Riding the Carousel: Will Calipari fit the mold in Kentucky?

It has been called the Notre Dame of college basketball. The passion of the fans can only, possibly, be compared to that of Alabama Football fans. It is the winningest program in the history of college basketball.

Of course, I am talking about Kentucky.

Thirteen Final Fours, 50 NCAA Tournament Appearances, Seven National Championships. The most storied program in the SEC, by far, and argubly in the country.

It is no wonder when this coaching position comes open, that people take notice. Two years ago, the Big Blue had trouble securing the coach they wanted and in effect settled for Billy Gillespie, who never fully accepted the role as a high profile public figure in Kentucky, according to Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart.

The Wildcats were determined to get it right this time around, and in their mind, they have.

Enter John Calipari, keeping the blue but moving to the Northeast to undertake the position of head coach of the Commonwealth.

Of course, based on record, experience, and performance, Calipari is a no-brainer for this job, but will he fit the job?

According to Pat Forde of ESPN, he sees some possible risks that Kentucky has taken.

Calipari has a past with the NCAA, and so does Kentucky.

Calipari has made a Final Four at each of his stops, but his trip from UMass has been erased by the NCAA because of violations he committed when recruiting for the Minutemen.

Kentucky has been in trouble with the NCAA in every decade except for the 1990's concerning recruiting violations, but it has never cost them tremendously.

With these two now together, it raises the question of whether or not history will repeat itself during Coach Cal's tenure in Lexington.

Apart from Forde's only concern, he believes that Calipari will fit the mold. He thinks Kentucky needs a coach with an attitude and some swagger, and John Calipari is just that. He has a confindence about him that can be sensed by recruits as well as the media. He can handle any question asked of him, and he always does it with a smile.

He is already a media darling in Lexington, but he is no longer in Memphis or in a mid-major conference. This is the SEC, a power six conference, and maybe THE basketball program at the college level. How he handles his first loss and first tournament exit, it will tell a lot about how the pressure is getting to him, or not.

Personally, my own concern is whether or not Calipari will destroy the class of Kentucky basketball.

The Wildcats have always been a classy program, and the "thugs" of Memphis have been well documented in their actions, especially in Alabama with games against UAB. There is the notion that Calipari recruited in that fashion because of his location in Memphis, but it will be interesting to see if that holds true. He may still recruit in the same way, but different kinds of players go to Kentucky than Memphis, and which ones he accepts in Lexington will determine the off-the-court feel of his teams.