In John Calipari’s coaching vocabulary, “zone” has always been one of those dreaded four-letter words. “I hate it,” the Kentucky coach said prior to Monday’s practice. But just like the language deemed inappropriate on public airwaves, some four-letter words are worse than others. For Calipari, perhaps the only thing worse is “loss.”
“We’ve won a lot of games, a lot of league championships, a lot of league tournament championships, a lot of NCAA games playing man (defense). So I know that’s the best way to do it,” he said. “But I also know, more than anything else, I want this team to have a chance to win, so I’ve got to look at everything and say ‘How?’ and be honest about it and not worry about me because it’s not about me. It’s about this team.”