John Calipari is one of the best coaches in college basketball and he has had continuous success luring in the top recruits from around the nation to keep his program’s status as a perennial national contender.
However, despite all of his success on the sidelines, the Kentucky Wildcats head coach wrote a recent blog post detailing ways he and his staff need to continue to improve.
Calipari took to his blog, CoachCal.com, and addressed how he and his staff have evolved their approach while keeping the same mindset.
The biggest question I kept asking myself was: How do we continue to grow and stay ahead of the curve? https://t.co/yU33KaZwCq
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) July 2, 2016
“The world is changing and how these young people get information is changing. The environment around them is changing. We want to change with them. I’m not looking to use the same lesson plan I’ve used the last five years,” Calipari wrote.
“When you think about individual players like Skal, I tried to use the lesson plan we used for Anthony and Karl. It wasn’t the right one. We adjusted, but it was late. He’s still going to be fine because he learned to fight, he didn’t blame anyone and he learned to trust. He was still a first-round draft pick and is going to have a terrific career. But, we could have done better. I could have done better.”
That is a very honest assessment from Calipari, and it’s not often that you see a coach being so open about their own faults that impact players on the court.
Another thing Calipari discussed in his blog was the evolution of the NBA, which has now seen the Golden State Warriors rapid rise to success thanks to a reliance on three-pointers.
Calipari wants to ensure he and his program are setting up players for success at the next level as well.
“Where is the game going? LeBron James was the biggest player on the floor 50 percent of the time in the NBA Finals. Golden State shot 40 3s per game. How do we make sure we’re moving in the same direction? That’s what I’m spending time on,” he added.
Kentucky should once again be one of the top programs in the country with incredible talent on the court.
If Calipari is as open to adapting his approach to coaching while keeping that same fire and energy that has attracted so many top recruits, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Wildcats once again punching their ticket to the Final Four.
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Photo Credit: Twitter/ @UKCoachCalipari
