Calipari

Sometime Sunday during Kentucky's press conference leading up to Monday's National Championship game, esteemed Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan asked John Calipari about possibly winning his first national title. 

Calipari dodged it better than Floyd Mayweather when asked to fight a real opponent.

I'm not sure how many times a person can say “It's not about me” until it actually is about them, but John Calipari is probably in that neighborhood, if not parked in that imaginary driveway.

A top 10 -if not top five- coach just one game away from his first national title, of course people wanted to know how it would feel. But Cal wanted nothing to do with it.

“It's about these players,” he'd say. “It's a big deal to my friends and family because they want it so bad."

And maybe he truly believes that. He's said publicly that Final Fours and National Titles aren't a deal breaker for him or his legacy. He even called the 2010 NBA Draft “The best day in school history” when five Kentucky players were selected in the first round.

He told a warm and fuzzy story Sunday about how sending 50 players to the NBA would trump any personal accomplishments.

But he can do both. He just did. 

And what did he have to say?

"It's over now.  I can get about my business of coaching young people and not have the drama of all the other stuff."

The NCAA should apologize for interfering Calipari's boys-into-men routine with its pesky little tournament.

My theory on why Cal won't acknowledge his personal accolades might be more off than Kansas' shooting against his Kentucky defense Monday night, but I don't think so.

Calipari knows most people don't like him, and he doesn't like that.

So he tells us its all about the kids. And his family and friends and the fans and his dog and everyone else but him, because that's what nice people are supposed do.

Except when it backfires, and everyone knows you're full of it.

Towards the end of Calipari's stint at Memphis he was spitting out guys to the NBA on a regular basis. He had more top classes on the way but decided to leave for Kentucky. Of course he did, because when you're a head coach at a Conference USA school and Kentucky gives you a contract, you sign it. But the NBA players were coming to Memphis and his apparent Utopian dream of watching high school players turn into Lottery picks was a reality.

Derrick Rose, anyone?

Maybe Calipari left Memphis because he thought the NCAA was sniffing around. Maybe he wanted to coach at one of the best schools in the country. Maybe both, but definitely one.

But apparently admitting he actually did something for himself wouldn't help his public persona. Unfortunately for Calipari, he tries so hard to be liked that it backfires in every city but the one he coaches in at that time. So he tries harder and it only gets worse.

John Calipari went to Kentucky to get the best high school players each year and guide them to the NBA, there's no denying that. But he also went to Kentucky for nights like Monday when he could sit atop college basketball with the sport's all-time winningest program. The sooner he admits that, the better. It can't hurt.

He won't, though, because it's not about Calipari. Don't believe him? He'll tell you again. And again. And again, four times to be exact in his post-game press conference.

“You're not answering my question John. How would it feel?” Ryan asked.

“I don't know what else to say.” Of course not, because it's all about the kids.

Yeah, right.