Top 11 Coach Cal stories in '11

There was plenty for John Calipari to celebrate in 2011.

There was the Final Four, an international adventure, players headed to the NBA and more. To wrap up the year of 2011, I decided to rank the top John Calipari moments this year.

The rankings are only the reflection of this writer and not Coach Cal’s opinion.

11. The block heard ’round the world

Not that Coach Cal needed confirmation that his third straight top-ranked recruiting class was pretty talented, the Cats received an early season stamp of approval when they beat No. 4 North Carolina in a matchup that was being hailed as the biggest game of the regular season. As you’d expect with two national title contenders, the game was back and forth and decided in the final seconds. Leading by one, freshman forward Anthony Davis came up with the play of the young season when he swatted John Henson’s baseline shot in the final seconds.

Anthony Davis came up with the block of the year in UK's win over North Carolina. (photo by Britney McIntosh, UK Athletics)

10. Harrellson’s coming out party

Coach Cal has been guiding teams and molding young men for a long time, but it took a player like Josh Harrellson to come along to change his approach with players. After Harrellson sent some ill-advised tweets, Calipari put him through a brutal pre-practice conditioning regimen as a means to stay on the team. Harrellson used the conditioning program as an opportunity to improve his game and make an impact in his senior season. The work ethic paid off when the nation finally took notice of his turnaround on the New Year’s Eve game against archrival Louisville. Harrellson scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the 78-63 Kentucky win. Later that season, Calipari said Harrellson made him realize that different players need different coaching. Yes, technically Harrellson’s coming-out-party was the last day in 2010, but it set the stage for a big 2011.

Related story: Oh Jorts, oh my! Harrellson does it again

9. Only in Kentucky

Among the few things missing from Coach Cal’s résumé heading into 2011 was some international coaching experience. When the Dominican Republic called before the summer, Coach Cal agreed to take the job under the condition that he could hold training camp on UK’s campus at the Joe Craft Center. The end results were a homecoming unlike anything a college fan base has ever experienced. To get his Dominican Republic team some in-game experience before heading to a pair of tournaments in South America, Coach Cal staged two exhibition games against former Kentucky stars and current NBA pros. Locked out from the NBA, former legends like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Tayshaun Prince, Rajon Rondo and Chuck Hayes ascended upon Lexington to compete against Dominican stars Al Horford, Charlie Villanueva and Francisco Garcia. The UK pros ultimately lost both games in Lexington and Louisville, but the homecoming was a moment Coach Cal, the former Wildcats or the Big Blue Nation will ever forget. As Calipari accurately described afterwards, only in Kentucky could such an event be pulled off in such grand fashion.

8. International history

Before Coach Cal took over the Dominican Republic National Team, the Caribbean country had never made it to the semifinals of an Olympics qualifier. Not only did the Dominicans make it to the semifinals of a qualifier under the guidance of Calipari, they nearly made their first Olympics. The Dominican Republic finished in third place at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, ensuring the country a spot in a last-chance qualifying tournament for the Olympics next summer. On the way to the historic finish, Calipari’s team upset Brazil, one of the top teams in the world, and Puerto Rico, the country’s archrival. The run inspired a nation that’s longed for basketball success.

Related story: Coach Cal leads Dominican Republic to bronze

7. Big Blue Madness

Coach Cal has been through three of these now, but every year it gets bigger and better. This time a record 570 tents sprung up outside the Joe Craft Center and Memorial Coliseum for a chance at tickets to the first practice of the year. In similar fashion to his grand introduction to the Big Blue Nation in 2009, Coach Cal once again delivered an inspiring speech to the 20,000-plus fans at Rupp Arena. In a state-of-the-program-like address, Calipari defined the Kentucky Effect, redefined the goals of the program and pronounced that UK moves the needle of college basketball.

Related story: The Kentucky Effect speech

6. Financial literacy program

The Calipari Family Foundation, in conjunction with local banks in Kentucky and EverFi, Inc., launched an initiative this summer to bring financial literacy education to children across the Bluegrass. Using an engaging, interactive game for kids from fourth to sixth grade, Calipari hopes to teach young children the value of saving. The program is expected to be in schools across the state of Kentucky in 2012.

5. Committed to Kentucky

Coach Cal and the University of Kentucky reaffirmed their commitment to each other after the 2011 Final Four run when Calipari and UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart announced a new eight-year contract. The deal, on paper, keeps Calipari at Kentucky until March 30, 2019. At the time of the deal, Calipari reiterated his love for Kentucky. “I have the best coaching job,” Calipari said. “Financially I’m rewarded very handsomely. So why would I leave? What would leave me to leave. When you look at Kentucky and our institution, it’s the best coaching position and best college basketball situation for our players.”

4. Knight’s big shots fuel NCAA run

So many times in 2011, Brandon Knight had a chance to hit a shot in the finals seconds to win or tie the game. And yet inexplicably, Knight, one of the best shooters in college basketball, just couldn’t seem to hit the big shot in the regular season as UK lost six games by four points or fewer before postseason play. Apparently he was just saving them up the NCAA Tournament. Calipari stuck by his point guard in the critical late-game situations and it paid off in the postseason. Ironically, he stood by him in two of his worst shooting performances of the season. In the second-round game against Princeton, with the Tigers trying to pull off the biggest upset in Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament history, Knight hit a layup with 2.0 seconds left to escape. Prior to that shot, he was 0 for 7 from the field. Two games later, against the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance, Knight nailed the game-winning jumper with five seconds left to spark the upset and a historic Final Four run. Again, Knight had struggled to shoot the ball that game, hitting 2 of 9 from the field prior to the game winner. After the Princeton game, Coach Cal talked about having faith as a coach. “I have no problem putting that ball in his hand because he’s made that shot in the gym by himself many times, counting it off,” Calipar said.

Related story: Knight’s confidence never wavered

3. D-Rose wins MVP

When you structure your program around a players-first mentality, there’s no greater feeling than having players realize their dreams. That’s exactly what former Coach Cal guard Derrick Rose experienced in the spring of 2011 when he won his first MVP in his third season in the NBA. Rose led the Chicago Bulls to a 62-20 record, the best in the league, and carried his team through injury-plagued stretches. He averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds before leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals. Rose picked up right where he left off last season in the NBA opener on Christmas Day, hitting the game-winning shot in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Related story:

2. Four more in the pros

Speaking of helping players reach their dreams, Calipari helped four more players make it to the NBA in the 2011 draft. It didn’t meet the record five first-round picks UK set in 2010, but this past year’s was just as gratifying for Calipari. Enes Kanter and Brandon Knight were selected in the lottery, and Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins were taken in the second round. In a year’s span, Calipari managed to mold a mainstay on the bench (Harrellson) and a defensive specialist (Liggins) into well-rounded NBA commodities. The picks weren’t a gamble, either. Both signed contracts with their respective teams, and Harrellson received some playing time in the New York Knicks’ season opener against the Boston Celtics.

In leading Kentucky back to the Final Four, John Calipari became only the the second coach to lead three different teams to the Final Four. (photo by Chet White, UK Athletics)

1. Back to the Final Four

When Calipari took the Kentucky job in 2009, he made no bones about it: he was hired to lead the University of Kentucky back to its rightful place in the Final Four. In only his second year on the job, Coach Cal did it with a team few thought could get there. Guiding a team that lost five first-round draft picks, couldn’t win on the road (the Cats lost seven road games) and lost its top recruit (Enes Kanter) before the season even started, Calipari touched the right buttons and got his team to come together at the right time. After failing to string together more than two consecutive wins in 2011, Kentucky won 10 in a row down the stretch before falling to Connecticut in the Final Four. It was UK’s first appearance in the Final Four since 1998 and the third of Calipari’s career. In leading Kentucky to hallowed territory, Coach Cal became just the second coach in college basketball history to lead three different teams to the Final Four.

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