A biography for John Caliparihasn’t been written yet.
“I'm going to continue to see my friends who coach in the NBA and see my former players who play in the NBA. I'm going to continue to go to games.”
“As long as I'm at Kentucky, you've got to be able to take the shots, or don't stay at Kentucky. To be the coach at Kentucky and get what I get, you can't be a 35-year-old coach whose never been fired. I've been fired.”
“What I've always tried to do is undersell and overdeliver.”
“I've always taken the approach that it's about the seed in the NCAA tournament.”
“Everybody wants to say that Kentucky fans are vicious or obnoxious. They're not. They're crazy in that they watch the tape of our games more than I do. But they're passionate and smart.”
“We're not the only ones out there trying to get good players and trying to help kids.”
“My vision is one of celebrations and banquets, diplomas and banners, rings and parades.”
“Can I say this in a humble way - I don't need the money. If I stop coaching today at Kentucky, my toes are up, and I'm eating Cheetos, and I'm fine.”
“I'm not a big proponent of the league tournament.”
“You're coaching Kentucky - and you have a chance to change lives. That's not what this is up there in the NBA. You have assets. You're trying to piece a team together. You're trying to win more games than the other guy. You're trying to advance in the playoffs, and if you don't, they'll find somebody else that can.”
“When we're worried about a bureaucracy and keeping the bureaucracy going, you're always going to make mistakes.”
“I gotta be able to sleep at night knowing that I'm being honest.”
“I don't read the papers; I don't listen to radio.”
“If a guy can bully you, he will bully you.”
“Let the D-League be for players who have been in the NBA, who are on the fringe, and that want to fight like heck to get in the NBA. They should have a living wage, not $17,000 to $25,000. A living wage.”
“At times, we, as coaches, try to shove guys as square pegs into round holes and keep hammering away.”
“No one will steal my joy.”
“My job is to protect my guys.”
“Change does not come easy.”
“There are no boys in this game.”