Now that all is said and done, which coach or coaching tenure did you like more, John Calipari or Tubby Smith?
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Rick Pitino.
But seriously....to answer your question....IN HINDSIGHT....they were pretty even. Reason being, they both won one natty, they both had top ranked teams on a consistent basis, and both produced good players. Tubby's were more memorable to me because we saw them play multiple years whereas Cal's players left so quickly it was hard to remember them - they were always being replaced a year later.
If I'm completely honest...I'd say AT THE TIME...I liked Cal's tenure a little better for the first 10 years compared to Tubby's 10 years total. HOWEVER.....Cal's last 5 years brought his tenure down to a level where, had his first 5 been the equivalent of his last 5...he wouldn't have seen 10 years, much less 15. -
That's a hard one but it has to be Cal when he was rolling. Tubby could coach circles around Cal but couldn't nail down the talent Cal was bringing in.Comment
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Tubby 100x more than Cal.Comment
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It's about final fours and national titles at UK.
both won 1 title at UK but cal had 4 final fours to tubby pathetic 1.
Tubby would have had atrocious seasons in seasons 11 to 15 if he hadn't ran to Minnesota like a little girl. Cals error was his arrogance of not leaving UK n 2019. His first 10 seasons ******************** slap Tubbys into oblivion and its not even close.Comment
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As bad as Cal’s last few years were I would still go with Cal.Comment
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Tubby's like the guy who dated your daughter, and you always felt like she deserved better. You felt like she was selling herself short...that she could do better. He didn't have a degree and was working a blue collar job making OK money, but he was never someone you could brag to others about.
Cal was the guy who dated your daughter, and you felt good about. He was a good looking guy with a ton of charm, charisma and personality.... and he not only had the degree but was on the fast track towards upper management with the Fortune 500 company that impressed everybody.
The difference is the relationship with Tubby ended without any drama. He treated her great, it just didn't work out. Cal, on the other hand, slapped her around and was verbally abusive and cheated on her, and embarrassed her in front of everyone. That's why in hindsight you have no hard feelings towards Tubby, but want to kick the living crap out of Cal.Comment
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Cal is a hall of fame coach that brought the program back from the Tubby years
Tubby just can’t coach. He was handed a Cadillac and turned it into a Yugo.
Tubby never built a FF four team in his career. Cal has taken even school he’s coached to a FF.
4 times here.
There’s no comparison.
Like asking which is better, ice cream or a turd.
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Tubby.Comment
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Getting some pretty strong opinions for each side. And I get each side. Cal had the program in the national spotlight more/longer. But frankly the program was just along for the ride. At least with Tubby the program/his employer WAS the priority.
Each of them just stayed too long.Comment
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The death knell for the Tubbster for me was when he was asked about his recruiting efforts. This is when we were getting guys like Perry, Orbzut, Thomas, and the like. His answer was something to the effect of, " I don't have to go out and sell the name Kentucky because Kentucky sells itself". I wanted him gone after that. I liked Tubby. A lot. He just got lazy in his recruiting. Will also never forget Tyler Hansbrough wanting to come here but Tubby stopped recruiting him. Tyler always seems salty towards our Cats on Field of 68.Comment
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It's a hard one to be honest my favorite of my lifetime is RICK PITINO.
For the question at hand:
Tubby could coach, gave a crap about UK , couldn't get the talent, went to 0 NIT tournaments. won 1 Championship.
Cal couldn't coach, didn't give a crap about UK, could get the talent, went to 1 NIT tournament, Had the worst record in school history (9-16), 4 final fours, and 1 Championship.
To be honest it's truly a hard one to choose they both have their pro's and con's but I'd probably give Tubby the slight edge just because of the NIT, 9-16, and all the head scratching losses Cal had to name a few (Robert Morris , Evansville, Richmond, Kansas State (2), St Peters, Oakland)
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Calipari over Tubby.
Tubby may be a better coach but Cal almost continually had a roster that was in the hunt, just a shame he could not manage and pull the right strings...Comment
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Cal brought us four Final Fours and a ton of excitement. It's Cal. Give more time to get away from the emotions of the last few years for Cal, and I think a lot of people will feel differently. Lot of people hated Tubby by the end of his run, too.Comment
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