John Calipari had a really entertaining back-and-forth with an unrelenting kid reporter

A young reporter from Sports Illustrated Kids had a really great moment with John Calipari during Tuesday night’s postgame press conference. Kentucky is well-known for having top recruits in past years, and this season is no exception, so the reporter wanted to know how freshman Malik Monk compares to Calipari’s old players like DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. Calipari turned it around, and wanted to know from the kid what he thought.

Reporter: Every season, you have outstanding recruits. How does Malik Monk stack up against other freshmen that you’ve had?

Calipari: How do you think? What do you think?

R: He seems pretty good.

C: OK. You think he’s better than John Wall?

R: Maybe.

C: Yeeeeah. Tell John Wall that. You think he’s better than Anthony Davis?

R: No.

[other reporters laugh]

C: You thi--OK. You think he’s better than Michael Kidd-Gilchrist?

R: Yes.

C: Oooooh! What about Boogie?

R: Uh, no.

C: No, OK. How about Eric Bledsoe?

R: Umm, probably. Yeah.

C: Wow. You think so, huh? Jamal Murray?

R: Uh, yeah.

C: Ooh, wow.

[pause]

R: So, um, how does...

[crowd laughs]

It’s that last part in their exchange that makes the moment, with that kid totally not falling for Calipari’s pivot and finally getting a real answer about Monk out of him:

Calipari: You know what? He is one of the most athletic kids that I’ve coached. He’s a little antsy right now. His mind moves really fast. When his feet move fast, his mind moves fast. So I gotta slow down his mind, and let him see the game a little different. And that’s all I’m talking about to him.

Congrats on getting a win in the journalism game, young Sports Illustrated Kids reporter.