Is It His Time? YES!

Once regarded as best coach never to win national championship, John Calipari now has testimonial following Kentucky's victory last night. (Photo courtesy of Newsday)

Just about eight years ago, during this time of year in fact, Phil Mickelson; at that time still known around the PGA Tour and golf community as the best player never to win a major, finally broke through with his career-defining win in the 2004 Masters. Last night, the theme of validation was prevalent in the sports world once again a mere two hours from Mickelson's breakthrough at Augusta National, albeit under circumstances some may consider controversial. Either way, the vindicated man stands atop his profession in the wake of one of the more dominating seasons and complete teams the college basketball world has seen since Larry Johnson and Greg Anthony led UNLV into the history books in the early 1990s under coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Prior to Kentucky's 67-59 victory over Kansas last night in New Orleans to secure the Wildcats' eighth national championship and first since 1998, John Calipari was college basketball's version of pre-2004 Phil Mickelson; one who had been near the top of the mountain before, but had yet to reach the summit. In his near quarter-century as a college coach, Calipari has succeeded at every level in Division I. From taking a little-regarded Massachusetts team and turning it into a Final Four program in 1996 behind Marcus Camby, Edgar Padilla and Carmelo Travieso; to restoring the past glory at Memphis after his brief tenure with the New Jersey Nets turned out to be a bust, to redefining the concept of recruiting at Kentucky, the 53-year-old head man has had a career similar to that enjoyed by legendary actor Robert De Niro, a man to whom Calipari bears a striking resemblance upon closer inspection. Yet for all the accolades and greatness Calipari has garnered, it has not come without its fair share of controversy. After Camby was found to have accepted cash payments from an agent while at UMass and Derrick Rose was alleged to have had someone else take the SAT under his name before enrolling at Memphis, both of Calipari's first two Final Four appearances were vacated by the NCAA. The coach's relationships with rapper Jay-Z and consultant William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley have led many to think that Kentucky could be headed down the same ugly road both of Calipari's first two college stops ended in, but when you look at Kentucky over John's three seasons at the helm in Lexington, you will find nothing other than a coach that; despite frequent accusations of cheating, has played within the rules and used them to his advantage.

Although his roster this past season was comprised of a majority of freshmen and fellow underclassmen who will likely declare for June's NBA draft in the coming days, this national championship does not diminish John Calipari's reputation as a great recruiter and even better in-game coach. In fact, it only enhances it. A coach does not just get great talent to play for him based on connections. Any rabid college basketball fan will tell you, regardless of where their rooting allegiances lie, that Calipari's dribble-drive offense and aggressive, uptempo style has been a success for much longer than people may think. The professional success of players such as Marcus Camby, Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Brandon Knight have no doubt enticed his latest group of future stars to hone their skills at Kentucky the way Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb and Marquis Teague just did.

Calipari has arguably become the biggest proponent of the age limit instituted by NBA commissioner David Stern, as most of the players he has recruited into Lexington would have turned pro fresh out of high school if able to. Should someone be crucified just for doing it in an unorthodox fashion? While this writer is admittedly not a big fan of the seemingly annual Kentucky exodus because it really hurts the long-term stability of the game no matter how much Calipari reloads, there is no denying that the coach is a genius both on and off the court for his ability to study the inner workings of the sport and its structure enough to the point where he can operate within it better than anyone.

To me, Calipari comes off much like Jim Calhoun; the Hall of Fame coach who has spent the last 26 years turning the University of Connecticut into a national powerhouse. Calhoun has received the same criticism and same accusations as Calipari over the years, including the Nate Miles scandal that he had no direct involvement in yet was still suspended three games over it, but has turned back his detractors and skeptics with continued success and a display of candor in his interviews that no one chronicles anywhere near as much as they should. Having never been in the same room with Calipari, I cannot speak for how he addresses his perceived flaws; but judging by his comments following Kentucky's coronation last night, the similarity between his misunderstood success and that of Calhoun is easier to see.

Ultimately, the backlash against the man that has been involuntarily branded with college basketball's equivalent of a scarlet letter is simply a case of hatred for the player as opposed to the game that allows Calipari to fill his roster with the mounds of talent each Kentucky player possesses. If people feel so strongly about Kentucky having an unfair advantage, then maybe they should petition the NCAA to change the rules. Until then, as tainted as it may seem; as corrupt as some may feel this victory is, let John Calipari enjoy his moment. If this championship gets vacated in the future, then we can all judge when the time is right. For now, we all need to acknowledge the coach of the team that emerged better than its opponent when they needed to most.

After Phil Mickelson won his first major in the 2004 Masters, he put an exclamation point on his Hall of Fame career with three more majors, including two additional green jackets. With the incoming class he has coming to Kentucky next season, not to mention his standing as an equally successful salesman and tactician, there is no reason to believe John Calipari is incapable of doing the same thing in the years to come. Last night went a long way in changing his perception to the general public. Now, it is John Calipari's time, and only he can determine where he goes from this moment.