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CHARLOTTE — Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings says Southeastern Conference teams have to find a way to catch up to what coaches John Calipari of Kentucky and Billy Donovan of Florida are doing with their programs.
Botht teams made the Final Four last year on what was supposed to be a down year for SEC basketball.
“It is a great league,” said Stallings during the SEC Media Days Thursday. “You can say it is a two-team league, but at least our two teams both made the Final Four. We think it is pretty competitive league. Last year it appeared to be top heavy, but we had a team (Tennessee) that finished in the middle of the pack that made the Sweet Sixteen and then we had two teams in the Final Four. We don’t have to make any apologizes.
“Success breeds success. Billy and John are doing their jobs. The rest of us have to start make it interesting to where it is not those two and the rest of us. It is our job to try and close that gap.”
Stallings said he didn’t realize UK had a NBA combine recently that was televised on ESPNU.
“I don’t keep up with Kentucky basketball. Was it a success?” he said.
However, it didn’t surprise him that Calipari did something that unique.
“John is a terrific idea guy,” the Vanderbilt coach said. “I mean this as complimentary as I hope it wounds. He has a very good imaginationn and very good ideas. He comes up with some very interesting ideas for the league for SEC basketball.”
Stallings noted if the coaches were discussing scheduling, Calipari would have “forward-thinking” ideas.
“If you we are talking about recruiting rules or branding or imaging, I just think personally and it is my opinion, I just think he comes with up forward thinking type of thoughts,” Stallings said. “I always walk away impressed with the things that he throws out there. Is he like the rest of us and does throw something out there that is nut once is a while, yes. But all of us do that. I am just impressed with the concepts and things he comes up with.”
Stallings has always believed that it is good for the league when UK is good as it has been under Calipari.
“They have been the marquee team in our league for years. When they weren’t good, it was a problem for our league and the way people viewed our league and in terms of perception of our league nationally,” Stallings said. “But it is interesting because now they are really good and people are still trying to dog our league. I just think there are people out there who think we are a football league because we dominate in football and we are a great football league. But we play basketball, too.”
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