John Calipari returns to Pittsburgh to support old high school coach

Where in the world was John Calipari on Thursday evening?

The Kentucky head coach wasn’t at home in Lexington or out on the recruiting trail. He was actually in attendance at the WPIAL Class 1A boys basketball championship in Pittsburgh.

Why? To see Cornell coach Bill Sacco, Calipari’s old basketball coach at Moon High School.

In an article written by Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Calipari’s short trip was highlighted, including a few quotes from the Kentucky head coach himself about his appreciation for Sacco and why he felt the need to go out of his way to see him on Thursday evening.

One of Cornell High School’s fans sat three rows behind the bench at Thursday night’s WPIAL Class 1A boys basketball championship. He clapped a lot for the Raiders and even got to his feet a few times and cheered for Cornell.

This was John Calipari, the fan.

Calipari, the University of Kentucky coach, flew in to Pittsburgh Thursday night for the game just because of Cornell coach Bill Sacco.

When Calipari played at Moon High School, Sacco was his coach. Sacco’s Cornell team played Vincentian in the WPIAL title game at Petersen Events Center. It says something about Calipari that he would make the effort to come in for his old high school coach. Kentucky plays Saturday.

“I had to come, just for [Sacco],” Calipari said. “He means a lot to me. He didn’t even know I was coming.”

Cornell was playing in a title game for the first time since 2012, when it lost to Lincoln Park at the Palumbo Center.

“We’re still very close,” Calipari said of his relationship with Sacco. “We talk at least once every couple weeks.”

Calipari, a Moon Township, PA native, played point guard at Moon Area High School from 1975-1978 before graduating in 1978. He then played at UNC Wilmington from 1978-1980 before closing out his college eligibility at Clarion from 1980-1982.

In an interview with Mike Bires of Times Online back in 2011, Sacco said that despite his multiple coaching stops and busy schedule, Calipari refuses to forget where he came from.

“John has never forgotten his roots,” Sacco told Times Online.

(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)