John Calipari has another big idea.
The Kentucky coach wants to move the SEC tournament from after the regular season to November, according to CBS Sports.
The idea, which didn’t receive much support in the room according to CBS, stems from Calipari’s well-known distaste for conference tournaments. Just last year, the Wildcats received a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament after winning the SEC title game against Texas A&M, which received a No. 3 seed.
“If this is what happens, why are we playing that game?” Calipari said in an interview on ESPN after the Selection Show. “We won the game. A technical [foul] got them a game, and they get a 3-seed, and we got a 4.”
The idea of moving the tournament to November wasn’t the only radical alteration Calipari is proposing either. In a series of tweets Wednesday afternoon, he suggested playing games simultaneously on two courts inside a football stadium.
I'm sure you've heard about my crazy idea for the SEC Tournament being played before the season. Got another crazy idea while I was driving.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) June 1, 2016
Why don't we play the games in the football stadium in Atlanta and set up two courts with stands split down the middle?
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) June 1, 2016
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You could play the games where fans can go from side to side and watch multiple games.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) June 1, 2016
You could even have the winner's bracket on one court and the loser's bracket on the other court.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) June 1, 2016
Calipari, in essence, thinks the SEC tournament has the prestige of an AAU tournament.
Sure, it’s a whacky idea whose merit doesn’t seem particularly clear (SEC basketball would be relevant in November, I suppose), but it’s just another example of what makes Cal, Cal.
It’s the outside-the-box attitude and willingness to embrace ideas that fall outside conventional thinking that’s made him one of the game’s most forward-thinking figures.
Oh, and it has Calipari and Kentucky basketball making news on June 1. Forward-thinking and a savvy marketer, that guy.