Calipari Entertains Tip-off Banquet Crowd

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – It's been nearly 40 years since Hall of Fame Coach John Calipari of Kentucky stepped foot on the UNCW campus to embark on his college basketball playing career. On Thursday night, he came full circle, visiting the scenic coastal campus as head coach of one of the nation's elite NCAA Division I programs.

Calipari was back on campus to address 500 fans and followers during the Seahawks' annual tip-off dinner. It was a fund-raiser for the school's flagship program and Calipari was anxious to show his appreciation and exchange stories with many old friends.

He spent the majority of his remarks addressing the 2019-20 Seahawks, but also took time to honor his teammates from the late 1970s and former coach Mel Gibson.

"You'll learn more about yourself from failure than success," he told the Seahawks. "If you want something special then you probably have to fail miserably along the way.

"You have to keep faith in you and you have to keep faith in your team. A lot times, success is right around the corner if you just stay the course. There's transactional leadership within your team and then there's transformational leadership. Transformational is really helping each other.

"Think like a king. Think beyond what the normal person thinks like. The biggest thing you should be doing is having fun and creating joy within yourself. The way to create joy is not what you gather, it's what you can give and how you can make people feel."

The ultra-successful coach presented a commemorative watch to Gibson and recognized his teammates and support staff in the audience.

"A lot of us are like a turtle on a post," he told all assembled, "and we all know he didn't get there by himself. I wish everyone here the best. I'll be watching and cheering - unless we play you in the first or second round of the NCAA Tournament."

A 2015 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Calipari has piloted six teams to the NCAA Final Four, including the 2012 national championship club, and helped 49 players earn selection in the NBA draft in his 27-year collegiate coaching career.

Calipari has made three NCAA Division I coaching stops: UMass, Memphis and UK. In 10 seasons in Lexington, Calipari leads all coaches in total wins (305), NCAA Tournament victories (31), Final Fours (4), Elite Eights (7) and Sweet Sixteens (8).

While piling up numerous honors and awards, Calipari's penultimate moment came in 2011-12 when he guided the Wildcats to the NCAA national title in his third season as head of Big Blue Nation. He remains one of just two coaches to lead three different programs (UMass-1996, Memphis-2008 and Kentucky-2011, 2012, 2012, 2015) to a Final Four, joining Rick Pitino in the feat.

Calipari owns a career coaching record of 708-209 (.772), including a mark of 305-71 (.811) at Kentucky. He has coached teams to 15 conference championships and a 51-17 (.750) NCAA Tournament record.

The Sewickley, Pa., native also coached at Kansas (assistant coach, 1983-85), Pittsburgh (assistant coach, 1986-88), UMass (head coach, 1989-96), New Jersey Nets (head coach, 1997-99), Philadelphia 76ers (assistant coach, 2000), Memphis (head coach, 2001-09).

As a player, Calipari appeared in 25 games in two seasons with the Seahawks in 1978-79 and 1979-80 before transferring to Clarion, Pa. A point guard, he played in 25 games, scoring 21 points with seven rebounds and 22 assists. He scored a career-high nine points at Campbell on Jan. 8, 1979.

UNCW Men's Basketball Tip-Off Dinner Speakers
2016 - Seth Greenberg, ESPN Analyst
2017 - Roy Williams, Head Basketball Coach, University of North Carolina
2018 - Brad Brownell, Head Basketball Coach, Clemson University
2019 - John Calipari, Head Basketball Coach, University of Kentucky

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Calipari Entertains Tip-off Banquet Crowd