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John Calipari explains how he gets individual stars to accept being part of a Kentucky galaxy

The latest John Calipari book addresses the most intriguing ongoing question about Kentucky basketball: How does he do it?

John Calipari - photo by Walter Cornett

– photo by Walter Cornett

The latest John Calipari book addresses the most intriguing ongoing question about basketball: How does he do it?

How does the coach get basketball savants to set aside NBA aspirations for a year and accept the wisdom of one-for-all unity? How does he get these divas to not only harmonize on the court, but seem thrilled by the harmony?

Calipari's new book, which arrived at bookstores last week, is titled “Success is the Only Option: The Art of Coaching Extreme Talent.” It gives readers a sense of Calipari's coaching priorities and their practical application at Kentucky.

 Attentive UK fans (are there any other kind?) will find several familiar ideas. Servant leadership. Players are not computers. Kentucky basketball isn't for everyone. You don't have to make all the shots, but you can't miss them all.
 

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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