

 

And that is the exact reason Cal recruits so well. He "unleashes" his players and lets them use their talents to the best of their ability.

IMO Cal is a top 5 coach in the country...

Last year Cal was 7-0 in games decided by 5 points or less (I am including all OT games in that number). That included wins over North Carolina, U Conn, Vandy at Vandy and two over Mississippi St. I guess he forgot how to coach close games last summer.

 

 

I think Calipari is a much, much better coach than people give him credit for. He is so great at recruiting his coaching gets overlooked.

 

I agree. I've been very impressed with his coaching ability since he arrived at UK. I didn't watch Memphis a lot, so I just went with the stereotype, but what I see at UK is a recruiter that is second-to-none who can coach with anybody in the game.

 

He generally pushes the right buttons. Coaches often get blamed for specific plays in close losses that they cannot control...you can't control your team making a horrible turnover, missing FT's, blowing an assignment or committing a dumb foul. It happens. The coach didn't tell them to do it, I can assure you of that.

What specifically has Calipari botched in the last 35 seconds of a game? Just curious.

What specifically has Calipari botched in the last 35 seconds of a game? Just curious.

 

It's just a number I threw out there to illustrate a hypothetical end-game situation.

What do you guys think about Cal's bench coaching after tonight?

 

Simple fact Cal is not the best bench coach in the business. Doesn't mean he hasn't been a blessing for UK. Tubby was an excellent bench coach but not the right guy for UK. Gotta take it at face value.

I'll give Cal more credit for tonight and this year's team. Quite possibly his best overall coaching year ever.

What do you guys think about Cal's bench coaching after tonight?

 

He was excellent tonight, especially with the decision to put Liggins on Craft.

I may start a thread on this...but is CAL a defensive Coach specialist? He has made IMO great moves this year on the defensive end with Liggins. He totally over whelmed U of L with Liggins on Siva, tonight he used Liggins on the PG to put a damper on things and also with WVU. The more I watch UK and Cal the more I believe he is a defensive minded coach.