Compiled by Drew Scott

I was somewhat surprised to hear that Billy Gillespie had been let go by the Kentucky Wildcats, especially after I took a look at the riveting PSA that he put together for the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety:

But let’s be serious here — Gillespie is by no means the most interesting character in the soap opera that is unfolding in Lexington. It just so happens that the man who made basketball relevant again at the University of Massachusetts by taking the school to the Final Four in 1996 is apparently on the verge of taking one of the most high profile jobs in college basketball. Just in case you forgot how “committed” John Calipari was to the academic well being and success of his students, feel free to watch this nauseating video from his time at Memphis:

Is this the same Coach Calipari, whose basketball squad was stripped of that Final Four banner after Marcus Camby admitted to taking cash, clothes, and prostitutes from sports agents?

Wait, was Calipari talking about how much he stresses academics at Memphis? That’s interesting, because in 1994 The Boston Globe released a story that showed seven players on that UMass team were on academic probation.

To Coach Cal’s credit, during his tenure with Memphis he has actually had a better graduation rate over the last six years at 55 percent than the University of Kentucky has had at 38 percent. Still, during his time with the Tigers, Calipari has recruited a number of questionable players, including Sean Banks who was later arrested for using a cigarette to imprint a gang sign on a woman’s leg.

For more information on some Calipari’s questionable recruiting techniques and demeanor check out this article by Andrew Wolfson from the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Calipari just needs to understand that the spotlight shines brightly in Lexington. If the boosters, alumni, and student body start breathing down your neck, that dream job can quickly turn into a nightmare. Just ask Billy Gillespie.

As long as Coach Cal realizes that what works in Memphis and Amherst, doesn’t fly at Kentucky, he might be just the guy for the job. But I have this strange feeling that he is going to wish he stayed in Tennessee.

Top Coach Tirades of All Time (In no particular order)
So let’s start up the list of the best coach tirades with one that involves the aforementioned Calipari, John Chaney actually hated the man so much that he had a burning desire to kill him during this press conference:

Bobby Knight obviously needs a few spots on this list…So I will start with the prerequisite chair throwing incident and move on from there:

Bobby can actually see the future when looking through a “cheap piece of crystal” at a press conference:

Jim Calhoun was apparently a little disappointed that he didn’t get Ryan Gomes to play for UConn. He also enjoys dropping F Bombs. So if your in the mood for a curse-filled tirade click here. (Extremely NSFW)

And if you haven’t seen it enough times already on ESPN, feel free to watch Calhoun offer his “best advice” to reporter Ken Krayeske:

Coach Roy Williams just really wants journalists to start being nicer people:

And of course the granddaddy of them all, Dennis Green when he was coaching for… oh, wait. Dennis Green never coached college basketball. I think we can all look past that minor fact so we can watch one of the best freakouts in sports history:

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