“A Hall of Fame basketball coach walks into a bar with the Governor,” sounds like the premise of a joke. There’s no punchline here, or a bar, just a podcast conversation between John Calipari and Andy Beshear.
The Kentucky Governor recently launched a podcast that includes conversations with well-known individuals. For the sixth episode of the Andy Beshear Podcast, former Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari was the featured guest.
The two spent plenty of time together when Cal led the Wildcats’ basketball program. They spent most of the interview reminiscing on their travels, providing charity work throughout the state. Calipari often teamed up with Beshear’s camp following natural disasters. They visited Western Kentucky following the devastating 2021 tornadoes. The following year, Kentucky raised money for flood victims in Eastern Kentucky by hosting the Blue-White Game in Pikeville.
Calipari Reflects on Best Moments at Kentucky
You’ve heard plenty of the stories they shared, ranging from their charity work to John Calipari’s start in coaching. There were a few enlightening nuggets near the end of the conversation.
When Calipari was asked about his proudest moment as a coach, it was a no-brainer. “Being on that stage in the National Title and they’re putting their hands in my hair,” Calipari said. “My wife’s up there with me. We looked at each other, and I said, ‘Well, we got that done. Now we can move on and make sure we’re doing right by these kids.’”
Which player improved the most during his time at Kentucky?
“There are a lot. Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) did not start. Look at him right now. He didn’t start his first ten games. Immanuel Quickley didn’t start the first eight games of his sophomore year, and look at where he was. Nick Richards ends up playing for SEC Player of the Year the year we won the league by three games, and it was canceled, a year we could have won the National Title until COVID,” Calipari said.
“I could name so many guys that just got better as the year went on. I look at Reed (Sheppard) and what he was able to do. Wow. If anybody said they knew he’d have that kind of year, you got to go get a lie detector to prove to me that that’s true.”
Beshear asked Cal if he had any funny anecdotes about what fans have said to him from the stands. One game sticks out: the roar of applause the Kentucky coach received at Bud Walton Arena when he was ejected in 2020. There’s a photo of the Razorbacks’ baseball coach waving goodbye to Calipari as he left the court. He likes to remind Dave Van Horn, “We did win that game.”
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