Smith or Calipari

[Jeffky62]

Neither !both are like polar opposites, one could coach and could not recruit . One could recruit and could not coach . Flip of the coin ?

[BBNinSC]

You are just hating on Cal if you choose Tubby.
I like Tubby, arguably the most stand up person we’ve ever had at Kentucky. But, he was not the caliber of coach/leader needed to win consistently at a Blue Blood program. He won a title with Rick Pitino’s roster and was too mediocre after that during his time here.
Tubby is a great coach for Georgia or Minnesota but not Kentucky.
It can be argued that the first 2/3 of Calipari’s Kentucky career was the greatest time ever in our long history.
Cal is much more impactful than Tubby and it isn’t even close.

[KentuckyWild2020]

Cal's hiring and immediate impact went well beyond even Pitino's hire in my opinion, full nuclear from the get go. To me losing Stickland (PG coach University) and Robic started the down fall..

[SportsFan]

It can be argued that the first 2/3 of Calipari’s Kentucky career was the greatest time ever in our long history.

Cal? Is that you?

Nah.... it can't be you....you didn't say NBA DRAFT NIGHT was the greatest day in Kentucky's long history.

Besides, Adolph Rupp and his 4 national championships are rolling over on their grave......

[KYJeff1]

Think you kind of missed my point. Entirely.

I'm not arguing anything you just said. My point wasn't really even remotely close to that. The point I was making is that CAL WEARS OUT HIS WELCOME AND ALIENATES THE FAN BASE OF THE SCHOOL THAT HE COACHES FOR. Period. I wasn't talking about any program's unique situation or the position they were in or are in. I simply mentioned how fan bases aren't crying that he's leaving or that he's gone once he is gone.

Oh I got what you said and my point illustrated that. In his Memphis days, Cal was still motivated, he put in the work, after his early success at KY, he turned into an ass that thought he was bigger than the program.
Yeah, he probably displayed some of that at Memphis, but there's no way he was the fat, lazy, narcissistic, asshat that he was his last few years at UK.

[Pete Hogwallop]

You are just hating on Cal if you choose Tubby.
I like Tubby, arguably the most stand up person we’ve ever had at Kentucky. But, he was not the caliber of coach/leader needed to win consistently at a Blue Blood program. He won a title with Rick Pitino’s roster and was too mediocre after that during his time here.

You don't think coaching the winningest team in college basketball over a 3 year period doesn't demonstrate that he was the caliber of coach needed to win consistently? Were those three years "mediocre"? Because they were around 2002-2005.

In those three seasons he was 87-15 for an average of 29-5. And that wasn't done with Rick's players since it was year's 4-7 for Tubby. In 2002 he went 16-0 in the SEC. But that's mediocre? He had two Elite Eights in those 3 seasons.

Cal had 2 Elite Eights and ZERO Final Fours in his last 9 years here. THAT'S mediocre.

[KYJeff1]

One other point I want to make. With every previous coach and with Pope, it feels like it's about UK. UK is the show.

With Calipari, it was about Cal, not UK. He made himself, the NBA draft and certain, chosen players, bigger than UK.

I think he hid it behind winning his first 6 or 7 years, but once he couldn't get the talent he had to have, his true colors came out. So glad he's gone.

[kfuqua]

Tubby over Calapari, anytime!

[RR_nociHTTP]

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.

Cal also left the program arguably in worse shape than BCG did, and many of us saw it coming. Image where we'd be if Pope hadn't taken over.

[Jrpross]

I like Tubby as a dude better than Cal but Cal just had more success.

[Fox2Monk]

Calipari easily, way more overall success. I just wish he would have left after 2020. His legacy would be much better.

[KYJeff1]

I like Tubby as a dude better than Cal but Cal just had more success.

Well, Cal had much more talent, but if you look at what each coach accomplished with the talent they had, Tubby did a better job.
Now, that's Tubby's own fault, he didn't put the effort into recruiting like Cal did, but damn, Cal had half the NBA come through his doors and the only way he could win a title, was by getting a generational talent, a transcendent talent and an NBA lockout that brought back 3 very key players.
Tubby was the better coach, Cal was the better recruiter, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.
The odd thing to me is, Cal is not embarrassed to admit that he squandered all that talent, in fact, he brags about how much NBA talent he had. You gotta be a full fledged narcissist to think that way.

[thebluestripes]

Hate to say it, but its cal. Flubby inherited well oiled machine and turned it into an embarrassment. Cal took the embarrassment and turned it around overnight. uk basketball was back for awhile. Unfortunately both coaches became complacent after big contracts and and overstayed their welcome.

[Catsrock]

Cal also left the program arguably in worse shape than BCG did, and many of us saw it coming. Image where we'd be if Pope hadn't taken over.

I, like most of us currently, love Pope. But I’d say “imagine if the portal and not taken over.” Pope would have come into a bare cupboard with no way of filling it other than a bunch of freshman who otherwise would have been heading to lower level colleges. Of course Cal knew that the portal existed before bolting. Just glad he bolted. Better late than never.

[bthaunert]

Cal? Is that you?

Nah.... it can't be you....you didn't say NBA DRAFT NIGHT was the greatest day in Kentucky's long history.

Besides, Adolph Rupp and his 4 national championships are rolling over on their grave......

Greatest 5 year stretches in UK history imo would be:

1. 1948 - 1952
2. 1995 - 1999





3. 2011 - 2015

Those first two aren't even debatable. I think Cal's run from 2011 - 2015 is a distant third. Still a really impressive run, but far from the first 2.