University of Memphis Athletics
Calipari Named 2008-09 Conference USA Coach Of The Year
Mar 11, 2009 | Men's Basketball
March 11, 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis head coach John Calipari has been named the 2008-09 Conference USA Coach of the Year, the league announced Wednesday prior to the start of its tournament at FedExForum.
It is the third time in the last four years Calipari received the Conference USA coaching honor. He also earned the accolade in 2006 and 2008. He is the second three-time Coach of the Year award winner in Conference USA history, as Cincinnati's Bob Huggins received the honor from 1998-2000.
Calipari is the second three-time conference Coach of the Year recipient in Tiger basketball history. Larry Finch earned two Metro Coach of the Year awards (1987, 1989) and one Great Midwest Coach of the Year honor (1995).
Calipari, a finalist for the 2008-09 USBWA National Coach of the Year Henry Iba Award, was named the USBWA District 4 Coach of the Year Mar. 10. He is also a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year honor.
Calipari has guided the Tigers to a 28-3 overall record and 16-0 mark in C-USA play. It is the third-straight perfect league season for Memphis under Calipari. Memphis, ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, jumped into the top five in both national polls in mid-February, marking the fourth-straight season the Tigers achieved a top-five national ranking.
Memphis, under the direction of Calipari, has the nation's current longest win streak at 22 straight. Calipari's Tigers also have the third-longest win streak in conference play in NCAA Division I history at 58 straight league victories (regular season and tournament).
Calipari also directed the Tigers to a fourth-straight C-USA regular season title in 2008-09. It is the first time in the program's history that Memphis has claimed four-consecutive regular season crowns.
Earlier this season, Calipari became Memphis' all-time winningest coach, moving past Tiger legend Larry Finch. Calipari now has a record of 247-68 in his ninth season at Memphis. With the Tigers' fifth win in 2008-09, Calipari jumped into the No. 2 spot for most victories by a head coach in his first 17 years at the Division I level. Only Roy Williams has more wins by a head coach at the NCAA Division I level in the first 17 years than Calipari.
Last year, Calipari was named the Naismith National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Calipari and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski are the only two-time recipients of the Naismith National Coach of the Year honor.
From 2006-08, Calipari guided the Tigers to an NCAA Division I record-tying 104 wins over a three-year period. This year, Memphis enters the C-USA Tournament with 132 wins for a four-year period, which is the second-most in NCAA Division I history in that span of time. Duke holds the four-year wins mark with 133 victories from 1998-2001.
UCF's Jermaine Taylor was named the Conference USA Player of the Year.
Memphis (28-3, 16-0 C-USA) returns to action in the quarterfinal round of the Conference USA Tournament on Thursday, Mar. 12. The Tigers will meet the East Carolina-Tulane first round winner in the 6 p.m. (CT) quarterfinal game on Thursday.
