‘You must change laws.’ Calipari, Kentucky players discuss Breonna Taylor outcome.
Kentucky’s men’s basketball players met in Coach John Calipari’s office Wednesday to watch the news conference announcing the results of an investigation into the Louisville police killing of Breonna Taylor.
“My thing with all my kids all the time is you have to be educated,” Calipari said during the ESPN show “The Jump” on Thursday. “You have to have knowledge of what this stuff is.”
The players and others watching the televised news conference learned that a Louisville grand jury indicted only one of the three police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Taylor. And none of the charges were directly related to Taylor’s death.
“After it was over, I said, tell me how you feel,” Calipari said. “And most of them were, ‘I can’t believe it.’”
Calipari then said he advised the UK players on what he believes is a time-tested method of changing society.
“If you want to change things in this country, you must change laws,” he said. “You’re not going to change hearts and minds. You may change some. But if you want to change — and not revert back — you change laws.
“How do you change laws? You vote.”
Calipari held out the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as an example of someone who worked within the system to bring about change.
“She knew it wasn’t by being angry,” the UK coach said of this change. “No. It is we’ve got to change laws. The beginning of it is anger, anxiousness, anxiety. Just questioning our country. Why are we so divided? . . .
“All of us know this stuff is wrong. One human being should not do that to another human being. How do we get this right? We change laws.”
2020-21
When asked about basketball during “The Jump,” Calipari spoke confidently about there being a 2020-21 college season.
“There’s going to be a season,” he said. “There’s going to be an NCAA Tournament. And you know why? Because I have a really good team. That’s why.”
Calipari said that Kentucky’s season will begin with a “bubble” event in Lexington. He did not name the teams participating, although Detroit Mercy Coach Mike Davis said this week that his Titans will play in it.
Then, UK will play Kansas in the Champions Classic on Dec. 1 in Orlando, Calipari said.
Other non-conference games will be against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and — adding a more tentative “I believe” — UCLA.
UK in the NBA
Calipari all but basked in the accomplishments of his former UK players in the ongoing NBA playoffs.
When asked about Bam Adebayo, Calipari said, “I see Bam creating a new position in the NBA: a ‘point-center.’ . . . Which means you do everything. He guards five positions. He has a huge impact on games.”
Adebayo can have an even greater impact in the future by adding three-point shooting to his set of skills, the UK coach said.
Of Tyler Herro, Calipari credited being “ultra-competitive” and possessing “a work ethic that is endless” for the player’s blossoming in the NBA “bubble” in Orlando, Fla. Herro and Adebayo have led the Miami Heat to within one victory of the NBA Finals.
When asked about Herro posting more eye-catching numbers in the NBA than he did at Kentucky, Calipari said that a UK roster typically bursting with talent necessitates sacrifice by individual players.
“By yourself, numbers are better,” Calipari said. “But you would be a better player (by sharing with other talented players at Kentucky).”
Calipari called Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers “the most impactful guy in the game.”
He also said that ex-Cat Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic made Denver a contender by establishing themselves as the main players on the team.
“When you have that as a team, now you got great chemistry,” Calipari said. “Because everybody knows where they fit in.”
