Memphis not putting out welcome mat for Calipari
SOUTH REGION That’s putting it mildly. Before Calipari stunned Memphis by leaving for the winningest program in all of college basketball, he oversaw the best four-year stretch in Tigers’ history. He went 137-14 at Memphis, the kind of success fans dreamed of when Calipari was hired.
Memphis dominated Conference USA with players from DaJuan Wagner to Derrick Rose. Calipari’s best came in 2007-08 with an NCAA-record 38 victories and an overtime loss to Kansas in the national championship game — a season that no longer counts for either Memphis or Calipari.
He coached the Tigers to a loss in the Sweet 16 in March 2009 when Kentucky fired Billy Gillispie and came offering the Southeastern Conference’s power program to Calipari. Calipari not only took the job at Kentucky, he took most of his coaching staff, too, while convincing John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe to join him with the Wildcats.
By August 2009, the NCAA stripped away every victory from that record season for Memphis using an ineligible player believed to be Rose.
Calipari said he hadn’t thought of not having a banner in the rafters for that amazing 38-2 season, which he since has matched twice at Kentucky: 2012 and 2015.
“I would say that there’s nothing that can take away what that run was about for all of us, including the city,” Calipari said. “It was a special time.”