|
STRATFORD -- If you're Vito Montelli , you can hang up on John Calipari and live to laugh about it. In fact, you can do much more than that, like inviting the newlycrowned NCAA champion at Kentucky to come speak at your annual postseasonbanquet. That's exactly what Montelli, the 50-year boys basketballcoach at St. Joseph, did. And when Calipari arrived at Vazzano's Four Seasons Wednesday night to honor the Cadets' 2012 Class LL boys basketballchampionship, Montelli told the gathered crowd -- which includedTrumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst, Five Star basketball camp guruHoward Garfinkel and CBS/ Sports Illustrated 's Seth Davis -- how he hung up on the Wildcats ' coach on the eve of their national semifinal against Louisvillein March. "The night before the Final Four, my phone rings. I don't recognizethe number, but I said let me answer it. I said hello and I heardthis, `Hey coach' ... you know I get crank calls, that's the truth.So I hung up on him," Montelli said. "About 15 minutes later, I'min the house with my wife at the table. The phone rings again, I'vegot my wife there if it's another crank call. So I said hello andhe said it's Coach Cal. "I mentioned to him, why the hell are you calling me? You have toworry about Louisville tomorrow." The jovial mood between the two coaches -- who between them haveclose to 1,400 high school and Division I victories combined --carried on for most of the night. Calipari had previously spoken atSt. Joseph's postseason banquets in 1993 and 1996 when he was thehead coach at UMass. "(Montelli) will call me to check in," Calipari said. "I said, `I'mglad you called, I've been meaning to call you.' He says, `Do youbelieve in free speech?' I said, `Yeah, I really do. I love thiscountry.' He said, `Good, you're going to give one for me on May9.'" St. Joseph finished the 2012 season 25-1, defeating Hillhouse onMarch 17 in the Class LL final for its second consecutive statetitle and 11th overall -- all under Montelli's watch. The back-to-back titles certainly impressed Calipari, who won hisfirst NCAA title in April when Kentucky defeated Kansas in NewOrleans. "The thing I didn't tell him yet, when I found out he wonback-to-back championships, is that I need to rub up against himand maybe we can do something back-to-back," Calipari said. "It'sbeen one month of celebrating. After this, I'm going down to theshore in Jersey and we start thinking about next season. Somebodysaid to me, `You're taking that trophy everywhere, do you sleepwith it at night?' Of course not, but it sits beside my bed, but Idon't sleep with it." Throughout the night, Calipari, who's been derided in some circlesfor his reliance on so-called "one-and-done" players, trumpeted hisplayers' work in the classroom, including the Wildcats' team 3.1GPA as well as the team's two seniors -- Darius Miller and Eloy Vargas -- graduating earlier this month. He also touted the team's"shared sacrifice" with six players averaging over 25 points inhigh school, yet not taking more than 11 shots per game this seasonwith Kentucky. Calipari, however, did admit that while Montelli's core values of"faith, family and basketball" haven't needed to change very muchin his half-century at St. Joseph, his personal coaching needschange almost year to year with the ever-changing NCAA landscape.He also said that while he might not be a fan of the "one-and-done"aspect of modern college basketball, he said he makes the most ofit. Kentucky, led by freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist , is expected to have a record six players selected in the firstround of June's NBA draft. "I don't like the rule. I don't like one-and-done, but I'm coachingsomeone's child and I have to do the best for that child and then Ihave to get them all the information so he can make a choice forhim and his family at the end of the year," Calipari said. "I can'ttry to encourage a kid to come back when, in my heart, I know theyshould leave. Anthony Davis is going to be the No. 1 pick in thedraft." The night remained focused on the mutual admiration and respectbetween Calipari and Montelli. "I respect him as much any coach I've been around," Calipari said."He's always been kind to me, he had no reason to be kind to me. Iwas 25, 26 years old. He was a better coach than I was and I was atthe University of Massachusetts . Maybe that's why he was kind to me, because he knew he was abetter coach than me. He was always kind, which is why I'm heretoday. He's a good man who I have affection for." Before Calipari left the banquet, Montelli took the microphoneagain and told the crowd how Calipari had spent Friday at the WhiteHouse celebrating the Wildcats' championship and Saturday at the Kentucky Derby . "Wednesday night, he saved the best for last," Montelli said. mcardillo@ctpost.com; @CTPostCardillo. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Neoprene Wading Socks , Scuba Diving Hood for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Neoprene Laptop Sleeves.
Related Articles -
China Neoprene Wading Socks, Scuba Diving Hood,
|
