John Calipari did an ESPN media tour on Thursday morning ahead of the NBA Draft, and things appeared a little awkward when the Kentucky head coach came on SportsCenter.
The topic turned to recent comments Calipari has made, which were construed as digs at University of North Carolina head coach Roy Williams and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, both of whom are enduring lengthy NCAA investigations.
Pitino responded on Monday to the Louisville Courier-Journal, then came Thursday and SportsCenter host Jay Crawford interviewing Calipari.
“For those that don’t know, last week, you told Mike Lupica, he asked you a question about what should coaches know on things that happen,” Crawford said. “And your point was ‘Look, if things are happening on campus……….”
Calipari cut Crawford off there and went on the defensive.
“First of all, I said if things happen off of campus,” Calipari said.
“I was going to add that,” Crawford said.
“But you had to do the other one first, Jay,” Calipari said with a smile on his face, in what could be called a part-joking, part-mocking tone.
The two then talked over each other from opposite ends of the desk before Calipari moved to comments he made in Oct. that he would’ve been surprised if Pitino knew about the escort scandal that engulfed the program. Calipari then said if he offended anybody with comments he has made recently, that isn’t who he is.
“He just heard it here, so we’ll probably say, ‘Hey, John,’ and I’ll say ‘Hey, Rick. How are ya?'” Calipari said in response to Crawford’s final question, which referenced Pitino’s comments on Monday to the Courier Journal. “He knows, I said it in October. There were like five other programs they said I meant. I didn’t mean anything.”
Calipari, as he does every year, will spend the NBA Draft in the Green Room with his players. Three wildcats, Jamal Murray (No. 6), Skal Labissiere (No. 15) and Tyler Ulis (No. 33) are all projected by DraftExpress to be selected, while Alex Poythress could slide into the latter portion of the second round.
Caliapri used part of his SportsCenter appearance, as well as a conference call with the media on Tuesday, to defend Ulis, who has seen his stock slip in the wake of a reported hip issue. The 5-foot-10 sophomore point guard was once projected to go as high as No. 20.
“All I can tell you is he played 38 minutes a game, he never missed practice,” Calipari said Thursday. “The kid has courage, he wants to make a big play, he wants to win, and at the very least, if he’s your second-unit point guard, you don’t have to touch that group.
“Every player in that unit is ecstatic.”
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