John Calipari Is the Most Underrated Coach in the NCAA

Think fast: which NCAA head coach receives more negative press than any other?

I know that your first thought was John Calipari, and that is regardless of whether you are a fan of his or the biggest hater outside of Pete Thamel. No college coach gets the presses burning more than the leader of the Bluegrass' team, and there is not any other coach who comes close. 

When Calipari began his speech at the 2011 Big Blue Madness event, he explained to 23,000 adoring fans that Kentucky was at the center of college basketball and had this effect on the sport:

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“We do more than move the needle. We are the needle. We are UK.”

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This quote could not be more true, especially of John Calipari himself. Nearly every other major college coach is praised and respected by the national media, with the possible exception of Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun. 

However, even Calhoun receives less negative attention than Coach Cal, which is ironic given that Calhoun's Huskies will have to sit out the 2012-13 NCAA postseason because of low academic standards and recruiting violations.

Now with the NCAA reportedly investigating into the recruitment of the nation's top prep star, Nerlens Noel, expect more national writers to bash Calipari in their never-ending pursuit to take down his "evil empire" and prove to the world that the rumors that have dogged him for years are true.

However, nothing major has come from this investigation and until anything does, John Calipari is in charge of the hottest program in college athletics and is fresh off of winning the 2012 NCAA National Championship. Despite proving himself to some of his most vocal "haters," Calipari is still heavily criticized and will never live down his two vacated Final Fours that occurred at Memphis and Massachusetts.

With that being said, John Calipari is the nation's most underrated head coach in NCAA basketball and should be receiving much more praise than he does from the national press and media members alike.

• PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

The most incredible skill that Calipari possesses and yet receives the smallest amount of praise for is his player development. No college coach improves a player more over a shorter period of time. In fact, John Calipari can develop more positive traits in one season with a player than some coaches can do in three seasons.

This has been proven time and time again throughout his career, but especially so during Cal's tenure with the Wildcats. 

The best example of this can be illustrated with the development of all three of Calipari's point guards. John Wall, Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague each came to Lexington as a five-star, top overall guard prospect who were each the top dog on their high school teams. 

John Wall was a phenom who seemed destined to enter college as an immediate superstar. He hit a game-winning jump shot in his first collegiate contest against Miami (Ohio) and became an overnight sensation. However, Wall often tried to make the flashy play over the correct decision, and he struggled at balancing his duties as a playmaker versus his duties as the floor general for the Cats.

As the season progressed, Wall grew more into the point guard that Calipari envisioned and turned himself into a first-team All-American selection. Wall finished the season averaging over six assists per game and entered the NBA as a premier ball distributor with excellent court vision. This growth as a point guard came as a result of working with John Calipari and learning the right way to play the position.

Brandon Knight went through a similar progression as Wall. He entered college as more of a scoring point guard than a true distributor of the basketball. Knight's strength was outside shooting, so that was different from Wall's game. Also different was that Knight did not turn over the ball as often. However, Wall had better court vision than Knight and racked up more assists.

As the season progressed, Brandon settled into his point guard role in order to improve his team play and his draft stock. He kept his turnover count low but increased his ball distribution, especially when Josh Harrellson emerged as an offensive weapon in the post. By the end of the season, Brandon Knight flourished and became a true combo guard who could hit a big jump shot and set up his teammates for successful plays. Again, this development came from working under Calipari.

Marquis Teague enrolled at Kentucky and was regarded as an elite prospect, but he was not the mind-blowing talent that Knight or Wall were. Teague seemed to be a blend of the two players, as he possessed elite speed and athleticism, had an average jump shot, and avoided turnovers. He struggled early in the year but Calipari kept pushing him and was positive that Teague was the perfect player to direct Kentucky's potent offensive attack.

His development of Teague paid off as he finally became a true floor leader during SEC conference play. The Wildcats swept the SEC regular season in large part because of Teague's unselfish ball distribution, improving jump shot and improving finishing skills around the rim. By the time the NCAA Tournament rolled around, Marquis Teague was in full control of his team like no other Calipari point guard before and helped lead the Wildcats to a championship. 

Beyond point guards, Calipari has developed the likes of Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins into college starters and NBA draft picks. Neither player was thought to have a chance at making it to the big leagues, but playing under Coach Cal has carved a spot out for them in the NBA.

Whether it is big men, point guards, perimeter shooters, lockdown defenders or athletic freaks like Anthony Davis, John Calipari takes good players and makes them great and takes great players and turns them into superstars. This is the most overlooked aspect of his coaching ability and is what separates him from the rest of the pack.

• FLEXIBLE STYLE OF PLAY

Another strength of John Calipari as a head coach is his lack of a traditional "system" that is common among other coaches. For example, Louisville coach Rick Pitino has a system that he prefers and recruits players to fit it. The same concept applies to Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who plays a zone defense nearly every season.

The issue with running a system and fitting players into it is that not all of the players will fit perfectly into that offensive or defensive scheme. Sometimes, having a set system and style of play restricts the players on the roster and does not fully utilize their abilities.

John Calipari takes the opposite approach and it is why he has been so successful at developing players and winning games. Calipari does have a loose concept of a "dribble-drive motion" offense, but this system is molded to fit the current personnel on the roster. This approach allows each player to be placed in a role that suits their abilities, rather than forcing the team to play a certain way that does not take full advantage of their skills.

Each of Calipari's first three Kentucky squads have played a different style and have used different methods to mold the personalities and skill sets of each respective team.

For the 2009-10 team, Kentucky had an advantage inside with big men DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Daniel Orton and Perry Stevenson giving the Cats a huge edge in the paint. In addition to the big men, guard John Wall was a better player finishing at the rim than he was working on the perimeter.

Therefore, Calipari replaced the dribble drive with an offense that revolved around feeding the post, crashing the boards and running pick-and-rolls. Since this suited the team better, the players developed as the season progressed and the team won 35 games as a result.

For the 2010-11 squad, the Wildcats turned into an outside shooting team. Their strength was in their backcourt, which featured long-range bombers in Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and even center Josh Harrellson on occasion. Kentucky lost center Enes Kanter because of ineligibility issues, so the Cats focused on a perimeter attack that would open up the inside for cuts to the rim.

Yet again, this was the style of offense that worked for the players on the roster and fully maximized their talents and suited their preferred style of play. As a result, the team made its mark as one of the best three-point shooting teams in Kentucky history and made a trip to the 2011 Final Four.

For the 2011-12 roster, Calipari brought in his most balanced and talented recruiting class ever. Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer brought a unique set of skills and unselfishness to the roster and combined with returning players Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller to form the core of an eventual NCAA champion.

Because of the balance of this team, Calipari was finally able to employ a traditional dribble-drive motion offense that had every player involved on both ends of the court. The Cats had long-range shooters in Miller, Lamb and Wiltjer, while Davis, Jones and Kidd-Gilchrist dominated the paint.

This approach was also coupled with the team's unique blocking ability, specifically referring to Anthony Davis. He set a record for blocks by a freshman in NCAA history, and the team set a record for blocks in a season by a team. This particular strength was embraced by Calipari as he played to his team's advantages of length and athleticism over the opponent.

As you can see, John Calipari's flexibility as a coach to mold his approach around his players' strengths is what makes him so well-loved by his players and so successful on the court. 

• CRAFTING HIGH SCHOOL STARS INTO GREAT DEFENDERS AND TEAMMATES

This might be the most impressive attribute of John Calipari's style of coaching. Critics think that it must be easy to field a team of star players and win ball games. If that was the case, then refer to the 2011-12 Connecticut Huskies and find out what made them so bad even before and after Jim Calhoun left.

Because of the yearly departure of Calipari's best players, he must bring in a new young crop of freshmen and sophomores nearly every season and teach them the following things:

1. Unselfish team play
2. Full effort on defense
3. No "star" ego is allowed

These team concepts are nearly nonexistent on the AAU circuits, so the adjustment to college basketball can be great for some of these recruits. The 2011-12 squad bought into these concepts more than your average team and they won the 2012 championship because of it.

It is certainly not easy to coach a player down from his status in high school to his status in college. However, Calipari's system gives his players a chance to play to their strengths, and along the way they learn core team concepts such as brotherhood, leadership, unselfishness and teamwork. 

During John Calipari's tenure at Kentucky, his teams have finished as one of the best defensive teams in the country every season. He has also progressed in the NCAA tournament each season, from finishing in the Elite Eight in 2010 to making the 2011 Final Four and finally winning the 2012 NCAA Championship trophy.

Calipari's strengths as a basketball coach have propelled him to the top of the college basketball mountain, and it is his flexibility, player development and teamwork that elevate him from the rest of the crowd and make him the most underrated head coach in college basketball.