If reaction to this week’s induction of John Calipari into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an accurate guide, Kentucky’s latest star-studded team will unite in purpose and be of one mind.
Several Wildcats on the 2015-16 team noted Calipari’s ability to mesh players, many heralded freshmen accustomed to being thestar, into effective units as one reason the UK coach will be among those formally inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday.
“People probably don’t understand he’s an amazing coach who’s able to get freshmen together,” Dominique Hawkins said during an Aug. 27 interview session staged by UK.
EJ Floreal likened Calipari to the late Chuck Daly, who won two NBA championships as coach of the Detroit Pistons and, most famously, a gold medal with the so-called “Dream Team” of NBA greats in the 1992 Olympics.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.