Last Thursday ESPN aired the documentary One and Not Done which was about the life and career of John Calipari, one of the most polarizing figures in modern college basketball, weaving his story around that of his 2015-16 Kentucky team. Before watching this I wasn't crazy about coach Cal because he just seemed like this weaselly kind of guy that you can't really trust (see the UMass and Memphis scandals). He always seemed to get the top recruits and had dominant teams and it just made you wonder when is the next scandal going to hit this guy? Along with getting these recruits, he'd have them for a year and turn them into top prospects known as the one and done rule. I hated how Cal did this because he's depriving kids of their education. But after watching this documentary last night, I have a whole new level of respect for John Calipari and here's why.

His admiration for winning and recruiting is just unmatched and he just has this cocky kind of confidence with him and that is something I admire. In the beginning of the documentary we see how Cal was trying to recruit a player named Bobby Martin who originally was committed to Villanova but beforehand he did talk to coach Cal. A few months after making his commitment, he changed his mind and went to Pittsburgh with coach Cal because he gave him the attention he wanted that Villanova did not seem it could do. Making a shockwave like this in the college basketball world definiatley sent shock waves because this wasn't seen that often and the fact at the time Cal was this no name guy snagged away a top player like this puts you on the map. After Pitt, he then moved onto UMass and sure he didn't leave the program on the best of terms, but what he did there was the best thing that basketball program has seen. Before Cal got there, the Minutemen were a 3 win team and at a Atlantic 10 Conference he noticed the team was only on TV once. He then told them that the conference will be having the program on TV more often once we become good again. People just don't know what to say to that, because the amount of confidence he had saying that, you couldn't tell if he was serious. Fast forward a little into his UMass career and he recruits Marcus Camby who would lead this team to the school's first and only final four apperence. People couldn't believe a player like Camby would go to UMass but the way Cal recruits players, the way he makes the player feel, Camby knew this was the place to be. It's not just Camby either, he makes all his recurits feel this way because he can get them what they want, and that's a chance to be an NBA player. It's a win win for Coach Cal and the school he's at. He gets the top players, it puts the school on the map for other kids to want to come here so the school makes money. Cal surrounds himself with this talent, he earns all these wins and only improves his legacy in the college basketball world. While some may see this as a weasely thing to do, I admire it because he wants to win and will do whatever it takes and does not care if it's frowned upon.

Why else do I respect him? He knows that sports is a business and wants the best for his kids. Some may say oh but he's ruining the game by taking advantage of this one and done rule and telling kids they don't need an education. But is this really bad for the college game? No it isn't because what Cal is doing is preparing these kids for their ultimate goal, and that is make it in the NBA. When you look at Camby at UMass, he did want to come back for an education and to win. Cal told him, you can get the education by taking classes in the summer, and the program will be fine, he needs to do what's best for him and his family and he declared for the NBA Draft. In the NBA he made around $190 million dollars playing 19 years. Camby's stock was so high at the time and Cal told him take advantage of it to better not only himself but his family. Another story is when he was at Memphis when their top player Dajuan Wagner. He was in the same situation as Camby and Cal told him go pro and better life for him and his loved ones. He had a nice rookie year averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting 37 percent. However, he was subsequently hospitalized with a serious condition called ulcerative colitis and had to have his colon removed. Had he stay in school, he most likely would not have been drafted and not make as much as he did in his rookie year (7.6 million). Thankfully with the One and Done rule, Wagner was able to declare and take advantage of his high stock because Cal told him to. Coach Cal knows how to take advantage of this one and done rule, since being enrolled at Kentucky (2009-present), he's had 249 wins and 22 NBA Draft Picks (3 of which were top picks). Cal knows what's best for these kids and if he feels he has a top player, he will tell them to declare and for those who have listened to him, have made a fair amount of money as we can see:

Coach Cal knows what these kids want, a chance to make it into the NBA and these kids know he has best track record of that. Current Phoenix Suns shooting guard said "I felt like if I'm going to Kentucky, I'm going to get into the NBA". That's what Cal understands too and he wants the players to reach that maximum potential. Sure, these kids may leave school after one year but this is their future if they can strike while the iron is hot, they take it. That's all Cal wants he wants to see his kids maximize their value and sure it may be different than some would like, but it works. While Coach Cal may be viewed as a 'villain' by some, people always love a good villain and that's what Cal is and I respect that.