PROVIDENCE, R.I. — At times, John Calipari and Rick Pitino play nice enough.
It was certainly that way in the waning seconds of the No. 10 seed Arkansas’ gritty 75-66 win over No. 2 seed St. John’s on Saturday, when the two Naismith Hall of Fame coaches shook hands at center court while Billy Richmond was still shooting cosmetic free throws. “Rick did a good job with his team all year,” Calipari said afterward. “If they made a few shots, they probably beat us.”
Their relationship goes back decades, to when Calipari was a camper at that Five-Star Basketball Camp eagerly soaking up everything the older counselors – including Pitino – had to teach him.