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John Calipari continues to say that having players drafted is his primary goal

By Stanford Crissey

Dec 5, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari (R) talks with guard Andrew Harrison (5), guard Aaron Harrison (2), and guard Devin Booker (1) during the game against the Texas Longhorns in the second half at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats won 63-51. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari (R) talks with guard Andrew Harrison (5), guard Aaron Harrison (2), and guard Devin Booker (1) during the game against the Texas Longhorns in the second half at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats won 63-51. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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John Calipari’s pyramid of goals has NBA Draft and titles weighted the same

I’ll be honest with you. When I heard that John Calipari had a pyramid of goals, I was hoping it would look something like this:

Swanson_Pyramid_of_Greatness
Swanson_Pyramid_of_Greatness /

Instead, it looks like this:

Still, Coach Cal’s pyramid has been the source of some controversy because it weighs national championships as players being selected for the NBA draft.

This came after Calipari gave the following speech at Rupp Arena:

"“Last year we started the season with a goal. You may think it was to win a national title or win all the games, [but] it was to get eight players drafted. Well, how can you be about your team if you’re worried about getting players drafted? We kind of work it the other way. What are your dreams? What are you looking for? What are you trying to get out of life? How can we help you with that?“For me, the mission for me is to be a vehicle to help others reach their dreams, to be the stone that creates the ripple in their lives that goes on and on and on. Now in our state, they want my mission to be, ‘win national titles, win national titles.’ My mission is bigger than that.”"

Few college coaches would admit to this; most value titles above all else. However, Calipari says the welfare of his players is the most important thing, and what he’s trying to do is prepare them for a future in the NBA.

This caused quite a bit of a stir given that people either believe Calipari is being disingenuous, or that such a goal is ridiculous.

Calipari defended his statements on Twitter:

Now, it’s impossible to tell if Calipari is being honest about this; only he knows that. Of course, it’s pretty easy to say winning a championship wasn’t your goal after failing to cut down the nets. Would he change his tune if they had won it all? Again, only he knows. It certainly is an interesting take on the role of a college coach, especially one at a Blue Blood program like Kentucky.

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