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    Hoops City

    Sorry, John Calipari is the best coach in college basketball — and it's not even close as Final Four looms

    Chris Baldwin
    Apr 4, 2014 | 6:03 am

    ARLINGTON — The Best Coach In College Basketball doesn't give sanctimonious speeches about the priceless value of a college education. He doesn't give self-serving talks about churning out future lawyers, doctors and public servants.

     

    No, John Calipari knows he's developing elite-level basketball players. He's comfortable with that. The University of Kentucky's coach embraces it. He's built a program selling it in living rooms.

     

    Which is no small reason why he's turned himself into the very best coach at this level.

     
     

      He's pushed and cajoled Kentucky to ultra-close wins over Wichita State, Louisville and Michigan — teams that all played Final Four-worthy themselves.

     

     

    Oh, Calipari makes some noise about not appreciating the "one and done" label at this introductory North Texas Final Four press conference Thursday. But he doesn't want to change the system of freshmen basketball stars leaving college after one season.

     

    Are you crazy? The Master Of The One And Done just wants to relabel it into something nicer sounding, something more marketer friendly.

     

    Typical Cal. Sure, he's a little two-faced, but who isn't in major college athletics when you think about it?

     

    Calipari is less fake than most big-time college basketball coaches and high school stars recognize this. They trust the man whom the rest of America and the NCAA (see Calipari's vacated Final Four runs with UMass and Memphis) often clearly can't quite stomach.

     

    This is a big reason why Kentucky's new-age Fab 5 freshmen are still standing in the Final Four. All the Dick Vitale-favored, supposedly pristine coaches — many with even more heralded freshmen — are home, watching. And you can bet they'll be grinding their teeth if Calipari and his kids are cutting down the nets on Monday night.

     

    Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski couldn't get past his first NCAA tournament game with Jabari Parker. Kansas coach Bill Self failed to guide supreme talent Andrew Wiggins — the likely No. 1 pick in this June's NBA draft — past the tournament's first weekend. North Carolina's Roy Williams lost to a crippled team in his second tournament game.

     

    Arizona coach Sean Miller blew a game for the Final Four with Aaron Gordon, just minutes from earning a ticket to the supersized wonders of Jerry World.

     

    Yet, John Calipari's here with an eighth seed. He's pushed and cajoled Kentucky to ultra-close wins over Wichita State, Louisville and Michigan — teams that all played Final Four-worthy themselves.

     

    "We got here through an absolute mine field and happened to not step on a mine," Calipari said Thursday.

     

    That's coaching — whether anyone wants to admit or not.

     

     Kentucky's Basketball Empire

     

    Calipari is no miracle worker. He does a good job of making sure he has more talent than anyone. That's recruiting — which also happens to be a huge part of being an elite college basketball coach.

     
     

      Calipari is less fake than most big-time college basketball coaches and high school stars recognize this.

     
     

    Kentucky came into the season as the No. 1-ranked team in America. One could argue the Wildcats vastly underachieved during the regular season and are simply finally playing to their talent level in March.

     

    The problem with that argument is it completely ignores the fact that most super talent-packed teams that struggled and sputtered to a double-digit regular season loss total would have been long shot before the Big Dance ever began. A self-important Krzyzewski or a Williams would have ground this team down to dust, pushing harder and harder until there was no confidence left.

     

    Calipari let his talented, Texas-heavy team — Kentucky stars Julius Randle (Plano) and Aaron and Andrew Harrison (Houston) give the Wildcats a starting lineup that's 60 percent Lone Star State — breathe and grow. Even Coach Cal's often-mocked, simple designed plays out of timeouts — telling freshman Aaron Harrison to just rise up and take a 3-point shot to beat Michigan in the Elite Eight for example — instill belief.

     

    It's more the stuff of a self-help coach than a brain surgeon.

     

    "How did you know I was seeing a psychiatrist?" Calipari cracked at one point in his press conference.

     

    Calipari annoys other coaches, annoys the NCAA, annoys self-righteous college basketball commentators — it's what he's always done. I once watched Calipari scream at Michael Jordan as he coached the New Jersey Nets in a playoff series they had no chance of winning against His Airness. Jordan never let him forget it the rest of the series either.

     

    John Calipari always brought the theater. Now he brings the coaching skill to match. He's almost proudly lugged all that baggage with him to North Texas and you can be certain that the Best Coach In College Basketball's impact will be all over this Final Four.

     

    "I used to be the young," Calipari said. "Now, I'm the old guy."

     

    It's good to be the best — no matter how many people hate you.

     
    unspecified
    news/sports

    in this corner

    Premier Japanese women's wrestling league performs in Houston this weekend

    Jef Rouner
    Jul 9, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Two Japanese women wrestlers compete in a ring. One is stomping in the other with both feet.
    Photo courtesy of Tokyo Joshi
    Hard-hitting women's wrestling for two nights in Houston

    For the first time ever, one of Japan's premier women's wrestling promotions, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, will be touring Texas, with a two-night stay in Houston this week.

    "Bringing TJPW to Texas reflects Tokyo Story’s broader strategy," a Tokyo Story representative writes in an email. "As a Japan-inspired toy and event company, we see major Southwest cities — especially in Texas — as prime for the growth of Asian pop culture. Houston, Dallas, and others are becoming more diverse, culturally curious, and open to new entertainment formats. This isn’t a one-off stop — it’s part of a long-term push to bring Japan’s creativity to cities with eager audiences. And we are making TJPW Live an annual event!"

    The events happen on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11 at POST Houston (401 Franklin). Tickets are available at TokyoStoryUSA.com.

    TJPW split off from DDT Wrestling in 2012 as a sister promotion (or "league") that ran alongside its male counterpart before becoming its own entity in 2015. In that time, they've launched the career of international superstars like Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa (both currently signed to All Elite Wrestling in America), as well as hosting non-Japanese guest grapplers like Thunder Rosa.

    The fighting is excellent and often brutal, but TJPW is also known for its playfulness. Matches embrace anime-like absurdity, such as having a wrestler work in a giant panda mascot costume. The promoters are hoping to one day partner with Texas truck stop icon Buc-ee's for a more mascot shenanigans. Many of the women also perform in J-pop girl groups on of their wrestling duties.

    On Night 1, strike specialist Miyu Yamashita will take on Maki Itoh, known for her flamboyant style and high risk maneuvers. Night 2 will feature much of the local guest talent, such as Houston's own Kaylia Capri (Reality of Wrestling) vs Yuki Arai in a singles bout, and Austin's Vert Vixen teaming with reigning TJPW tag champ Hyper Misao. Other Texans slated to appear ar Maya World, Alejandra Quintanilla, and Billie Starkz.

    The last decade has seen a marked rise in the quality and prestige of women's wrestling in America, with WWE hosting all-women Royal Rumbles and stars like Rhea Ripley and "Timeless" Toni Storm becoming household names. Most major promotions now feature robust line-ups of Japanese women wrestlers, with some like Asuka and Iyo Sky becoming world champions.

    For Japan, women's wrestling has a more consistent history of legitimacy going back decades, and the talent pool there is vast. TJPW branching out into Texas tours gives them a chance to showcase their wrestlers in the land that spawned legends like The Undertaker, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and the Von Erich Family.

    "The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said the TJPW spokesperson. "Many who had never experienced joshi (women’s) wrestling before are discovering how entertaining, emotional, and uniquely captivating it is. Since announcing the Texas shows, we’ve received a flood of enthusiastic messages — not just from wrestling fans, but from people drawn to the theatricality, comedy, and creativity of TJPW. We've also heard from fans in other states asking us to bring the tour to their cities."

    news/sports
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