Isola: Calipari/Mullin

I did a quick google search and back in 1996...he wasn't interested...didn't even want to interview.


"It looks as though the athletic director of St. John's, Ed Manetta, can cross John Calipari's name off his wish list.

Bob Marcum, the athletic director at Massachusetts, said Calipari had reiterated to him yesterday that he was not interested in the vacant St. John's coaching position and that, by extension, Marcum would not give Manetta permission to speak to his coach about the job.

He told me an hour ago, 'I'm not interested in that,' " Marcum said yesterday of his conversation with Calipari. "If they would ask permission, I would deny it."

Hiring Calipari was viewed as a long shot, at best. Manetta has already talked with Manhattan's Fran Fraschilla, Florida State's Pat Kennedy, Bradley's Jim Molinari and Marquette's Mike Deane."


In 2004...

"Every year, I'm rumored to be getting a different job," the former Nets coach said. "I let people talk. I just do my job. If my name is out there, I guess it's out there."

And most recently...

"There is a torrent of talk on Internet message boards speculating on the possibility that John Calipari might be interested in job openings at Alabama or Georgia, or in a potential job at Kentucky should Billy Gillispie get fired.

Perhaps more correctly, there are thousands of fans at all three of those SEC schools who cast their gaze longingly towards Memphis, Tennessee and assume that he would be eager to work there.
Then, there is the matter of salary.

After last year’s run, Athletic Director R.C. Johnson extended Calipari’s contract and gave him a huge raise. The base compensation package was increased to $2.35 million.

Additionally, an annuity that Coach Cal was set to receive should he stay in Memphis until 2010 was doubled, from $2.5 million to $5 million...and was added to his salary over the course of the contract.

This essentially raised his pay to $3.35 million per year, excluding bonuses for graduation rates and team accomplishments. He would receive $400,000, for instance, if he were to guide Memphis to a national title.

Only one college basketball coach—Florida’s Billy Donovan, at $3.5 million per annum—takes home more than Calipari."

Do you really think St. John's will make Calipari the best paid coach in the country?

St. John's offers 2 things that most other schools don't have...close proximity to recruits and proximity to NYC and its amenities.  We don't have near the money that the state schools do.

I know for a fact that Cal did speak with Manetta a few times when Fran was fired. I received some of the calls myself, while working in the athletic office at the time.

Quote from: jumpinjohnny on March 13, 2009, 05:39:58 PM

Do you really think St. John's will make Calipari the best paid coach in the country?

St. John's offers 2 things that most other schools don't have...close proximity to recruits and proximity to NYC and its amenities.  We don't have near the money that the state schools do.

No, I don't.

It would take creative financing.
His benefactor, Worldwide Wes, is already tight with a lot of the Nike money. If Nike subsidizes a substantial portion of it, Monasch adds massive escalators tied to MSG attendance (Carnesecca seating is just too small to warrant paying a home run head coach), hit on the largest "development" donors, and work with Calipari's agent about potential commercial venues, it might approach it.

He'd have to be assured that alumni and local businessmen will set up a comparable program to the infamous Fed Ex internship program. Also, Fr. Harrington would give him the ethical leeway to set up an on-campus player housing similar to the notorious Memphis "Mansion."

i love the selective "dirty cal" talk...but silence when norm brings in a guy who went to prison because he got busted with 96 pounds of pot in his closet.

get real.  college basketball is a tough BUSINESS.

a lot of pot (it ain't cocaine) to me is different than the actual shady money business of steering players to schools, being very close to a power broker, improper booster calls and influence, and a system of preferential treatment.  different kinds of dirt.

personally? as long as they're not caught and they're not overly (KELVIN SAMPSON) flagrant, it's just part of the game to me.

a lot of pot (it ain't cocaine) to me is different than the actual shady money business of steering players to schools, being very close to a power broker, improper booster calls and influence, and a system of preferential treatment.  different kinds of dirt.

personally? as long as they're not caught and they're not overly (KELVIN SAMPSON) flagrant, it's just part of the game to me.

that's how the game is played and is why norm brought in two aau guys.
so you hate calipari who does the same because he's successful at it?

Pipe dream.

Quote from: peter on March 14, 2009, 10:27:00 AM

a lot of pot (it ain't cocaine) to me is different than the actual shady money business of steering players to schools, being very close to a power broker, improper booster calls and influence, and a system of preferential treatment.  different kinds of dirt.

personally? as long as they're not caught and they're not overly (KELVIN SAMPSON) flagrant, it's just part of the game to me.

that's how the game is played and is why norm brought in two aau guys.
so you hate calipari who does the same because he's successful at it?

What I dislike about Cal is that he is involved with the improper booster calls (see: Abdul Gaddy).  Not an unrelated-to-basketball mistake.  Kimani wasn't going to spend his weed cash on recruiting players somewhere.  What he did has to do with his own mistake, not with the business of basketball.

If Cal came, I'd still root for the team.  What I'm talking about in this thread is that it's just flat out not ever going to happen. 

Guys..   if Cal was going to come to SJU the money would not be a factor for him.

The man has MILLIONS of dollars and doesn't need the extra million a year. Sounds a little crazy to say but Cal coming to St. John's would be all about ego and turning the program around.

Imagine how huge he would be if he got St. John's back to the Top 10 and made them a Final Four contender.

All of these big name coaches are ego maniacs and I don't mean that in any slightly negative fashion. They all want the next challenge and St. John's would be a monster challenge for any coach at this point.

If Cal made it known that he wanted this job and St. John's passed again, it would be the most foolish thing the school had done since firing Jarvis 6 games into the season.