USD Men's Basketball 2000-2001

action began. Although Calipari admits to having contact with owners about some vacant NBA jobs, no opportunity was stable enough to entice him. He chose Memphis in part because of the excitement of building a program, but also because no NBA job offered him the security he want– ed for his family "I have two daughters, who a re 13 and 10, and a three-year– old son," he said. "I left the pro game, because I didn't want to stay with a team three years and then move. I did that once, and I didn't want to do it again. I want to get my daughters through high school, and then I can make a decision in seven or eight years Do I love it here and want to stay? Do I want to leave?" There are many who can't

the gym with (former Tiger stars) Elliott Perry, Lorenzen Wright and Cedric Henderson. They came back to school for individual workouts, and I really got after them. I've let them know that the bar is raised. If they can't work hard or perform, they're not going to play. They either run harder and work harder, or they're going to sit." Some view Calipari's return Massachusetts from a speck on the college basketball map to a giant, and single-handedly creating the critical mass nec– essary for the construction of the school's 9,493-seat Mullins Center, he headed for the NBA and a fat, five-year, $15 million contract. It was viewed as a logical next step. Despite lead- to the college game as a retreat. After building

J ohn Calipari never under– stood how New \Ink Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy could do it. Dozens of media members swarmed around him constant– ly. wondering about this game decision or that personnel move. From his perch as the coach of the New Jersey Nets, Calipari was thankful he was on the other side of the river. "I was getting half of what he was getting,"Calipari said. "They were scrutinizing his every move. In the NBA, you meet with the media four times on game day-before shoot– around, after shootaround, before and after the game. And there are 82 games." The constant media atten– tion wore on Calipari, but that isn't his biggest gripe with the NBA life. For him, coaching at that level requires the same kind of commitment to win– ning from management that he has found at Memphis. And there aren't too many jobs like that in the league. If he were to return to professional coach– ing, it would be only in the right situation. \Im can have the Clippers. He wants ateam that has achance to win. "If I ever do the NBA again, I would only go back to one of the six or eight teams in the league that have achance to win. I would have to be in a good organization." One of the problems with coaching ayoung, unproven team is that NBA owners aren't known for their patience. Fans pay to see winners. TV rev– enues increase as victories do. It may be great to make piles of money and stay in the best hotels, but if you don't have a chance to win, and win right away. you're not going to be around for long. Philadelphia coach Larry Brown agreed. For him,the key to any coach making the jump from college to the pros is the need for management to under– stand that miracle turnarounds don't happen in the NBA. "I think John did agood job in New Jersey."Brown said. "He had some tough breaks. Sometimes, acollege guy comes in, and people aren't as patient with them. My advice to acollege coach com– ing in is get to asituation where you know you can be successful quickly." Or get ready to move on quickly. Calipari knows all about that.

Current New YorkKnick Marcus Camby was Calipari's brightest star during his tenure at UMass.

believe that Calipari would want to stay in one place for that long. He has always had something of a wandering eye Even when he was building the Massachusetts program, he was listen– ing to other coaching offers. Whether he stays in Memphis eight years or four, you can be sure he'll build a program capable of competing for the national title every year. He has already secured the services of the nation's top prep guard- DaJuan Wagner-for next season, and experts predict his final recruiting haul will be among the nation's top five . Wherever Calipari has gone, he has attracted considerable attention . Soon. his team will be receiving notice. "I had to go to a place where basketball is impor– tant, and where we can compete for a national title," said Calipari. "You're not always going to win it, but you want to be up at bat every year. " Don't expect the Tigers to be in the champi– onship batter's box this season. The team should improve considerably from last year's 15-16 mark, but it lacks the kind of top-flight talent necessary to be a national player. Wagner is the first chapter in the future success. For now, Calipari will continue building a culture that is all about winning. "We'll be okay this year," he said. "Everybody says that we have a lot of experience, and I say, ' Yeah, it's all bad. We lost last year. ' I've got to break that down. I've got to get them to stop quitting, to run every play through, to finish every defensive se t until we rebound the ball. "They have to learn how to win." If anybody can teach them, it's Calipari. •

ing the Minutemen to the 1996 Final Four, it was time for him to move on from Amherst. The Nets pro– vided the perfect opportunity. He could stay on the East coast, take on the top challenge in basketball– the NBA-and make a boatload of money doing it. After struggling to a 26-56 record during Calipari's first year, the Nets surged to 43 wins in 1997-98 and reached the playoffs. The nucleus of Sam Cassell, Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn, Kendall Gill and Jayson Williams (when healthy) appeared to be just what the franchise needed to soar to future heights. New Jersey lost in the first round of the post-season to Chicago, although it did extend the Bulls to overtime in the first game, but the future was definitely bright. For a while. The post-strike 1999 campaign was a disaster from the outset. The Nets were under new ownership. Cassell and Williams were hit with injuries. Jersey staggered out of the gate, a nd Calipari was finished. "I loved coaching in the NBA, when we won 43 games. Sam Cassell was healthy, Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn had their best years as pros, and Chris Gatling was in the post," Calipari said. "We had the building blocks of something good. "I accepted the fact that we had new ownership, a bad start, Sam Cassell hurt, and I was gone." Calipan spent the 1999-2000 season as a member of Larry Brown's staff in Philadelphia, helping out and collecting his big paycheck from the Nets. But there was no way he would be a lieutenant for long. As early as last January, 1t was known that Calipari would be taking over at Memphis When it became official, tho town was instantly energized, and the

Michael Bradley is a freelance writer in Pennsylvania and regular contributor to College Hoops Illustrated.

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