In what was probably supposed to be an announcement preceding his chance to make 40-0 history, John Calipari was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame with the bare minimum percentage (75) necessary for the prestigious honor.
Coach Cal's head coaching career started at UMass back in 1988. During that season he went 10-18. It would be the last time a team of his would finish below .500. After eight years there, Calipari jumped to the pro ranks to captain the Nets. In three seasons in New Joisey, Cal made one playoff appearance where he was promptly swept in three games by the '97-'98 Bulls.
After a year as Larry Brown's assistant in Philadelphia, Cal returned to the "amateur" ranks by taking over at Memphis. He took the Tigers to the National Championship in 2008 where they lost to Kansas. Turns out it didn't mean jack, since all the wins from that season were later vacated.
In 2009, he left to takeover Kentucky, recruiting five-star after five-star, finally winning his first (and to this date only) National Title in 2012.
While it would've been nice to hoist title number two, Wisconsin derailed any possibility of that last night. Still, it's a damn good consolation prize to join the Hall. Calipari's official induction date take place on September 11.
[via @GoodmanESPN]
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