DESTIN, Fla. - In the quest to improve college basketball, the 30-second shot clock has gotten the most play this offseason. Kentucky coach John Calipari shrugged off that change - "no one is going to be affected" - and went right to his own pet peeve:
Officiating.
Many feel the college game has been slowed down too much by physical play and fouls. Calipari does too, but thinks that if officials “have the stomach” to be consistent in their calls, the game can improve.
“In other words, whatever you’re gonna call, let us know, so we can teach. Then have the stomach to stay with it all year,” Calipari said Wednesday, as he prepared to leave SEC meetings.
The NCAA, in announcing its rules changes earlier this month, did obliquely address Calipari’s point. It recommended “strict enforcement of defensive rules.”
Calipari’s concern is this: Two years ago that was also recommended, and it didn’t work. It was decided that officials would call every foul, in the hope that eventually coaches and teams would adjust, and the game would open up.
But the officials collectively didn’t have “the stomach” to follow through until the game was cleaned up, according to Calipari.
“The game has gotten way too rough,” Calipari said. “If a team’s not quite as good they just try to beat you up. Well that’s okay, but you should foul out your whole team. Foul every play if you want, just call them all. We’ve had teams win national titles fouling on every possession. That’s why the game has gone the way it’s gone. Everybody’s looking around and saying you have to play that way. We just have to say: OK, we’re gonna call the rules as they are.”
Calipari doesn’t absolve his own team. Two years ago they played that way, he said, because it worked.
“We made it to the Final Four basically playing football,” Calipari said.
A media member then tried to bring the shot clock back up. Calipari went back to the fouling issue.
“I’m telling you, you can go 12 (second-shot clock). If you let them keep fouling we’re not gonna score,” he said. “It doesn’t matter.”
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