John Calipari speaks during the Catholic High School Alumni Dinner Oct. 10 in Little Rock.

Head Hog addresses full house at Catholic alumni event

There was a time ― four decades, actually ― when John Calipari would have been ill at home at the thought of a speaking gig in Arkansas. 

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach had been the bane of many a Division I college basketball program, Arkansas’ included, having won twice as much as he lost in his career against the Hogs.

That was then, this is now. 

Since being hired as the head men’s basketball coach for the University of Arkansas six months ago, Calipari Mania has been sweeping the Natural State. So when the news broke that he would be the guest speaker at Catholic High School’s annual alumni dinner in Little Rock Oct. 10, just a couple of weeks ahead of the Hogs’ first game in the Calipari era, it quickly became the hottest ticket in Arkansas.

“(Former Razorback basketball player and Little Rock parishioner) Joe Kleine, who I coached when I was the head coach of the (NBA’s New Jersey) Nets, asked me if I believed in free speech,” Calipari quipped about the gig. “And I said, I absolutely believe in free speech. He said, ‘Good, you’re giving one up at Catholic High School in October.’”

As much as the Hogs’ coach was here for public relations, to backslap for NIL donations or to plead for patience as his version of Razorback basketball takes shape, his theme for the night’s appearance before 800 enthusiastic alumni was faith.

Razorback head basketball coach John Calipari addresses the media before speaking at the Catholic High alumni dinner in Little Rock Oct. 10. (Dwain Hebda)

“The biggest thing I’m gonna tell you, I am a poor, miserable sinner,” he said to a small contingent of reporters prior to the speech, which was closed to the media. “My faith is a part of who I am and how I deal with things. But I think some of the best sermons are the ones without a spoken word. It’s what you do and how you do things and how you treat people.

“I’m more of that guy who, rather than say you do this and do that, I want the kids to watch what we do. I want to put them in situations where they understand it’s about what you’re doing for other people, how you’re lifting other people, how you’re creating hope for other people.”

Calipari shared tidbits of his personal faith life during the event, noting for the press that he attends daily Mass most days and adding, “I’ve gotta talk to the bishop because we don’t have a Wednesday morning Mass in Fayetteville.”

He also shared how the examples of faithfulness were on ready display in his home growing up.

“I’m gonna tell you, I am nothing special. I am overrated. I know what I am. I know where I come from,” he said. “My dad was a baggage handler. My mom worked at the high school cafeteria. So what’s happened for me, that I can impact families, is incredible. Like, it’s almost like lightning in a bottle.

“My mom was a pay-it-forward woman. Whatever you have, you’re paying it forward. You’re given something, you get something, you give it. It impacted me.”

Calipari said, like a lot of people, it took time for him to connect those early lessons on character and generosity with the regular practice of one’s Catholic faith.

“Truthfully, the daily communicant came a little bit later in my life and it came because I read a book that (Hall of Fame NFL coach) Vince Lombardi went to Mass every day,” he said. “And then I pick up another book on Edward Bennett Williams, who was the owner of the (NFL’s Washington) Commanders, he went to Mass every day. And then I heard (NFL winningest coach) Don Shula went to Mass every day. I find out later, (former Alabama coach) Nick Saban went to Mass every day. And I go, maybe I should be going to Mass every day.

“It’s just a great way for me to wake up, have a prayer list about everybody else, the people in my life, and meet with the same group. I love going to high schools or grade schools or middle schools where they’re having Mass where the kids can see you there, just to let them know this is important.”

Calipari’s role at Arkansas and his faith will forever be linked to the fact that his decision was heavily influenced by a priest he met while attending last year’s Final Four in Phoenix while he was coaching Kentucky.

“We were out west and we had a priest with us, a Catholic priest, he gave Mass one morning in his room,” Calipari said in April. “And I said to him, ‘Father, I’ve gotta decide what I’m going to do here. One is Arkansas the other is Kentucky.’ And he told to me go for an hour walk and have in your mind that you’re the Arkansas coach, and then on the way back, that you’re the Kentucky coach. You’ll see what moves your heart and what you want to do — and I did that.

“And I’ll be honest, when I thought about coming here and building this program and making it something special, it got me excited.”

Asked about the story at CHS, Calipari reiterated how the guidance not only helped lead him to Fayetteville, but served as a reminder of how God speaks to a person who takes the time to listen.

“I said, why won’t (God) tell me what I should be doing? He doesn’t do that,” he said. “And I said, ‘How about you, Father? Will you tell me what you think?’ No, that’s not how this works. And so, I went on a walk for an hour; I was the coach at Kentucky and on the way back I was the coach at Arkansas, which made me feel better. It lifted me.

“But, you know, I can remember walking into Mass once, thinking on the way in, ‘I’m throwing that kid off the team.’ And I went in and prayed a little. I listened to the Scripture and I walked out and I said, I’m gonna be nice. Instead of throwing the kid off, which I should have done because of what he said publicly, which offended me … after I walked out, I didn’t. And guess what? He helped us get to a Final Four so that may have been God telling me something.”

Calipari also gave a glimpse into his prayer life. He said he doesn’t pray for himself, believing he doesn’t deserve it in a life already blessed beyond his merit. Instead, he brings a set list of the people to pray for, including every one of his players, by name.

“They know that I pray for them, every day, ’cause I tell them, and I tell them how I do it through the list. Here’s the list. I’m giving their names and they’re smiling about it. But I say, ‘I pray for you, every day,’” he said. “I let them know that.”

He said one of the joys of his career in coaching has been the opportunity to lead people to be better versions of themselves both on and off the court. He spoke of the charitable work he’s been able to do through his position and how he’s involved players in acts of kindness and compassion in the community.

“I say to every kid, what’s your why? Why are you doing this?” he said. “Is it all ego? What are you trying to accomplish? What do you think you can accomplish if you do the things you’re wanting to do? I’ve been blessed because families have entrusted me with their sons, and it’s precious. I don’t take it lightly. I try to out care every other coach.

“If you have ever been in my practice, they’re held accountable, they’re held to a high standard. If you care and you’re authentic, you can coach them, you can be hard on them, you can be tough. You can call them in and do all the things you have to do because your job is to get them to change and be on a path in some cases. But my best players have all been good guys. I asked them to pray for me, too.”

Dwain Hebda

You can see Dwain Hebda’s byline in Arkansas Catholic and dozens of other online and print publications. He attends Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock.

Latest from Good Sports