That bothers me a little bit. I know Cal has never been proven guilty of NCAA violations, but he has been part of two programs that have committed major violations. An agent gave Marcus Camby illegal gifts. Derrick Rose (allegedly) got someone else to take his SAT. These are serious issues. Cal seems like a pretty good guy in interviews and he does a tremendous job recruiting and coaching, so there is plenty to admire about the guy as Barbee does. But you have to wonder a little bit. I was for this hire, but the Cal connection makes me a little concerned about him. Maybe Cal is a straight-laced guy who has been caught in bad situations. I still think there is something slick about him (Calipari). Just a feeling. But that may not have any bearing on how Barbee runs his program. Barbee seems like a good guy, and, hopefully, he has integrity. I think he has all the tools to be a great coach. He'll have some competition in the state, though. I don't think Anthony Grant or Mike Davis are going to back down. I've tried to get Anthony repeatedly, along with Auburn's Barbee and UAB's Davis for interviews but have been unsuccessful. Still, I have plenty of informed opinions and will share those in the coming weeks as the signing period approaches in April.
All three coaches have ability. Really like Anthony. I think he can do some great things at 'Bama. Barbee looks to have all the tools and has an impressive background. Davis, I think, is a good coach. We'll see how he does next year. He needs to get UAB into the tournament next year or the following year, for sure. If he doesn't next year, I'm going to start wondering about him. He's got some pretty good players coming back. Anthony should have an improved squad. He needs to add a couple of big guys in this frosh class. Barbee will be rebuilding though he's got six players coming in if they all honor their LOI's. It might take a couple of years at AU like it will at 'Bama though 'Bama is closer. It's time for Davis to step up. I think he did a good job this year with the scrambling job he had to do to get players this year and they got 25 wins though they faded down the stretch. But itt's time he takes UAB to a level they should be at. That's the NCAA tournament almost every year. There is no reason why that shouldn't happen. It should happen at all three schools without a doubt.