The Brooklyn Nets are one of the teams in the NBA that have entered the waters of bringing a coach from college to replicate their success in the pros. For someone like UConn’s Dan Hurley, reportedly the favorite to be the head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, he may need to learn from when John Calipari tried to coach in the NBA.
While Calipari is most known for the work that he’s done in college basketball, essentially being the face of the University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball program for the past 15 years, he is someone who tried to see if his coaching acumen could translate to the professional level. Calipari became the head coach of the Nets (then known as the New Jersey Nets) heading into the 1996-97 season and it’s safe to say that he did not have the success that he was hoping for.
After leading the University of Massachusetts to five NCAA Tournament appearances in eight seasons, including the Final Four during the 1995-96 season, Calipari turned his sights towards replacing Butch Beard as the head coach of the Nets. The Nets went 26-56 in Calipari’s first season as the head coach despite getting some strong performances out of players like Kendall Gill and a young Kerry Kittles.
After trading for Keith Van Horn heading into the 1997-98 season, the Nets went 43-39 and made it to the playoffs before being swept in the first round by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. However, the Nets began the 1998-99 season poorly and Calipari was fired after a 3-17 start.
Calipari finished his stint in the NBA with a 72-112 (.391) record and never was a head coach at the NBA level again despite being an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1999-00 campaign. After that, Calipari became the head coach for the University of Memphis heading into the 2000-01 season and hasn’t looked back.
For someone like Hurley that has led UConn to a 141-58 (.709) record and two National Championships since 2018, he should be able to replicate his success if he chooses to become the head coach of the Lakers. However, he should keep in mind the journeys of other coaches that have transitioned from college and the NBA and remember that the journey can go either way.
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