Don

June 5th, 2014 at 10:09 PM ^

to make the argument that the players don't deserve anything past their scholarships. These coaches's salaries are obscene.

LSAClassOf2000

June 5th, 2014 at 10:28 PM ^

Well, if I recall salaries correctly, the only one that stands in Calipari's way when it comes to average annual compensation is now Coach K himself - I believe he makes about $9.6 million per year at Duke. I don't have my spreadsheet in front of my (the salary tracker is at work), but I am pretty sure that makes him #2 now. I think that moves Rick Pitino to the third-highest salary in college basketball now. 

LordGrantham

June 5th, 2014 at 11:43 PM ^

Absolutely ridiculous.  No employee of a public university should be making this much money.

gwkrlghl

June 6th, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^

Who decides what someone 'should' make? We all make money based primarily upon how much value we provide to whoever is paying the money. Calipari has made UK basketball successful and wildly popular again and is making UK millions upon millions of dollars. He's worth it to the school and he'd be worth it to other schools so that's why he makes $7MM a year. 

LordGrantham

June 6th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^

"Calipari has made UK basketball successful and wildly popular again and is making UK millions upon millions of dollars."

Nope. The Kentucky players, with the help of some decent coaching from Calipari, have done this.  Even if Calipari were primarily responsible, determining whether or not he is worth it would require analyzing cheaper options who might be able to maintain the same level of success.

 I would also question your claim, offered without any explanation, that he's worth it because he makes the school millions.  What millions?  Where is this coming from and what is it being used on?  How is it benefitting the student body or faculty?  How many of those millions are dependent on the team being at an elite level?  People love to make conclusions about how much money a coach brings in for their school, but they never make any further inquiries about the source or use of that money.  

In 2012, the UK Men's Basketball team made a profit right around 6.5 million.  I am by no means a busniess expert, but I'd be surprised if you could find many more examples of an employee 's earnings exceeding the company's net profit.  Further, according to Forbes, the total value of the UK basketball program has actually decreased since Calipari took over.  If anything, he should be receiving a pay cut.

skegemogpoint

June 6th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^

"Nope. The Kentucky players, with the help of some decent coaching from Calipari, have done this."

How's that for circular reasoning?  The players aren't at UK but for the presence of Calipari!!!!  Don't believe me?  Check out UK's abysmal recruiting of 5* players under his immediate predecessors Billy Gillispie and the last 5 yrs of Tubby Smith.  Calipari is almost singlehandedly  responsible for the presence of the "Kentucky players."

LordGrantham

June 6th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^

And the "presence" of those players is completely irrelevant unless they actually perform and win games.  Obviously, Calipari has a hand in it, but he's not the one out there hitting game winning threes at the buzzer.  For him to get such an absurdly high salary while the players get nothing is unconscionable.

gwkrlghl

June 6th, 2014 at 1:05 PM ^

I definitely agree that it seems outrageous for the coach to make over $7 million and the players to not make anything (...or possibly only make whatever UK boosters will pay them) but what would you propose? Should we cap a coaches salary? Should we pay the coach and each of the starting 5 about $1 million each to be fair? Should we keep amateurism and cap salaries so then now the athletic directors all make $5 million a year?

There's a lot of money to be made in college athletics. Millions and millions of dollars a year and it's all going to go somewhere. In the open market, elite coaches are going to make hundreds of thousands a year and sometimes millions a year.

If you pay players on the open market like you would in the NBA, then you're just going to end up with a bunch of 18 year old "college students" making $500,000 a year or every school will have facilities made of diamonds. All that moneys going to go somewhere

jmblue

June 6th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^

Given how UK performed under Billy Gillispie and Tubby Smith for that matter (no Final Fours in Tubby's last nine seasons), I don't think there's much doubt that John Calipari is a good coach.  Shady, yes, but good nonetheless.

I'm just curious if the school has an out clause if they get nailed by the NCAA.

1of12MattDamons

June 6th, 2014 at 12:35 AM ^

 

wolverinestuckinEL

June 6th, 2014 at 7:28 AM ^

I don't think most people here are going to begrudge anyone for getting theirs.  It's just that in no other sport does a head coach make approximately 30X as much as the most highly compensated player (legitimately compensated).  So the head shaking doesn't have as much to do with him making that much but rather making that much in a system where those in charge claim the players are more then adequately "paid" for their 60 hour work week then turn around and dump wheel barrels full of cash in front of AD's, Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Recruiters, Trainers, you get the point right?   

It's not like the conferences are getting the shaft on TV revenue either, they own the damn networks.  So this is just another example of how flush with cash athletic departments are and how they have to find excuses to piss away the revenue while they cry about amateurism and how fearful they are that they will corrupt the innocent kids.

skegemogpoint

June 6th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^

damn, what a bunch of crybabies!! Saban makes $7m too. Many others are close behind. Hell, Hoke makes $4m+ and his record stinks - doesn't even come close to Calipari or Saban. I would be thrilled if Brady made $7m if he won anywhere close to the level these guys do. I will also tell you right now (though you will not want to hear it), there is very little chance that Calipari or Saban is cheating. Whatever Calipari may have done at UMass or Memphis, he most certainly doesn't have to do at UK. Kentucky basketball = Alabama football. While both schools have a checkered PAST in terms of compliance, neither coach has any reason to cheet NOW. Kids want to play for Cal and Saban because they have won a NC and they have a stellar record of putting guys in the League. Simple as that. Finally, you're crazy if you think changing the one and done rule to 2 years will adversely affect UK. Calipari has been the most outspoken advocate of raising the limit to 2 yrs. Do some homework for gosh sakes!! The best players will still attend UK. Imagine if Anthony Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist and Marcus Teague had stayed for Soph year. They most certainly would have won back to back championships.