Top 50 Moments of the John Calipari Era (#50-41)

Try and think of the most impactful moments of the John Calipari Era. This tenure has been WILD. In my initial try, I came up with 93 moments for consideration. And again, these are simply moments; they aren’t big-picture things like the recruiting classes of 2009, 2011, and 2013. They aren’t things like the one-and-done strategy or the dribble-drive offense. I decided to actually pick moments in time that define the John Calipari era. Things you can put a date on. And the word I considered most when making this list was IMPACT. Moments that truly had an impact, whether historic or short-term, on the Kentucky Basketball program.

Make no mistake, I didn’t only choose the good times. In many ways, the struggles have defined the Calipari era as much as the successes. The controversies are part of his tenure at Kentucky. Enjoy this trip down memory lane and appreciate the relevancy that has Cal brought back to Kentucky for the last 14 years.

Here are moments Nos. 50 through No. 41 today. Come back for the rest of the week for 10 moments every day:

No. 50: UK becomes first college basketball program to 2,000 wins (December 21, 2009)

The game itself was one of the more forgettable in the Cal era, an 88-44 win over Bruiser Flint and Drexel. UK led by 36 at halftime. But the significance of reaching the 2,000-win plateau was a great moment for Kentucky and John Calipari at the time and the fact it occurred right as Kentucky was ascending back to college basketball’s elite was symbolic. The Cats have since fallen behind Kansas in the all-time wins race but this moment really was something the fanbase needed after a rough four-year stretch.

No. 49: John Wall hits game-winner in UK debut (November 16, 2009)

Maybe some people forget but John Wall was suspended from the first game of the John Calipari era, a 16-point win over Morehead State. He made his debut in Game No. 2 against Miami (OH). And despite the fact that fans had to be a bit dismayed that Kentucky struggled to get past the Redhawks, they were treated to the first of many great Wall highlights, a mid-range jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to secure the win. The excitement was officially back for UK basketball and John Wall was the star. It was Kentucky’s first game-winning shot with under two seconds to play since 2006.

No. 48: Malik Monk caught laughing on bench at the end of blowout loss to Florida (February 4, 2017)

I think many fans likely have forgotten what an issue this caused in the middle of the 2016-17 season. The issue was Kentucky was wrapping up their third loss in four games, this one a 22-point blowout at the hands of a barely ranked Florida squad. Monk went 4-14 in that game and then was caught by TV cameras laughing on the bench as the time wound down. Fans were already frustrated at that team’s play at that moment but felt insulted to see a player laughing following a big loss. It led to…