After his Kentucky team beat Georgia on Saturday, John Calipari was asked about Bulldogs coach Mark Fox, who could be on the hot seat thanks to his team’s 15-12 record.
Calipari unleashed a two-minute rant in which he criticized trigger-happy athletic directors and implied that a coach should never be fired midseason.
After beginning with,”Here’s what bothers me about this profession right now…” Calipari pointed out that Georgia has been close in a number of games this season and that Fox has done a great job holding the team together through some struggles.
Coach Cal then transitioned to former North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried, who got canned last week amid a down season. That’s where the rant got good.
“We’re firing coaches in midseason. Are you shitting me?” Calipari said. “We’re firing coaches in midseason. You know what I’m putting my contract? You can fire me at midseason but you’re gonna have to pay me $3 million. Oh, you’ll let me stay now, won’t you? … You can fire me in midseason, but you’re paying me. Why would I even have to think of that? Now every coach in the country, put it in your contract.
What if Mark Gottfried goes on a run at the end and gets to the NCAA Tournament, which he was in four out five years? Two Sweet 16s, which is not done at NC State. … He had good players, but they’re young! They’re like my team. It’s hard to do this with young guys.”
Calipari ended his sermon by yelling “Fake media,” before quickly saying he was kidding.
Here’s the full clip:
Calipari makes a number of fair points. For one thing, firing a midseason doesn’t seem to benefit anyone. The school has to muddle through half a wasted year, the players miss out on playing for a real coach, the athletic department appears dysfunctional. Why not just let the guy finish the season?
For another thing, Calipari is entirely right that coaches are judged too closely on individual wins and losses, which they don’t directly control. If a last-second 3-pointer goes in for your team, you look like a genius. If it misses, you look like an idiot. But no coach can control the ball in the air. Coaches should be judged on whether they put their teams in position to win, not necessarily whether the whims of random variance bless their teams with a victory.
Calipari can speak his mind on this subject because he’s got job security at Kentucky. Good for him for standing up for his peers.
