University of Kentucky president Lee Todd thought he was hiring a solid basketball coach when John Calipari joined the Wildcats two years ago. Now that Calipari has gone 64-11 in two seasons and taken last year’s team to the Elite Eight and this team to the Final Four, Todd is even more impressed.
“The more I see him on a daily basis, and how he coaches and teaches players, the more proud I am of the decision we made,” said Todd after UK beat North Carolina in Newark, N.J., Sunday to earn a berth in this weekend’s Final Four in Houston.
Here are other thoughts Todd, who is retiring, shared on Calipari and UK athletics:
Question: Could you have picked a more enjoyable team to watch develop in your final year than this one?
Todd: “When we won the Southeastern Conference championship, (SEC commissioner) Mike Slive called me over and handed me the trophy and said this would be my last SEC Tournament and then I handed it to Josh and the rest of the team and that was really special just seeing where they were not the clear favorites to win but they did. And then to watch them the last five minutes of the West Virginia game ... the maturity that the team showed to play with the lead and win, I was so impressed. Then to beat Ohio State and North Carolina, I am so proud.
“This is a model team. You have Brandon Knight who is a 4.0 standpoint, and Josh Harrellson who is the most improved athlete. You just have all kinds of stories wrapped up in it.”
Question: Has John Calipari even exceeded your expectations when you hired him two years ago with what he has done so quickly by winning 64 games already and going to a Final Four?
Todd: “John Calipari has indeed exceeded my expectations. What I have learned about him is how quickly he can change a student-athlete in one year. People are talking about your one-and-done (players), but John Wall is not your typical one-and-done. Very strong student, and what he did here was great. But if you look at Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton, those were not players we thought necessarily would go in the first round, but after they were under him for a year they were ready. You don’t have to question yourself a lot about why do families want their sons to come play under John Calipari. He will always go for the talent, which he needs to do.
“But the first thing he surprised me with was just how he embraced the state. He did it in everything. I even called him one time the first summer and told him he didn’t have to go every place. He was wearing himself out.
“He is sincere. A lot of people see him from afar and see things in the past and don’t watch him up close. But the level of sincerity he has is amazing. He told me one night during the Dance Blue fundraiser where we spoke that he wanted to thank me because his mother got to see him coach at Kentucky before she died and that meant something to him. The fact his father is now with him at all these games means something to him. And the fact Josh Harrellson has done what he has done, no one is happier than John Calipari.”
Question: Why do you think Calipari has embraced the job much like Joe Hall, a Kentucky native, did?
Todd: “Those two guys are alike. Joe just fit right in with him. I think John had studied and thought about this job a lot. When I first met him in Chicago, he said it was Notre Dame football and Kentucky basketball and he wanted the job. He better than anybody I’ve met knew what this job would entail and knew what the opportunity was. I do think he has probably surprised himself some, too.
“He knows that these fans are crazy. I just met a couple who told me the last time they saw me was in Maui (in November). They couldn’t get tickets for Rupp Arena, but there were in Maui and in Newark for this final game.”
Question: Will you miss the interaction with the UK fans when you retire?
Todd: “I will. Patsy and I are going to stay in Lexington and will make it to quite a few games. People ask if I have a bucket list (of things to do) and I tell them no but I have an anti-bucket list. I have a lot of things I don’t want to do so I can do the things I want to do. We will be at these games and a lot of other events around campus. It has been a real blessing to us to have served the university. This is where our most avid fans and strongest donors are. They really get into basketball at this time of year. I am sitting next to a young man who just did a $20 million loan who doesn’t mind helping the officials and I think he probably could have done better than some of those the other day. “
Question: How much stress did it take off you having Mitch Barnhart as athletics director?
Todd: “I spent my first six months just trying to figure out what to do with the culture of UK athletics. When Mitch Barnhart agreed to take this position, my worries all went away. I knew he could do well. I didn’t realize how competitive he could make these Olympic programs, but he has done it across the board. When I made the statement of all the people I have ever hired I admire him the most that takes into consideration four kids who started my company with me that I love dearly, but I have never seen them have to go through what Mitch Barnhart goes through.
“He catches heat and still is consistent and pays attention to his family and his Lord. He pays attention to every athlete we have and I could not be any happier with him. He knows them all. He went out to Minnesota in a cold winter time the rest of us were in Destin (Fla.) and helped Thomas Morgan get ready to run a (cross country) race. Nobody knew about that, but that is where he was.”
“The more I see him on a daily basis, and how he coaches and teaches players, the more proud I am of the decision we made,” said Todd after UK beat North Carolina in Newark, N.J., Sunday to earn a berth in this weekend’s Final Four in Houston.
Here are other thoughts Todd, who is retiring, shared on Calipari and UK athletics:
Question: Could you have picked a more enjoyable team to watch develop in your final year than this one?
Todd: “When we won the Southeastern Conference championship, (SEC commissioner) Mike Slive called me over and handed me the trophy and said this would be my last SEC Tournament and then I handed it to Josh and the rest of the team and that was really special just seeing where they were not the clear favorites to win but they did. And then to watch them the last five minutes of the West Virginia game ... the maturity that the team showed to play with the lead and win, I was so impressed. Then to beat Ohio State and North Carolina, I am so proud.
“This is a model team. You have Brandon Knight who is a 4.0 standpoint, and Josh Harrellson who is the most improved athlete. You just have all kinds of stories wrapped up in it.”
Question: Has John Calipari even exceeded your expectations when you hired him two years ago with what he has done so quickly by winning 64 games already and going to a Final Four?
Todd: “John Calipari has indeed exceeded my expectations. What I have learned about him is how quickly he can change a student-athlete in one year. People are talking about your one-and-done (players), but John Wall is not your typical one-and-done. Very strong student, and what he did here was great. But if you look at Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton, those were not players we thought necessarily would go in the first round, but after they were under him for a year they were ready. You don’t have to question yourself a lot about why do families want their sons to come play under John Calipari. He will always go for the talent, which he needs to do.
“But the first thing he surprised me with was just how he embraced the state. He did it in everything. I even called him one time the first summer and told him he didn’t have to go every place. He was wearing himself out.
“He is sincere. A lot of people see him from afar and see things in the past and don’t watch him up close. But the level of sincerity he has is amazing. He told me one night during the Dance Blue fundraiser where we spoke that he wanted to thank me because his mother got to see him coach at Kentucky before she died and that meant something to him. The fact his father is now with him at all these games means something to him. And the fact Josh Harrellson has done what he has done, no one is happier than John Calipari.”
Question: Why do you think Calipari has embraced the job much like Joe Hall, a Kentucky native, did?
Todd: “Those two guys are alike. Joe just fit right in with him. I think John had studied and thought about this job a lot. When I first met him in Chicago, he said it was Notre Dame football and Kentucky basketball and he wanted the job. He better than anybody I’ve met knew what this job would entail and knew what the opportunity was. I do think he has probably surprised himself some, too.
“He knows that these fans are crazy. I just met a couple who told me the last time they saw me was in Maui (in November). They couldn’t get tickets for Rupp Arena, but there were in Maui and in Newark for this final game.”
Question: Will you miss the interaction with the UK fans when you retire?
Todd: “I will. Patsy and I are going to stay in Lexington and will make it to quite a few games. People ask if I have a bucket list (of things to do) and I tell them no but I have an anti-bucket list. I have a lot of things I don’t want to do so I can do the things I want to do. We will be at these games and a lot of other events around campus. It has been a real blessing to us to have served the university. This is where our most avid fans and strongest donors are. They really get into basketball at this time of year. I am sitting next to a young man who just did a $20 million loan who doesn’t mind helping the officials and I think he probably could have done better than some of those the other day. “
Question: How much stress did it take off you having Mitch Barnhart as athletics director?
Todd: “I spent my first six months just trying to figure out what to do with the culture of UK athletics. When Mitch Barnhart agreed to take this position, my worries all went away. I knew he could do well. I didn’t realize how competitive he could make these Olympic programs, but he has done it across the board. When I made the statement of all the people I have ever hired I admire him the most that takes into consideration four kids who started my company with me that I love dearly, but I have never seen them have to go through what Mitch Barnhart goes through.
“He catches heat and still is consistent and pays attention to his family and his Lord. He pays attention to every athlete we have and I could not be any happier with him. He knows them all. He went out to Minnesota in a cold winter time the rest of us were in Destin (Fla.) and helped Thomas Morgan get ready to run a (cross country) race. Nobody knew about that, but that is where he was.”
