John Calipari dedicates win to Joe B. Hall, plans to honor Kentucky coach

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari knew his team might get scored on, but he wanted to honor Joe B. Hall. So the Wildcats opened Saturday against Tennessee in a 1-3-1 zone defense, giving up a layup on the first possession.

The 1-3-1 was the preferred stance of Hall, a former Kentucky coach who passed away Saturday morning. He was 93.

Calipari got the news before Wildcats’ early morning shootaround, and knew then how he planned to honor the late coach. In addition to the zone, Calipari held a rolled up game program in his hand, another Hall staple. The coach said he plans to continue holding programs for the remainder of Kentucky’s games this season.

Following a 107-79 blowout victory, Calipari spoke about what Hall meant not only to him, but to the Kentucky basketball program as a whole.

“The greatest thing in all this, he knew what people thought and how much he was appreciated and beloved before he passed,” he said. “Our fans have been so great to him. All I can tell you is he was a mentor and a friend to me. He had a radio show. And you know, he’s a former coach so he’s evaluating stuff as a coach. He was in my practices four days a week, so he knew what we were doing. His support and what he did to explain what we were doing, there’s no question it helped. I remember going to lunch with him at Wheeler’s and breakfast at the Methodist church and making him pay. I’m just gonna miss him. And I’ll say this, to the very end, he smiled. It was 93 good years. That’s all I can say.”

John Calipari also had some kind words for Joe B. Hall in a thread of tweets prior Saturday’s game.

Coach Joe B. Hall – my friend, my mentor, and an icon in our state and in our profession – passed away this morning. Joe B. Hall took over a program and carried on the winning tradition and legacy of excellence of Kentucky basketball. pic.twitter.com/QirdXnAeMH

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 15, 2022

Hall was the head coach at Kentucky from 1972-1985, leading them to a national championship in 1978. He also led them to the Final Four in 1975 and 1984, as well as an NIT Championship in 1976. Prior to that, he served as an assistant on legendary Wildcats coach Adolph Rupp’s staff. Hall’s 297 wins with Kentucky rank third in program history.

The Wildcats’ next game is set for 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday against a Texas A&M team that is undefeated in league play. Look for Calipari to hold the rolled up program in that one.