Welcome to Lexington

The perfect hire.

It doesn't happen often. But it just happened in Lexington, Kentucky. The University of Kentucky basketball program is the hand, and John Calipari is the glove.

I wanted Billy Donovan two years ago. He didn't come. We were left with Billy Gillispie. And it never felt quite right. Gillispie is a good basketball coach, but it takes a lot more to succeed at UK. Wildcat fans (myself included) have ridiculously high expectations and we expect "our" coach to be larger than life. He has to win basketball games at a rapid rate, and he has to do it with the charisma and charm of, well... Rick Pitino.

Pitino captured everything UK fans want in a coach. He won a lot of games (including a national championship and two other trips to the Final Four in 8 years). He recruited great players year in and year out. He excelled as a public figure. He commanded a room. He handled the media with ease and grace. He handled the administration the same way. He never seem flustered or irritated by the unreasonable expectations laid at his feet. When things went wrong he stood up and took the blame. Rick Pitino was Kentucky Basketball.

Personally, I think it was a mistake for him to leave. It was never going to get any better. The funny thing is, I think Pitino knew that in his heart. But that's the thing about us humans; we always want to challenge ourselves. We always wonder if there's something else out there that just might be a little bit better. We usually find that there isn't. The grass isn't always greener. If something feels right, then it probably is. Well, John Calipari feels right.

Listen, I don't think John Calipari is the next coming of Bobby Knight. I watch him coach and he doesn't strike me as a great X's and O's guy. But he can coach, and he fits like a glove what it means to be the coach in Lexington. He's a great motivator. His kids love playing for him. He has a larger than life personality. He loves the camera, and the camera loves him. He can command a room. And most importantly in this day and age -- he's a fabulous recruiter. Just look at what he did at Memphis. If you don't think Memphis will go back to being a normal, average to above average mid-major program in the next 2-3 years, you don't know college basketball. McDonald's All-Americans went there to play for Calipari, not to play at the FedEx Forum.

As for the baggage that comes with "Coach Cal?" I don't care. I really don't. I'd be lying if I said I did. Look, did he know some agent was giving Marcus Camby money and hookers 13 years ago? I'm sure he did. But who doesn't want money and hookers? Seriously though, do you really think that any "big-time" college basketball or football program is clean? Come join me in this place I like to call reality if you do. I haven't thought that since I was about 14 years old. There's way too many people with way too much money involved for that to be the case. I see it first hand here in the Buckeye State. Ohio State fans think Jim Tressel is such a stand-up guy that he would never do anything to bend the rules. I mean, the guy wears a sweater vest and looks and acts like a politician! Exactly. Politician. Tressel "bent" the rules like crazy at Youngstown State when he was piling up Division I-AA national championships. It doesn't take much digging to find countless stories. Do you think that suddenly stopped when he got to Columbus?? Come on. Just because you look the other way doesn't mean it's not going on.

John Calipari may never accomplish what Rick Pitino did inside Rupp Arena. But he's the closest thing we've had since. I loved Tubby Smith. I happen to think he's an excellent basketball coach. But he fell short in the recruiting and public persona departments. Tubby is in a perfect place for Tubby. He'll win a lot of games at Minnesota. Every now and again he'll even win the Big Ten. And once in a great while he may have a team good enough to get to the Final Four. Well, this ain't Minnesota. That's not good enough here. Fair or not, that's the way it is. And John Calipari knows it. I happen to think that's part of the reason why he took the job. He wants that pressure. He wants the chance to be placed on that Bluegrass pedastool with Rupp, Hall and Pitino.

He would look mighty good there.

But I'm not clearing out a spot just yet.