John Calipari is very happy to be back in Pittsburgh (and other press conference notes)

Media and Open Practice Day is now over here in Pittsburgh, and, as expected John Calipari, Adou Thiero, and Tre Mitchell’s homecoming was one of the main stories; in fact, Calipari, a native of nearby Moon Township, spent the majority of his time at the podium talking about the Steel City. The first question Calipari fielded was about his 1988 recruiting class at Pitt, his last coaching stop as an assistant before getting the head coaching job at UMass. After giving updates on the former Panthers, Calipari recalled what it was like to grow up in Pittsburgh, even switching to the city’s lingo to the delight of the local reporters.

“How many of you are from Pittsburgh? Yinz? Downtown? (Laughs). I mean, come on, the crick. We had a crick in our backyard. My mom used to say, red up. Like red up. What is red up? Like, clean up. Red up. Do you know what a gum band is, like a rubber band? It was gum band. A pop? I never knew, they said are you going to have a soda? What are you talking about? Pop?”

We also learned that locals call the Steelers the “Stillers,” how true Pittsburgh folks don’t get offended when you use the word “jagoff,” and that, in the Calipari household, “if you don’t work, you’re not eating.” He even gave his fellow “yinz” a heads-up about this Kentucky team.

“And then your next question, someone from Pittsburgh, yinz don’t play very good defense. That will be your question to me. At times, yinz do play good defense, and there are other times you’re like, what are you thinking? But I’m loving coaching this team. I mean, this practice today — and all I’m telling them is you make sure I’m having as much fun as you.”

Calipari recalled his favorite moments growing up as a “Stillers” and Pirates fan and said that Pittsburgh sports fans’ blue-collar nature and deep passion for their teams are among the reasons he identifies with the Big Blue Nation.

“I love going to the Steelers game and seeing the fans. They’re like my neighbors. They’re — you know. And probably put up a lot of money to get tickets, and they go and they are — sometimes it’s like Kentucky fans. They are engaged, and if Mike [Tomlin] loses, they’re engaged. It’s how it is. I mean with those kind of — that’s why — I love the fans at Kentucky.”

Calipari was prepared to stay at Mark Few’s house if UK drew Spokane

Speaking of Mike Tomlin, Calipari said he reached out to his friend and asked him to come speak to his team but Tomlin is out of town to attend a Pro Day (a nice reminder that Kentucky’s is Friday). Calipari mentioned another coaching friend, Mark Few, when discussing Kentucky’s seed in the NCAA Tournament and why he believes the field should stay at 68 instead of expanding.

“Let’s keep it at [68] — it’s too good a thing. It’s the event. Like, you could tell I’m excited about coaching in this. Yeah, I’m excited about being home. But they could have sent us to Spokane. I already talked to [Gonzaga coach] Mark Few. I was going to stay at his house, watch his dogs. I was good if they sent us there.”

That’s a sitcom we need to see.

“But here, I’m trying to make sure what I did today at practice, I had a bunch of friends at practice,” Cal said. “They saw and I wasn’t looking, I was practicing. Got to take some pictures, done. Now we play a game. This is a business trip for me. And I’ll say everybody that’s in this thing, I would say they’d say the same thing. Keep it where it is. Don’t mess with something that’s great.”

No arguments there. As for his actual team, Calipari said the players are not machines or robots, he likes having depth, and as part of his efforts to keep them loose, he took the team bowling on Sunday night. All things you’ve heard mentioned on this here website several times. Check it all out below.

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