BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — John Calipari has accomplished an unlikely feat: He pitched a grand idea that would impact all of college basketball and pretty quickly got what appears to be overwhelming support. Calipari revealed the concept for summer exhibition games, a version of the NBA’s Summer League for college hoops, to The Athletic earlier this month.
The idea had near-unanimous approval from his coaching peers Wednesday at the SEC’s basketball tip-off event. All but one the league’s 14 head coaches enthusiastically agreed that summer exhibition games would be a welcomed addition. Even Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams, who declined to weigh in on any potential changes to the sport after his rant against the NCAA Tournament selection process in March, acknowledged: “I think it will head that direction.”
Calipari has been working with Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s college basketball czar, to bring his vision to life. Gavitt recently presented the idea to all 32 conference commissioners, and “they were intrigued conceptually,” he said. A panel of players, who could use an annual summer series to launch or enhance their name, image and likeness pursuits, also supported the idea. National Association of Basketball Coaches executive director Craig Robinson said: “Anecdotally, our coaches are thrilled.” It’s not just anecdotal anymore. SEC coaches are ready for summer basketball, which tracks with Gavitt’s hope that it could become a reality “as early as next summer.”
For years, Calipari has cracked that if it’s his idea, the NCAA will do the opposite. This new pet project might represent a shift in the way Kentucky’s 63-year-old coach is viewed — a longtime renegade turned sage visionary.
