University of Massachusets Athletics
Athletics Honors Calipari in December
November 10, 2015 | Men's Basketball
TICKETS
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Athletics will honor 2015 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee and former Minutemen head coach John Calipari with two events on December 15 and 16, Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford announced on Tuesday.
Coach Cal led the Minutemen to 193 victories and five NCAA Tournament appearances from 1988-96, including the 1995-96 Final Four appearance.
“We are very excited to celebrate Coach Calipari and his family for his many contributions to our rich basketball history and his remarkable Hall of Fame career that started at UMass,” Bamford said. “December 15 and 16 will be special days for this University as we remember a truly golden era for UMass basketball.”
A Night with John Calipari will be held Tuesday, December 15, in Boston, at The Colonnade Hotel. Expected to join Calipari as part of the evening program are former players Marcus Camby, Lou Roe and Derek Kellogg, current head coach of the Minutemen. The cocktail reception will begin at 6 p.m. with the dinner and program following at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are $300 and a table of 10 can be purchased for $3,000. Visit umassalumni.com/calipari for more details.
On Wednesday, December 16, a banner-raising ceremony celebrating Calipari will be held at halftime of the 7 p.m. men’s basketball game vs. University of New Orleans, in Amherst, at the Mullins Center. A banner bearing Calipari's name will be lifted into the Mullins Center rafters to hang alongside those of George "Trigger" Burke, Marcus Camby, Julius Erving, Lou Roe and Al Skinner.
Calipari is a two-time Naismith College Coach of the Year (1996, 2009) and eight-time Conference Coach of the Year (1993,1994,1996, 2006, 2008-10, 2012), He coached University of Massachusetts from 1988-1996 and won five Atlantic 10 regular season championships and five A-10 Tournament championships (1992-1996). Calipari then coached University of Memphis from 2000-09 and won four Conference USA regular season championships (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009), three C-USA Tournament championships (2006, 2007, 2009) and the NIT Tournament (2002). With the University of Kentucky since 2009, he has won two SEC regular season championships (2010, 2012), two SEC Tournament championships (2010, 2011) and an NCAA Championship (2012). Calipari has led his teams to six Elite Eight Appearances (2006, 2007, 2009-12, 2014) and three NCAA Final Four appearances (2011, 2012, 2014).
In celebration of the Calipari recognition, throwback UMass merchandise with some of Coach Cal’s signature slogans and apparel commemorating the evening will be on sale at the Mullins Center and the Campus Center Bookstore.
Fans can choose from several ticket options for the 2015-16 men’s basketball season, including season tickets, group sales, the Maroon and Musket Plans and a Minuteman Family Plan. The Maroon Plan allows fans to choose one of three premiere games (New Orleans, Providence, VCU) and any additional two games for $55 while the Musket Plan offers the opportunity to choose two of the three premiere contests and any three other games for $90.
The University of Massachusetts Athletics Ticket Office can be reached at 866-UMASS-TIX (7784) and is open 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office is located on the northeast corner of the Mullins Center at 200 Commonwealth Ave.
For continued coverage of UMass men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter @UMassBasketball and visit UMassAthletics.com.