The Men behind John Calipari: Kenny Payne, Orlando Antigua. and John Robic
By Paul Jordan
Here’s a chance to find out a little bit more about UK’s assistant coaches and show them a little more love…
During the mid-late 80’s (even though I wasn’t alive), I probably didn’t like Kenny Payne too much. Payne played for the University of Louisville and (ucky, yucky, yucky) won them dang Cards a National Title. It’s ok now, though, he’s a ‘Cat. We all come to our senses sometime, don’t we? After he’s “stint” with the Cards he went on to play in the NBA. Payne was drafted in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, where he played for seasons before being waived. Payne played some professional ball else where, though, in places such as: Italy, Japan, Brazil, China, and Australia among others.
After a professional career, Payne was an assistant coach for the Oregon Ducks from 2004-2010 where he grew a stigma as a fantastic recruiter. Well Payne, it seems you’ve found the right coach to share your recruiting skills. Payne was in charge of Oregon’s recruiting for the past couple of years and brought in some decent talent, even though Oregon is not really known for their basketball prowess. Payne’s recruiting will certainly help out the ‘Cats future and he could potentially use his newly acquired Western connections to get some recruits (such as Terrence Jones and Kyle Wiltjer, who are both from Oregon).
Orlando Antigua aka “The Hurricane.” Ah, where to begin? I mean, to tell the truth, he’s had a pretty adventurous and courageous life. For starters, Antigua lived for several years with a bullet lodged in his head. He was shot in the near his left eye, and although he lived, doctors unfortunately weren’t able to retrieve the bullet. In high school, Antigua was an All-American and selected to play his college basketball at the University of Pittsburgh. From 91-95 Antigua was a contributor to the Panthers. Instead of pursuing an NBA career, however, Antigua decided to sign with the always tempting Harlem Globetrotters. Antigua was the first non-black player to play for the ‘Globes since 1943. He got his nickname “The Hurricane” for his fascinating moves and his sharp quickness. He played for Harlem for 7 years before throwing in the towel.
Since his time with the Globetrotters, Antigua has had assistant coaching regimes with Pitt and Memphis before joining Cal in 2009 in Lexington. Antigua also has earned himself the title of a great recruiter. He played enormous roles into the signings of the likes of Wall, Cousins, Lamb, Knight, Orton, and Jones. Not saying Cal is a bad recruiter (because we all know how foolish I’d be for saying that) but having Antigua on your staff gives you a little boost.
And finally, we come to one that knows Calipari the best, John Robic. Robic started his association with Calipari in the 1988-89 season, when Calipari was at UMAss and this season will be their 14th together. Robic was instrumental in helping to build the Mass program with Calipari and when Calipari went to the Net’s, John remained at UMass as an associate coach.
In 1999, Robic stepped away from the UMass program and was head coach at Youngstown State, leading them to a 19 win season. After a couple of seasons there, Robic returned back to the Calipari fold in 2006 with the Memphis Tigers. During his time reunited with Calipari, the Tigers went 137-14 and were a fixture in the top 25. Robic followed Calipari to Kentucky and contributed to a 35-3 season. It’s apparent that Cal and Robic work well together and have had their share in building three programs. Robic is also known as a tenacious recruiter.
Let’s keep bringing in these top notch recruiters. As it’s shown the last few seasons, its working pretty well.
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