John Calipari Named 2015 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year

Despite the Kentucky Wildcats falling short in their pursuit of perfection, John Calipari was recognized Sunday for his role in what was a memorable campaign by being named the 2015 Naismith College Coach of the Year.     

Kentucky Basketball shared an image of Calipari accepting the award:

Calipari was given the award a day after the Wildcats had their hopes of an undefeated season dashed by Wisconsin in Saturday's Final Four matchup. It also comes on the same day that Jeff Goodman of ESPN reported Calipari will be inducted into the 2015 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

This marks the third time Coach Cal has won the prestigious award, and Kentucky is also the third team he has represented as Naismith College Coach of the Year, having previously taken the honors at Massachusetts in 1996 and at Memphis in 2008.

Calipari joins Duke's Mike Krzyzewski as the only two coaches to win the award on three different occasions.

The Naismith College Coach of the Year Award isn't Calipari's only honor regarding the 2014-15 season, as he was also named The Associated Press Coach of the Year for the first time, according to Sports Illustrated on Twitter:

Calipari assembled an incredible amount of talent for this year's 38-1 Kentucky team, but while he has the benefit of so many great players, he also pushes all the right buttons and makes the pieces fit together.

Keeping so many elite players happy isn't an easy task, but Calipari somehow did it flawlessly. Every player understood his role, and egos didn't prevent the Wildcats from doing great things.

Part of that may be due to Calipari's willingness to give his players some freedom on the court, per Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Calipari is also a great motivator, which is absolutely paramount when it comes to great teams. Much like Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Coach Cal manages superstars well.

Even though it would have been easy for his players to get big heads after having so much success, Calipari kept them grounded with quotes such as this one, courtesy of SportsCenter on Twitter:

It can be argued that other coaches accomplished nearly as much as Calipari with far less talent, but what he and the Wildcats did simply can't be ignored, despite how their season ended.

While Calipari is the best recruiter in college basketball, that doesn't mean he isn't also one of the best coaches. He proved his worth in that regard this season, and it is fitting that he has been rewarded for his achievements.   

Some may still wonder about Calipari's legacy, though. With just one national championship to show for all his success, he's had opportunities to make his resume even stronger than it already is. There's no doubt all eyes will be on the Wildcats next season to see if they can make another run at a title under Calipari's watch.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter