Bob Huggins: Calipari's 'will to be great' defines him
CLEVELAND -- They met by chance Wednesday, passing in a back hallway between each other's press conferences. They sparred in a way familiar to all guys who have ever laced a sneaker, caught a flyball or otherwise acted like a jock. Sometimes, even big-time coaches are nothing more than overgrown kids:
"I'm sick of saying nice things about you,'' Bob Huggins said to John Calipari.
"I'm gonna go lie about you here in a minute,'' John Calipari said to Bob Huggins. "When I talk about you, my nose goes like this.'' Calipari made a fist in front of his nose, then pulled it away. Pinocchio.
Huggins: "Don't step in the vomit. After I got off the stage, after all the nice things I said about you, I was ill.''
Calipari called Huggins a friendly unprintable. They parted the closest of friends.
Coaching is a tight fraternity. Coaching college basketball maybe moreso. All those camps and AAU tournaments, and airplane flights to and from all those camps and AAU tournaments. Their concerns are mutual and complete. Their camaraderie is inevitable.
Sometimes, because of jealousy or competitiveness, coachly friendships don't make it. But Huggins and Calipari have known each other for three decades, and legitimately like each other. Calipari's cousin Mark was even the EMT in the back of the ambulance that took Huggins to a Pittsburgh-area hospital, after Huggins' near-fatal heart attack in 2002.
As Huggins drifted in and out of consciousness, Mark said to him, "Coach, listen, I can't let you die. I'm John Calipari's cousin. You can't die until he beats you at least once.''
Teams they coach met for the 11th time here Thursday. West Virginia and Kentucky, in the Sweet 16, winner to play Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. Huggins had won eight of the previous 10, usually because he had better talent. Though in 2010 his Mountaineers did hugely upset Calipari's Wall-Cousins-Bledsoe mega-team in the Madness.
The size-18 was on the other foot Thursday. The Wildcats have the better players. That matters to both coaches, obviously, though not in a way that would affect their friendship.
"I don't like coaching against friends,'' Huggins said. "John has been a good friend.'' I asked Huggins what defined Calipari. "His will to be great. John's worked at it. There are guys that fall into great jobs that are easy. UMass was hard. Memphis was a great job, but Memphis was as low as it's ever been,'' Huggins said.
Said Calipari of Huggins, "His teams play to win, they don't have any fear. I've always respected that. ''
All that said, all that smoke blown, outwardly they're not much alike. Cal is full of himself (and It). Off the court, Huggs is subdued. Cal could convince Halle Berry to marry him. Huggs would tell her to get off his lawn.
Huggs forges deep relationships, with friends and players. I don't know Cal well enough to say he doesn't. He comes off in public settings as superficial. Cal could sell anything. Huggs sells Huggs.
Both grew up in depressed, self-reliant places, Huggs in the coal-mining quadrant of eastern Ohio, Cal in the steel stronghold of southwestern Pennsylvania. Both worked their tails off. Both knew early on what each wanted to do in life.
Cal is a Rust Belt Guy who wears nice suits. Huggs is a Rust Belt Guy who wears nice track suits.
Cal is still very much on the go and on the make. His every media appearance seems presented as a recruiting pitch. Huggs is on the Back 40, less feisty than before. He still gives a darn. It just doesn't own him the way it used to. "It's not that I can't be charming,'' Huggins said Wednesday. "I just choose not to.''
Both usually get the best from their players, for different reasons. Cal seems more of a demanding buddy, Huggs more of a dad. Each is very human, in his own way. Each would do anything for the other. They come from a part of the world where loyalty matters and friendships endure. I know. Half my family lives a long jumpshot from where Calipari (and Sean Miller) grew up.
For a guy perceived as villainous by the public at large, Huggins has lots of friends. He spends lots of time at the open practices here in the Madness laughing and joking with them. Those folks know the man, not the caricature.
Calipari does, too. Better than most.