University of Kentucky coach John Calipari is on a quest for his first ever National Championship. Calipari has been close several times in his 24-year career as a head coach, but has never been able to win the NCAA Championship. Calipari has his team in position once again to win the big game, but the Wildcats still have to get through in-state rival Louisville to make it to the final game of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Going Beyond The Everyday: John Calipari’s Quest For First National Championship
Calipari has been this close at previous schools, as he took the Memphis Tigers to the championship game in 2008, only to lose to Kansas in overtime, 76-68. Calipari has always been a great recruiter, often assembling some of the most talented teams in the country, including this Kentucky team full of blue chippers. Earlier in Calipari's career he also took the UMass Minutemen, led by Marcus Camby, to the Final Four, but fell short.
The only non-conference tournament championship Calipari has been able to win was the 2002 NIT Tournament with the Memphis Tigers, but in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Calipari is hoping to be able to go above and beyond with the Wildcats to continue their dominating run. This is the fourth time Calipari has taken a team he built to the Final Four and on his way there he has eclipsed 500 career wins.
Calipari has seen his teams knocked out earlier than he’d like in the past. But with a great chance in front him him to win his first NCAA National Title, the past would become a distant memory.
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