Calipari, the Cheater

John Calipari is probably one of the most praised and hated basketball coaches in college basketball. Calipari has been the head coach of now three college basketball program, University of Massachusetts, Memphis, and now Kentucky. Calipari was first caught cheating at the University of Massachusetts in 1996 after the NCAA found out that Marcus Camby, a player for UMass, had received money and gift from an agent. UMass was then forced to vacate it's 4-1 1996 NCAA record. Calipari left UMass after that season for the NBA to coach the Nets. Calipari would be setting a trend that he would soon follow again. After three unsuccessful season, Calipari was fired and soon found himself as the head coach of Memphis's basketball team. Calipari would stay from 2000-2009 and develop a successful program.

It didn't take long for controversy to arise at Memphis. In 2001, Calipari recruited Dajuan Wagner to Memphis. After the signing, Dajuan's father, Milt Wagner, was hired as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations. A little suspicious? I think so. The controversy at Memphis would not stop here, after the 2007-2008 season, the NCAA investigated a player. The player was Derrick Rose and he has someone take his SAT so that he could score high enough to get into Memphis and play one year of basketball for them. Memphis had also let Rose's brother, Reggie, travel with the team to road game for free. Another NCAA violation. When all the investigation was finished, the 2009 season was complete and Calipari had ruined yet another school. The entire 2007-2008 season was vacated, the season that Memphis was the runner-up for the National Championship.

Calipari once again, left another program in the hole. He then left for Kentucky, to become there head basketball coach. Though a successful coach, how could anyone want to play for or hire a man that does nothing but cheat a program? I don't understand why the NCAA punishes school and players for the school while Calipari gets away with it. They should definitely punish him from coaching. He doesn't love the game, he loves seeing how far he can go cheating it before getting caught.