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UK Notebook: Calipari says Cat fans are 'nuts'

August 09, 2009|LARRY VAUGHT

LEXINGTON - Coach John Calipari continually is amazed by the enthusiasm of University of Kentucky basketball fans.

"I thought I knew how crazy people in this state were for basketball, but I really didn't," said Calipari.

He has over 530,000 Twitter followers. He recently started a Facebook page to help promote the new UK Web site he was instrumental in getting started. That has already attracted hits from 80 countries.

"This Big Blue Nation is nuts. That's what it is. I did the Facebook to gear stuff to the Web and all of a sudden there are 45,000 to 50,000 people there. It is nuts, but it is good in a way, for all of us to do all this stuff to bring everybody together to know what we are thinking. I think that is good, but the enthusiasm of the UK fan is amazing," Calipari said.

That's why Calipari is not surprised by what he sees as unreasonable expectations some already have for his first Kentucky team that returns six players off the squad that won two games in the NIT last year.

"If you listen to everybody else, we are going to win the national title and win 40 games. If we don't win by 25 (points), people are going to be going crazy," Calipari joked.

Of course, he doesn't totally mind the lofty expectations, especially since he does have the nation's No. 1 recruiting class.

"I like that people look at us as a talented team. I like that. Some of the polls are agenda driven. This guy wants a Big East team. This guy wants an ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) team. This guy wants to hold Kentucky back. This guy wants to put the pressure on Kentucky," Calipari said.

"There are a few polls that are only about the poll. The one in Vegas for example. They could care less who you are or what you have done. Those kind of polls you look at and probably have a better idea where you are going to finish. But I know some people think we are going to be so good. Maybe they are right. I hope so. But I know that we still have to mesh a lot of things together for that to happen."

Plus, Calipari is somewhat of a dreamer, too.

"My dream before I retire is to coach a team that will go 40-0. Why? They say it cannot be done," Calipari said. "But the only way to do it is to have fun. I have had teams go 38-2 (at Massachusetts) and 35-2 (at Memphis). Both were 26-0 to start the year. Can it be done? I don't know. But that's my dream."

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