DeMarcus Cousins shares his thoughts on John Calipari’s move to Arkansas, defending his legacy and addressing criticism over his tenure at Kentucky.
John Calipari is one of the most legendary figures in college basketball, but he is also one of the most controversial people in Kentucky right now. After spending 15 years coaching the Wildcats, he left the post and went to Arkansas, aiming to revitalize the program and his career, which took a bad turn in recent years. When the move happened a few months ago, DeMarcus Cousins was asked to comment on his former coach.
“Well, I mean, that’s Cal. Let’s kind of expect it, man,” he said.
Why Cousins defends Calipari’s legacy
Cousins played for Calipari in the 2009-10 season, and that was his lone season at Kentucky before he was drafted fifth overall by the Sacramento Kings in the next NBA Draft. At the time, Cousins, John Wall, and Cal led the team to the Elite Eight but were unable to make it further. Those two went on to take their next big step in their careers—the NBA.
While Cousins sometimes had problems with Cal’s techniques and coaching methods, he also has the utmost respect for his mentor.
“So I appreciate, you know, everything that comes with Cal. So, you know, to see him go to the next program in the first year, just with the talent that he’s brought in in just this short amount of time shows you the impact that Cal has put on college basketball,” Cousins said. “So he’s well respected with each generation.”
Can Coach Cal turn things around?
And while Calipari’s last few seasons with Kentucky weren’t that good, Cousins believes he didn’t lose his charm through the years.
“Sometimes coaches kind of get lost in the generations. This guy has found a way to flow through each generation and actually be successful within those generations. And success isn’t just winning a championship,” he said.
“Like I said, it’s the best team that night wins. So you can’t determine success off, you know, necessarily championships in college because it’s that hard to win. And on any given night, it’s anybody’s night.”
Cousins explained that he doesn’t like the narrative set up for Coach Cal, as he won one NCAA title with the Wildcats, but some say that he had too good teams to not win more.
“So I hate that narrative when they try to, well, he’s only got this many. You know, it’s bigger than that when it comes to college basketball.”
While Cousins believes in his former coach and still cheers for him, things aren’t looking all that good right now. Calipari started the season off well, with an 11-2 record before conference play, but since the SEC started, his Razorbacks managed to win only one game and are 12-8 at the time.
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