LANE | Calipari entertains and informs at the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Association tip-off luncheon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Saying that legendary teams need a legendary venue, the Greater Louisville chapter of the UK Alumni Association welcomed members to Millionaire's Row at Churchill Downs for this year's basketball tip-off luncheon.

Both women's basketball coach Matthew Mitchell and men's coach John Calipari took pictures with fans and signed autographs before addressing the sell-out crowd.

Calipari joked about how worn out he looks now compared with how he looked when he took the UK job in 2009. But he said he's proud to have continued to do things his way during his decade in Lexington, Kentucky, trying to teach professional habits on and off the court.

"I would hope you look at our teams aside from just winning and losing and say, 'I'm proud they're representing us. That's the kind of young people we want,'" Calipari said.

Looking at some big-picture items, Calipari said he's worried about what's happening and who is driving what's going to happen in college basketball.

"There should be players who leave directly for the NBA," Calipari said. "Most will not be ready, but they have the talent, and that's fine. Those seven or eight should not change everything about college basketball. It's seven or eight. I believe they should go but I also believe we shouldn't devalue education. Right now, they're trying to encourage kids to go the G-League. The kids have to understand your way to the American dream is through education."

With the opportunity to play professional basketball out there, Calipari believes a lot of young high school players will chase that dream at the expense of being eligible for college.

"As a ninth and 10th grader, they had to prepare for college or they weren't going to play Division I basketball," Calipari said. "I just don't want that to change."

As for this year's team, Calipari likes what he sees so far. He's a little concerned about toughness inside and sharing the ball on offense. He is not overly excited about being ranked No. 2 in the country to start the season.

"Last year, we were highly ranked and we went into that first game feeling good, and all you felt good," Calipari said with much excitement and a smile. "We played Duke, and they beat us by a hundred! This year should be easier. We open with Michigan State, who's No. 1 in the country."

After the chuckles died down, he continued.

"But you know what? When you make it about continuing to keep teaching habits and you don't skip steps, whatever happens in that first game doesn't wipe you out."

The Wildcats play Georgetown College in the first of two exhibition games at 6 p.m. Sunday at Rupp Arena. The regular-season opener against Michigan State in the State Farm Champions Classic will be at 9:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at New York's Madison Square Garden.