COVID caused uncertainty, but Calipari was able to launch jobs program
The Minority Leadership Initiative — which Kentucky Coach John Calipari proposed, promoted and helped launch last July — did not escape the all-encompassing impact of the coronavirus.
The program is designed to provide entry-level access and opportunity for minority candidates seeking careers in athletics administration.
UK has five such candidates who in the vernacular are known as “MLI Future Leaders.” Each works in one of five departments: Compliance, Event Management, Marketing, Student-Athlete Experience and Creative Services.
This might come as a surprise given the COVID-19 world. In noting the safety “bubble” the Kentucky players live in, Calipari has pointed out that UK’s athletic offices in the same Craft Center that houses the practice gym are largely empty.
Adrien Harraway, the director of the John McLendon Foundation, said that the MLI program had to navigate metaphorical waters made choppy by the pandemic.
“There have been some institutions that kind of hesitated at the beginning … ,” Harraway said.
Would the participants get a “full experience” if not working in a busy office? Would participants be exposed to COVID-19? How would it look to bring on MLI Future Leaders when some departments were experiencing layoffs and/or furloughs?
Ultimately, with coaches including Calipari, Tommy Amaker (Harvard), Bob Huggins (West Virginia) and Frank Martin (South Carolina) on board, the decision was made to go forward.
Other schools with MLI Future Leaders this school year include Louisville, Alabama, Mississippi, Duke, Kansas and Virginia.
Some participants work from home. For example, the MLI Future Leader who works for the National Association of Basketball Coaches lives in New York. The NABC office is in Kansas City.
Harraway cited Calipari’s enthusiasm as a key factor in getting the program started.
“Just the passion to make a difference,” he said. “To make a difference by action at a time when a lot of people were (just) talking about it.”
Harraway, who played safety on the Northern Iowa football team, considers himself an example of how access and opportunity can launch a career. A John McLendon Foundation scholarship enabled him to work for Gene Smith, then the athletics director at Arizona State. Smith later recommended Harraway to Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage. Harraway worked in Virginia’s athletics department for 13 years before accepting a position with the National Association of College Directors of Athletics.
“Got my foot in the door,” Harraway said before adding, “Now, I had to do the work, but that’s all we can ask.”
Rex passes hat
More than 30 years after his college playing days ended, former Kentucky standout Rex Chapman continues to make an impact in the Big Blue Nation.
It was announced recently that a social media campaign called “Pass the Hat With Rex” had raised more than $38,000 to help Nourish Lexington. That included a $25,000 donation from the Rex Chapman Foundation.
Nourish Lexington is working with Keeneland, VisitLex (the tourism agency for the city) and Food Chain (a nonprofit that focuses on fresh foods) to provide meals and keep jobs in the food industry viable during the coronavirus pandemic.
Niki Goldey, the communications director for VisitLex, said Chapman reached out to say he wanted to help.
“We said, oh my gosh, yes,” Goldey said. “Thank you. We’d love to have you with us.”
Goldey credited Chapman and his popular Twitter account for sparking donations from as far away as California and England.
“With Rex, we were able to push this out across the nation,” Goldey said. “And we were really surprised to see that donation come in from London. But that’s pretty cool. That’s a testament to Rex and his popularity and his dedication to his state. And we just love it.”
Donations can be made through the website bgcf.givingfuel.com/rcf.
23 skidoo
Kentucky’s 8-15 record going into this weekend was the proud program’s worst record after 23 games in any season.
In terms of most losses, Eddie Sutton’s last season as coach (1988-89) is the UK standard for futility. That team had a final record of 13-19. After 23 games, that team’s record was 11-12.
In only two other seasons had Kentucky lost as many as 14 games. Rick Pitino’s first season as coach (1989-90) began with a 13-10 start en route to a 14-14 final record.
And in the relatively halcyon days of Billy Gillispie’s final season as coach (2008-09), UK had a 16-7 record after 23 games en route to a 22-14 final record.
Of course, because of COVID-19, this season had fewer early-season “guarantee games” to pad the record after the first 23 games. Going into this weekend, Ken Pomeroy rated Kentucky’s schedule as the seventh toughest in Division I.
Thinking positive I
While Kentucky’s lead over Kansas for most all-time victories has shrunk to 2,326-2,321 heading into this weekend, UK’s hold on first place in all-time winning percentage remains secure.
Going into Saturday, Kentucky’s winning percentage was .762. North Carolina was second at .735 and Kansas third at .727.
Kentucky’s record for most victories in a season also seems secure: 38 in 2011-12 and 2014-15.
With COVID limiting schedules, Gonzaga is not a threat this season. The Zags have a 24-0 record heading into the West Coast Conference Tournament, which is in Las Vegas starting Monday.
Belmont had the most victories (25-3), while Drake had a 24-3 record.
Thinking positive II
With an 8-15 record heading into Saturday’s makeup game against South Carolina, Kentucky would need to win the SEC Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament to avoid a losing record. That counts a victory in the First Four. No First Four game would mean advancement to the Elite Eight to avoid a losing record.
Whatever the final record, Kentucky will be in position to make NCAA history in the 2021-22 season.
The NCAA record for biggest improvement from one season to the next belongs to Kansas, which went 23-7 in 1973-74 after 8-18 in 1972-73.
Rising stars
Three former Cats were among the 20 players voted onto the NBA Rising Stars teams. Assistant coaches vote each year. All rookies and second-year players are eligible for election.
Former UK teammates Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro made the 10-man U.S. team. Mychal Mulder, a native of Canada, made the World Team.
Each team is made up of four guards, four frontcourt players and two others from any position.
There is an annual Rising Stars game played in conjunction with the NBA All-Star Game, which will be played Sunday night. Because of COVID-19, the Rising Stars game will not be played this year.
Book note
Former Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff has written a new book. It’s a family history entitled “Endpapers: A Family Story of Books, War, Escape and Home.”
Wolff spent 2017-18 in Berlin researching his family. His grandfather, Kurt Wolff, was a well-known publisher who fled Germany in 1933, the day after the famous Reichstag fire.
Though Jewish, his father, Niko Wolff, fought in the Wehrmacht during World War II.
More information about the book is available at AlexanderWolff.com/Endpapers.
Wolff is part of a mini-boom of former SI staffers writing non-sports books. Gary Smith is working on a novel about Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Then there’s Jack McCallum’s book about prostate cancer. And Ivan Maisel has an upcoming book about his late son.
Miami heat
While much of the country was enduring a wintry blast of snow, ice and cold late last month, Miami Coach Jim Larranaga could not resist sharing a weather update during his turn on an ACC teleconference.
As part of his opening remarks, he volunteered, “It’s 75 degrees and sunny here. So, this is paradise.”
Final Four cutouts
The NCAA announced Thursday that fans can buy cutouts to be placed at Final Four games. Proceeds benefit United Way’s Central Indiana COVID-19 Recovery and Rebound effort, plus Hilinski’s Hope, a national nonprofit promoting awareness and education of student-athlete mental health and wellness.
Cutouts cost $100 and can be purchased at ncaa.com/finalfour.
Sales of cutouts for Final Four games end on March 16.
Happy birthday
To NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum. He turned 23 on Wednesday. … To Shaquille O’Neal. He turned 49 on Saturday.
