John Calipari Has Message For Kentucky Players
John Calipari has a message for his Kentucky players on the heels of the abrupt ending of the 2019-20 college basketball season.
That message? I’m sorry things have ended so soon.
This past Thursday, the NCAA officially cancelled the looming March Madness tournament. This decision came on the heels of multiple conferences, including the SEC, calling off their own tournaments.
The move was devastating to Calipari and many players as it effectively ended their season just before the most important part of it was about to start.
“It kind of hit me this morning that my time to have an impact on the young people on this team is done,” Calipari tweeted out.
“We were told yesterday that the athletic facilities were being shut down and that we cannot have in-person contact with any player or the team until April 15.”
It kind of hit me this morning that my time to have an impact on the young people on this team is done. We were told yesterday that the athletic facilities were being shut down and that we cannot have in-person contact with any player or the team until April 15.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) March 14, 2020
The part that stung Calipari most was the lack of contact he would be having with the players going forward.
“Don’t get me wrong, we will stay connected with the kids. We will still text and talk over the phone and give these kids guidance. It’s just not seeing my guys every day that is going to hurt for a while.
“If we’ve done our jobs and their families have done their jobs, our kids will continue to make good decisions. My hope is we’ve set a great foundation for their future success. Hope everyone is staying safe out there and listening to the advisories of our nation’s leaders.”
Kentucky won the SEC regular season title with relative ease, but it remains unclear how the Wildcats would have fared in the NCAA Tournament.
That will undoubtedly go down as one of the great mysteries in the program’s history.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
