NASSAU, Bahamas — John Calipari’s hope in taking his players to do a community service activity with Samaritan’s Feet in the Bahamas was to teach them about servant leadership and provide them with a firsthand lesson in what they can do to help others in the position they’re in.
“I want to have an impact 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now,” Coach Cal said. “Many of the players I’m going to coach are going to come across fame and fortune. What do you do with it? Do you make your life about yourself and how much you can grab, or do you make your life about everybody else?”
“I may only have a guy for one or two years, maybe three or four. But what if I have him for one year? What have I taught him walking away that can help him in other areas?” Calipari said. “Fame and fortune don’t create joy. What creates joy is when you impact other people and see that it has an impact and you influence them in a really positive way and you know you had a part in that unbelievable joy. Gathering toys, wanting to be in the center as far as all the fame and all the shine, (it makes you) empty. It’s trying to get them to understand the feeling of giving, the feeling of serving, the feeling of deferring to other people so that they can shine.”