UK Basketball is back to the Final Four for the First Time In 13 Years
The Wildcats are one of the most storied programs in men's basketball. They have been lucky enough to have some of the brightest minds in the game coach their team.
Rick Pitino netted them a championship in 1996. His successor Tubby Smith did the same in 1998. That would be it for championships for quite some time. In fact, it has been a while since the Wildcats were welcomed into the hallowed halls of the Final Four. Thirteen years to be exact.
The drought is now over. Kentucky has a new guru of the hardwood. John Calipari has taken the Kentucky program back to the promised land in just his second year.
He is the full package when it comes to college coaches. He is a great recruiter. In his first year at Kentucky he signed an absurdly fantastic class that included John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.
He has filled the Kentucky roster with talent that can get the job done. His most valued prize currently is Brandon Knight. The guard netted 22 points against North Carolina to ensure the Final Four berth.
You sense that Knight will be one and done like Wall and Cousins before him. I have confidence that Calipari will just restock the arsenal. That is what this man does.
He has showed that he is much more than a recruiter in this tournament though. His guys are playing timely defense and lights out shooting. But it is the job he has done shaping a young team that goes far with me.
This team had three freshman and not many returning players. That may be why they faltered during the season. Yet they began to gel at the right time. As the SEC Tournament heated up, Kentucky figured out how to play with one another.
It is extremely difficult to build a perennial contender in college basketball. You have to contend with a new roster every single season. Calipari has shown that he can command these young men to the highest of levels.
Kentucky is back, all thanks to John Calipari
