Kentucky's John Calipari uses bully pulpit to lobby for NCAA, NBA changes

NEW ORLEANS ? The day before his second shot at winning a national championship, John Calipari spent much of his time before a roomful of reporters pounding home three points. He really wanted the NCAA title more for his Kentucky players than for himself, he hasn?t watched the video of his 2008 Memphis team?s loss to Kansas and he has nothing to apologize about for recruiting players who use college as a one-year pit stop for the NBA.

How much he can be believed on the first two points is all speculation. He is unyielding on the third.

?It?s not my rule," he said Sunday, repeating a line he?s used regularly in his three freshman-fueled seasons in Lexington, Ky. ? each of which lasted at least until the Elite Eight round.

Calipari said he has spoken to NCAA president Mark Emmert about how college sports deals with one-and-done players ? and Emmert himself, of course, spoke publicly about it last week here in New Orleans. Calipari also said he had Billy Hunter, executive director of the NBA Players Association, come to campus to talk to the players before the tournament, ?because I wanted their minds on college and nothing else" ? then talked to Hunter himself.

The reasons for all of it: Calipari openly dislikes the rules he uses to build his teams. He has better ideas.

?Get this stipend thing done ? should be more than $2,000 (per athlete per year), but let?s start there," he said. ?Let these kids? insurance be paid for by the schools or the NCAA. Kids shouldn?t have a $45,000 bill for insurance by staying in school longer."

Plus, he said, give the families of the players who are looking to play in the NBA quickly the option of a loan ? an easy expense for the NCAA to pick up, he said, since, as even Emmert agrees, the number of such players is far lower than the perception indicates.

Finally, Calipari suggested, cut a deal with the NBA itself to allow players who stay in school longer to be able to sign shorter pro contracts that would allow them to reach free agency faster ? thus eliminating the biggest motivation to leave early, to start the free-agency clock earlier.

The NBA should love such an idea, he said: ?The kid is more marketable. He?s more prepared. You?re going to have fewer issues. That investment in a kid that graduates, a higher pay scale, it?s worth it to the NBA."

And it clearly would mean something to all of college basketball, not just his program, as often as it is singled out. ?Carolina lost guys, Duke is losing guys early," he said. ?It?s not just my issue now."

Finally ? actually not finally, because this was one of his first points ? the stigma of basketball players departing for their chosen careers before graduation must be removed.

?Steve Jobs left, Bill Gates left," Calipari said with a wry, sarcastic expression. ?The integrity of their schools were at stake when they left. They should have stayed and not changed the world."

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