...you will get a great recruiter of good players with poor grades and project-type athletes who are not yet proven basketball players.

You will get an average to below average bench coach. His defensive coaching is good. Offensive coaching is bad!!! He hasn't done a great job at developing players since being in Memphis.

You will get an excellent salesman and a good pr guy.

That being said, many of the players that he is good at recruiting might not have the grades to get in at NC State. The project athletes that he gets will really frustrate your fans, especially in their first couple of years. Plus, he'll have to compete regionally in recruiting with three of the top programs in the NCAA. He has virtually no recruiting competition in Memphis.

His bench coaching will not be able to overcome his lack of court talent. In addition, you will never have a big man that plays well consistently and can contribute much to your point total. Cal and staff are clueless when it comes to developing big men.

His sales skills might be able to overcome all of this, but I think that it will be difficult to sell his program in a flooded market like NC and the ACC.

So...your recruiting talent might stay the same, but might get a little worse. Your bench coaching effectiveness will drop dramatically. You will lose alot of close conference games and will be lucky to ever get into the tournament.

Cal is a king in Memphis. The situation he is in here plays to his strengths. He would be a fool to leave.

Oh, and Memphis sports radio just said that they are not en route to Raleigh and have no plans to visit the NC State campus at this time. Guess Andy Katz spoke too soon.

Good luck in your coaching search.

mattyb Wrote:...you will get a great recruiter of good players with poor grades and project-type athletes who are not yet proven basketball players.

You will get an average to below average bench coach. His defensive coaching is good. Offensive coaching is bad!!! He hasn't done a great job at developing players since being in Memphis.

You will get an excellent salesman and a good pr guy.

That being said, many of the players that he is good at recruiting might not have the grades to get in at NC State. The project athletes that he gets will really frustrate your fans, especially in their first couple of years. Plus, he'll have to compete regionally in recruiting with three of the top programs in the NCAA. He has virtually no recruiting competition in Memphis.

His bench coaching will not be able to overcome his lack of court talent. In addition, you will never have a big man that plays well consistently and can contribute much to your point total. Cal and staff are clueless when it comes to developing big men.

His sales skills might be able to overcome all of this, but I think that it will be difficult to sell his program in a flooded market like NC and the ACC.

So...your recruiting talent might stay the same, but might get a little worse. Your bench coaching effectiveness will drop dramatically. You will lose alot of close conference games and will be lucky to ever get into the tournament.

Cal is a king in Memphis. The situation he is in here plays to his strengths. He would be a fool to leave.

Oh, and Memphis sports radio just said that they are not en route to Raleigh and have no plans to visit the NC State campus at this time. Guess Andy Katz spoke too soon.

Good luck in your coaching search.

Seems weird to be slamming the guy in one breath and then calling him the King of Memphis in another. If he's such an average coach, as you post alludes to, why do you want to keep him? You can't be happy with him bringing in shady "project-athletes", being an average to below average bench coach who can't develop players or teach offense.

Sour grapes if I've ever heard 'em. And he's not even gone yet.

RoyalWolf Wrote:

mattyb Wrote:...you will get a great recruiter of good players with poor grades and project-type athletes who are not yet proven basketball players.

You will get an average to below average bench coach. His defensive coaching is good. Offensive coaching is bad!!! He hasn't done a great job at developing players since being in Memphis.

You will get an excellent salesman and a good pr guy.

That being said, many of the players that he is good at recruiting might not have the grades to get in at NC State. The project athletes that he gets will really frustrate your fans, especially in their first couple of years. Plus, he'll have to compete regionally in recruiting with three of the top programs in the NCAA. He has virtually no recruiting competition in Memphis.

His bench coaching will not be able to overcome his lack of court talent. In addition, you will never have a big man that plays well consistently and can contribute much to your point total. Cal and staff are clueless when it comes to developing big men.

His sales skills might be able to overcome all of this, but I think that it will be difficult to sell his program in a flooded market like NC and the ACC.

So...your recruiting talent might stay the same, but might get a little worse. Your bench coaching effectiveness will drop dramatically. You will lose alot of close conference games and will be lucky to ever get into the tournament.

Cal is a king in Memphis. The situation he is in here plays to his strengths. He would be a fool to leave.

Oh, and Memphis sports radio just said that they are not en route to Raleigh and have no plans to visit the NC State campus at this time. Guess Andy Katz spoke too soon.

Good luck in your coaching search.

Seems weird to be slamming the guy in one breath and then calling him the King of Memphis in another. If he's such an average coach, as you post alludes to, why do you want to keep him? You can't be happy with him bringing in shady "project-athletes", being an average to below average bench coach who can't develop players or teach offense.

Sour grapes if I've ever heard 'em. And he's not even gone yet.

Wolf..just look at his # of posts. He don't get out much. Musta broke the chains today.

mattyb Wrote:...you will get a great recruiter of good players with poor grades and project-type athletes who are not yet proven basketball players.

You will get an average to below average bench coach. His defensive coaching is good. Offensive coaching is bad!!! He hasn't done a great job at developing players since being in Memphis.

You will get an excellent salesman and a good pr guy.

That being said, many of the players that he is good at recruiting might not have the grades to get in at NC State. The project athletes that he gets will really frustrate your fans, especially in their first couple of years. Plus, he'll have to compete regionally in recruiting with three of the top programs in the NCAA. He has virtually no recruiting competition in Memphis.

His bench coaching will not be able to overcome his lack of court talent. In addition, you will never have a big man that plays well consistently and can contribute much to your point total. Cal and staff are clueless when it comes to developing big men.

His sales skills might be able to overcome all of this, but I think that it will be difficult to sell his program in a flooded market like NC and the ACC.

So...your recruiting talent might stay the same, but might get a little worse. Your bench coaching effectiveness will drop dramatically. You will lose alot of close conference games and will be lucky to ever get into the tournament.

Cal is a king in Memphis. The situation he is in here plays to his strengths. He would be a fool to leave.

Oh, and Memphis sports radio just said that they are not en route to Raleigh and have no plans to visit the NC State campus at this time. Guess Andy Katz spoke too soon.

Good luck in your coaching search.

Agree w/ most of your points. He is not a good bench coach. I've gotten bashed on this forum before for stating it, but its true.

he's what Cal likes to refer to as a "miserable". There are quite a few of them on this board. More of them have come out of the woodwork since the season ended.

Cal will admit he's not the greatest bench coach. But he makes up for it in other ways, just as some coaches who are great Xs/Os guys don't have a personality at all and can't get the top players to win.

ChattTiger Wrote:Cal will admit he's not the greatest bench coach. But he makes up for it in other ways, just as some coaches who are great Xs/Os guys don't have a personality at all and can't get the top players to win.

We just got rid of a guy like that.

Maybe you should actually read what I write and stop putting words in my mouth.

I have never slammed Cal. I've never called any of the players "shady". I think some parts of the Cal package are below average, but I think the Memphis program plays more to his strengths. Just look at where Cal has and has not been successful. I've been one of his biggest supporters since day one. I often have to defend him in Memphis.

I think the real reason that most of his detractors dislike him is because he is a great salesman from the wrong side of the Mason Dixon line. Most of the good ole boys around here just can't get past his "slick yankee" sales techniques. And I agree that it's defintely somewhat foreign to me coming from the "brother-in-law" way of doing business.

I'm merely pointing out Cal's strengths and weaknesses and how those might or might not work at NC State. Everyone here is talking so much about why Cal should or should not leave the Memphis program, but no one has really addressed the question of "Is he a good fit for the NC State job?" And I was merely addressing that. Before you jump on the "let's throw $2 mil. at Cal to get him away from Memphis" bandwagon, you might want to determine whether or not he is worth that match to your program.

To Chatt and kpigout, I'm a season ticket holder, went to and actually cheered (unlike most of the lower bowl Tiger fans that make the Forum such an easy place to play at for opponents) at every home game, went to a few road games, the conference tournament, and the first round in Dallas. There is absolutely nothing miserable about me, especially in relation to Tiger basketball. I don't post much because I generally have more important things going on during the work day. The fact that I don't post much suggests that I probably get out quite a bit. I'll try to make some more time in the future to provide a different perspective.

Matty b what are you thinking?? Calipari can flat out coach. You say that he can't coach a big man. I ask you to look at the production of Chris Massie. When he got here his junior year he did not really do much, but after one year w/ Cal and staff he became an all-American type center and completely dominated. Clue in Captain Miserable.

And look what ultimately happened to Massie. He was destroyed by Ike Diogu in the first round of the tourney, and never made it in the pros. Massie was a Juco All-American when he came to Memphis! He almost averaged a double-double in his first season. His scoring went up his Senior year but was primarily due to the absence of Dajuan Wagner and Kelly Wise, who also didn't turn out to be a viable pro post player.

What about Waki - who never improved, Modibo, Almamy, Lopez? I love Joey, but he often looks clueless out there.

I hate to say it, but Cal's big men don't improve much while they are here.

Calipari can flat out recruit, but hasn't proven himself as far as all-around bench coaching.

And what the hell is up with this miserable label? I am quite happy at the moment.

I just realized that I posted this in the "Tiger Droppings" forum instead of the "Memphis Tiger Sports" forum. That was my mistake. My intent was never to bash Cal.

I think he is a good fit for this program. And I think he does a decent job at coaching guards and defense. He would do well to replace one of his assistants who will soon take a head coaching job with a big man\offensive-minded assistant.