‘Access and opportunity’: Calipari’s idea for program for minorities gaining steam
Editor’s Note: John Calipari announced Sunday morning, after publication, that he will “hold off a week on the minority leadership announcement” and that there will be no “Coffee with Cal” Facebook show this week. This story has been updated to account for that change in plans.
Regarding John Calipari’s proposal that the University of Kentucky start a program for providing work experiences for minorities in athletics, next week will be newsy.
The UK coach said he will shift the focus of his weekly “Coffee with Cal” Facebook show on July 13, after taking a week off, from the coronavirus pandemic to this country’s history of systemic racism. On Tuesday, Calipari is scheduled to join P.G. Peeples, the president and CEO of the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County, on a Zoom call with the president of the national Urban League, Marc Morial.
“To talk about spreading this across the country,” Peeples said of the program.
Calipari said UK will announce the launch of that program on his July 13 edition of “Coffee with Cal.”
On more than one occasion, Calipari has talked about the program providing access and opportunity for people who are pondering careers in athletics administration. He said he hoped the idea eventually spread to other parts of UK’s campus and Lexington’s business community. And beyond.
For Peeples, this is getting at the heart of the problem.
“It is access and opportunity,” he said. “And that’s basically all we ask for in life. If you get both of those, with your own personal drive, you can basically make it. …
“That systemic issue is underrepresentation.”
Longtime Lexington pastor C.B. Akins Sr., a former member of UK’s Board of Trustees (2011 to 2017) and chair of its University Athletics Committee (2017), said of the intended long-term impact:
“When you drop that pebble into the water, you don’t know where the ripples will go.”
One such ripple is co-workers getting to know the participant as a person. Familiarity can breed acceptance and enlightenment.
By contrast, “ignorance is the mother of fear,” Akins said.
David Harris, an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky, saw a benefit of such a program beyond first steps onto a career path.
“Even if it was only to let you know if you really wanted to do it or not, I think it would be worthwhile,” he said.
Calipari has spoken about his determination to see similar programs launched around the country. Peeples can see that happening.
“A lot of my optimism is based upon Cal’s salesmanship,” he said with a chuckle, “and the relationships he has with the coaches all over the country.
“And I think the timing is right for this in our country.”
Calipari and Peeples talk regularly. They’ve partnered in several philanthropic projects since Calipari became Kentucky coach in 2009.
“You’ve got two people who are coming together who aren’t strangers to each other, to the university and to the community,” Akins said. “Each has an unusual outlook to be able to see a need greater than themselves. That will give it legs and help it grow.”
Start in January?
On Wednesday, former UK coach Rick Pitino suggested via Twitter that the 2020-21 season begin in January and consist only of conference games. A later start would give more time for the development of a coronavirus vaccine, he tweeted.
With so many unknowns, the National Association of Basketball Coaches has a cautious response to ideas about the who, what, when, where and why of next season.
“We have had many discussions, conference calls, etc., but the start of the season has not been discussed much,” NABC senior director of communications Rick Leddy wrote in an email. “That is pretty much in the hands of the colleges/universities and the NCAA.”
Masks
Medical officials urge people to wear masks to help lessen the spread of the coronavirus. Yet, some see the wearing of a mask as a political statement.
Whatever form the 2020-21 college basketball season takes, will fans attending games be required to wear masks? At this point, Mike Tranghese, a basketball consultant for the Southeastern Conference, thinks so.
“You have to wear one,” he said. “There’s no question.”
Recruiting advantage?
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was among people who testified before a recent meeting of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The issue: How to form legislation on the federal level on how college players can benefit from their names, images and likenesses. The guiding principle is one law that covers the country is better than a mishmash of varying laws in 50 states.
The clock is ticking. Florida’s law on name, image and likeness (NIL) is scheduled to go into effect next July.
David Ridpath is the president of The Drake Group, which supports players benefiting on their NIL. He dismissed a concern that schools in smaller locales would be at a recruiting disadvantage against schools in metropolitan marketplaces.
“My argument is a football player in Tuscaloosa (Ala.) is much more marketable than a football player at UCLA,” he said. “There’s just too much competition out in L.A. Honestly, you’d rather be a big fish in a very small pond.”
For example, Zion Williamson would have been as marketable playing for Duke as for UCLA, Ridpath said.
Cost cutting
In case you missed it, the Mid-American Conference took an eye-catching step this spring. To reduce expenses, Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said MAC football teams would no longer be allowed to stay in hotels the night before home games.
This is a custom followed by many football teams, including Kentucky’s, presumably to reduce distractions and ensure proper rest.
Steinbrecher also said football traveling parties will be reduced from 76 to 70 players for road games.
‘It’s basketball’
This time a year ago, Darrin Horn had put together his first coaching staff at Northern Kentucky. It was the third time as a new head coach he had the task of hiring assistants.
Previous experience gave him confidence in what to look for.
“I kind of decided that the most important thing to me was competency and character,” he said before adding, “This isn’t rocket science. It’s basketball.
“And I think if you’ve got guys that are competent people and have high character, anything you want to do basketball-wise (or) recruiting-wise, whatever it might be, you can learn.”
Donovan delegated
Earlier this year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches named NKU assistant David Harris among the top 30 coaches in the country under the age of 30.
Harris’ career path began as a student manager on Florida teams coached by Billy Donovan. What did he learn from observing and working under Donovan in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons?
“His ability to manage his staff,” Harris said.
Donovan delegated authority. For instance, assistant coach Larry Shyatt was Florida’s de facto defensive coordinator.
“He let Coach Shyatt run the show on defense,” Harris said of Donovan. “He barely spoke on defense. I thought that was really cool because you’ve got this big-time college coach, and he’s letting his assistant coach have more control over an aspect of the game than even he had.”
Book note
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said he will have a new book coming out later this month. Titled “The Lost Season,” it is about the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sportswriter Dick “Hoops” Weiss collaborated with Vitale on the book. Florida State Coach (and former UK assistant coach) Leonard Hamilton wrote the foreword. The cover shows Vitale and an empty tournament bracket.
“We just talk about what could have been, should have been and would have been if we had a tournament,” Vitale said.
The authors selected and seeded 68 teams, then imagined, game by game, how their tournament played out. Vitale declined to reveal which team wins the book’s NCAA Tournament, but he did say Kentucky is a two-seed.
Autographed copies of the book can be preordered at dickvitaleonline.com. All profits go to The V Foundation for kids battling cancer.
Happy birthday
To Mark Halsell. He turned 32 on Thursday. … To Ralph Hacker. The longtime broadcaster on UK’s radio network and UK Athletics Hall of Famer turned 76 on Thursday. … To CBS basketball analyst Clark Kellogg. He turned 59 on Thursday. … To former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps. He turned 79 on Saturday. … To Todd May. He turns 56 on Sunday (today). … To Ashton Hagans. He turns 21 on Wednesday.
This story was originally published July 5, 2020 at 6:40 AM.
