Kentucky's trip to Pittsburgh will be a homecoming for several Wildcats

When Kentucky’s path in the NCAA Tournament was revealed last night, two Wildcats were particularly pleased. Kentucky, the No. 3 seed in the South Region, will play its first and potentially second-round games in Pittsburgh, the hometown of Tre Mitchell and Adou Thiero. As the destination popped up on the screen, John Calipari pointed at the duo, who slapped hands.

“We’re going to Adou’s crib!” someone in the room yelled.

Thiero technically grew up in Leetsdale, a suburb 20 minutes outside the city. As a senior at Quaker Valley High School, he led the Quakers to the Class 4A Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League title and an appearance in the state title game. It was during that postseason run that the three-star prospect caught the eye of John Calipari, who coached his father Almamy at Memphis. A few months after Calipari watched Thiero in the title game, Thiero committed to be a Wildcat.

Like Thiero, Mitchell also has ties to Calipari. His stepfather, Tony Bergeron, worked with Calipari at various basketball camps over the years and coached Tyreke Evans, who would go on to play under Calipari at Memphis. Mitchell grew up in Pittsburgh and played for Elizabeth Forward High School for two seasons before transferring to Woodstock Academy in Connecticut.

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Calipari already hearing from Moon Township friends

Of course, John Calipari is also from the Pittsburgh area, hailing from Moon Township, which is a 25-minute drive from the city. After two years at UNC Wilmington, Calipari finished his college career at Clarion, which is an hour and a half from Pittsburgh. He also spent three years (1985-88) at the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant under Roy Chipman and Paul Evans before getting his first head coaching job at UMass. Speaking of Pitt, Calipari’s top assistant Orlando Antigua played for the Panthers from 1991-95 and returned to be Director of Operations under Jamie Dixon in 2003. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2006 and left in 2008 to work for John Calipari at Memphis, and, one year later, Kentucky.

Shortly after the Selection Show, Calipari said he’s already hearing from friends and family members about his return to Western Pennsylvania.

“I’ve got my high school coach, my college coach, friends that I grew up with,” Calipari told reporters. “I mean, they know I’m on a business trip; it’s not for funsies. But I’ll get to see — most of my close relatives are not there anymore, so I’ve got some cousins, an aunt maybe or two, but that’s about it.”

“My phone was buzzing but I didn’t look at it, but I imagine it’s all of them,” he said when asked who’s reached out so far. “And they want free tickets. They don’t want just tickets. I probably could give away half the house there.”

One thing Calipari’s homecoming will not include? A stay at his and Ellen’s old house from his time on Pitt’s staff.

“Ellen and I lived in a house back there. I said, ‘Do you want to stay there?’ She’s like, ‘Nah, we’re not staying there.’ It was right on a highway.”

Hopefully, we’ll get some Pittsburgh restaurant recs from Thiero, Mitchell, Antigua, and Cal later this week.