The Kentucky Wildcats Trend Upward and Coach K’s “new” motto

February 28, 2013; Charlottesville, VA USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski yells to an official from the sidelines against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Just when you thought it Coach K couldn’t be more of a miser, he sounded off (making fair points) about rushing the court as Virginia did when they popped the Blue Devils earlier this week.

"And then along came Mike Krzyzewski, Krzyzewskiing the moment to hell and gone. It seems that Duke’s bench wasn’t properly protected after the game—”properly” means something different to Coach K than it does to those of us who don’t wander through life upset that it hasn’t yet furnished us with a popemobile—and that the players weren’t immediately ushered off the court. Krzyzewski allegedly “hollered an F-bomb at a fan.” From Fox Sports: Right behind the Hall of Fame coach were his players, some cursing at fans, some ignoring it and ducking into the hallway. Assistant coach Jeff Capel went back and yelled a few curse words while another assistant coach, Steve Wojciechowski, did his best to quickly usher players into the safe area. Once the court had cleared, Coach K had some things to say about the court-storming. Specifically, he was concerned about the dangerous implications of the very old tradition: “When we’ve lost in the last 20 years, everybody rushes the court,” Krzyzewski said, as quoted by The Associated Press, insisting he was raising a concern but not trying to take away from Virginia’s victory. “Whatever you’re doing, you need to get the team off first. Celebrate, have fun, obviously you won. That’s cool, but just get our team off the court and our coaching staff before students come on.” A Virginia official told the Washington Post this morning that Duke’s players and coaches had been informed of the university’s rush-the-court procedures before their shootaround last night: “The official said all procedures were followed and that the Blue Devils were told to exit the floor via ‘a safe zone’ created by security personnel near the scorer’s table.” But then Krzyzewski said this: “I’m always concerned about stuff like that, especially at this time of the year. What if that happened and we get a kid suspended? That becomes the national story. It’s not all fun and games when people are rushing the court, especially for the team that lost. Again, congratulations to them, and they should have fun and burn benches and do all that stuff. I’m all for that. They have a great school, great kids, but get us off the court. That’s the bottom line.” It’s not all fun and games. This is the Krzyzewski motto, if there ever was one."

Seriously though, who cares what Coach K thinks?  Especially when Andrew Wiggins just completed his official visit to UK this week when we smashed MSU and there is a “popular narrative” going around with about Wiggins being sold on UK but was “selling his parents” on it too.  Let’s hope.

"The 6-foot-8 forward arrived on UK’s campus Wednesday morning, attended that night’s game against Mississippi State in Rupp Arena, had breakfast with John Calipari the next morning and then watched the Cats practice before heading back to West Virginia. Wiggins’ parents, both former standout athletes at Florida State, accompanied him on his trip to Lexington. Mitchell and Marita-Payne Wiggins — who were on their son’s official visit to FSU earlier this season — also plan to travel with him to Kansas and North Carolina next week. There’s a popular narrative in recruiting circles that Wiggins is already sold on Kentucky and that this week’s trip was about selling his parents on the Cats. Fulford didn’t dismiss the theory. “That could be. It could be. I don’t know,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it that it could be. The fact that his parents are on his visits is crucial. Had they not gone to any of the other ones, I would have said that Florida State was a lock. Because they wouldn’t have had anything to compare it to. The fact that they are going says a lot about the process and that they had a chance to see different places.”"

According UKAthletics.com, Calipari is hosting TWO Father/Son camps this year due to the fact that UK is the Mecca of college basketball.

"LEXINGTON, Ky. – Due to the overwhelming popularity of our annual camps, the University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball program is pleased to announce two separate sessions of the 2013 John Calipari Father & Son Camps."

A limited number of spots are available for all camps and are based on a first-come, first-serve basis, with online registration recommended as the fastest and most efficient form of registering campers. All of the camps listed were SOLD OUT the last two summers, so early registration is encouraged to secure a spot.

Both camps will be held on the University of Kentucky campus. Buses will be provided to transport campers to all of the basketball facilities. Full-time athletic trainers will be stationed at each site throughout the duration of the camp, along with UK basketball staff members in all dorms to accommodate any questions or concerns campers may have. It is our goal to ensure a safe and fun environment, which provides all campers the opportunity to maximize their Kentucky Basketball experience.

The John Calipari Father & Son Camp Session 1 is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 7-8.

The John Calipari Father & Son Camp Session 2 is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 14-15 (Father’s Day weekend).

Traditionally our most popular camp, the 2013 Father & Son Camp will be split into two separate summer sessions. These weekend camps offer a unique father/son bonding experience that only Kentucky Basketball can provide. This year’s father and son participants will be treated to instruction from the UK coaches, staff, along with current and former Wildcat players through detailed skill work and competitions in the best facilities in college basketball. Father and son teams will compete with fellow campers of appropriate age groups (based on son’s age/grade level) in competitions that incorporate skills learned throughout the camp. The skill work is designed to give both father and son drills and techniques to take home and continue working on together. This camp is open to all fathers and sons ages 6-17, regardless of previous basketball experience.

• The cost of the camp is $180 per individual and includes:
• Supervised dorm room for one night
• Three meals (including cookout on Friday during registration)
• Camp T-shirt
• Three Sessions of instruction and competitions
• Photo and autograph opportunities with Coach Calipari, UK staff and players