TerryP
Staff
Asking for prayers for my friend C.M. Newton - Coach Cal
C.M. Newton is struggling right now and in need of our prayers. As I think back on the positive impact he's had on my life, I am overcome with feelings of gratitude and respect.
I first met C.M. and got to know him when he was coaching at Vanderbilt. I was an assistant at Pitt when Barry Goheen hit a three against us at the buzzer in the NCAA Tournament. We ended up losing an unbelievable game in overtime. That was the same year Kansas, a team we had beaten in Hawaii earlier that season, won the national championship. We thought we had a real chance to win a national championship that season, but C.M. was a heck of a coach and coached an unbelievable game.
I got to know C.M. more when he was the athletic director at Kentucky. We can talk all day about all that he did here and he had to do to get the program back on point, but I always come back to how he treated people. He was supportive of coaches and committed to the student-athletes. He put together a program that allowed student-athletes to get in front of business people when they graduated, so they could network and find jobs. It was his mission to succeed at a high level in basketball, but he helped all of the sports on our campus.
C.M. also hired Tubby Smith, who was the first African-American coach at the University of Kentucky. I learned only after I became the coach at Kentucky and started looking more into the history of the SEC that C.M. basically integrated Alabama basketball. I asked him how he was able to have the courage to go against the grain in Alabama at that time. He told me, "I saw people as people. And I wanted to win. I was trying to bring in the best players. I didn't care if they were black, white, green or gold. I wanted to win." I have asked myself this may times. Would I have had the courage to do the right thing if I was in that same position at Alabama? I don't know. But I know this. He did. What is popular isn't always right and what is right isn't always popular. That is something we can all learn from C.M.
Here's another thing I learned from C.M. When I was at Massachusetts, we played Kentucky in Philadelphia in 1992 in the East Regional Final. The officials called a technical on me late in the game for being out of the coach's box and our team lost the game. After the game, C.M. and Mike Tranghese, who was then the commissioner of the Big East, walked by me. C.M. looked at me and said, "Cal make sure you handle this the right way." In other words, I needed to take responsibility for what happened. That taught me that it's important to take responsibility when you're wrong and even when you are not. You have to handle things the right way.
C.M. has always treated me as a part of his family. After a I became the coach at Kentucky, he always made a point to call me or spend time with me when we were in Alabama. He has always been willing to share advice and give me good counsel. His son, Martin, who I consider a dear friend was at the center of me being hired at Kentucky. I would imagine C.M. was in the background somewhere. He is one of the people I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to for helping me prepare for and achieve my dream job here at Kentucky.
All of the Big Blue Nation should have C.M. in your prayers right now.
C.M. Newton is struggling right now and in need of our prayers. As I think back on the positive impact he's had on my life, I am overcome with feelings of gratitude and respect.
I first met C.M. and got to know him when he was coaching at Vanderbilt. I was an assistant at Pitt when Barry Goheen hit a three against us at the buzzer in the NCAA Tournament. We ended up losing an unbelievable game in overtime. That was the same year Kansas, a team we had beaten in Hawaii earlier that season, won the national championship. We thought we had a real chance to win a national championship that season, but C.M. was a heck of a coach and coached an unbelievable game.
I got to know C.M. more when he was the athletic director at Kentucky. We can talk all day about all that he did here and he had to do to get the program back on point, but I always come back to how he treated people. He was supportive of coaches and committed to the student-athletes. He put together a program that allowed student-athletes to get in front of business people when they graduated, so they could network and find jobs. It was his mission to succeed at a high level in basketball, but he helped all of the sports on our campus.
C.M. also hired Tubby Smith, who was the first African-American coach at the University of Kentucky. I learned only after I became the coach at Kentucky and started looking more into the history of the SEC that C.M. basically integrated Alabama basketball. I asked him how he was able to have the courage to go against the grain in Alabama at that time. He told me, "I saw people as people. And I wanted to win. I was trying to bring in the best players. I didn't care if they were black, white, green or gold. I wanted to win." I have asked myself this may times. Would I have had the courage to do the right thing if I was in that same position at Alabama? I don't know. But I know this. He did. What is popular isn't always right and what is right isn't always popular. That is something we can all learn from C.M.
Here's another thing I learned from C.M. When I was at Massachusetts, we played Kentucky in Philadelphia in 1992 in the East Regional Final. The officials called a technical on me late in the game for being out of the coach's box and our team lost the game. After the game, C.M. and Mike Tranghese, who was then the commissioner of the Big East, walked by me. C.M. looked at me and said, "Cal make sure you handle this the right way." In other words, I needed to take responsibility for what happened. That taught me that it's important to take responsibility when you're wrong and even when you are not. You have to handle things the right way.
C.M. has always treated me as a part of his family. After a I became the coach at Kentucky, he always made a point to call me or spend time with me when we were in Alabama. He has always been willing to share advice and give me good counsel. His son, Martin, who I consider a dear friend was at the center of me being hired at Kentucky. I would imagine C.M. was in the background somewhere. He is one of the people I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to for helping me prepare for and achieve my dream job here at Kentucky.
All of the Big Blue Nation should have C.M. in your prayers right now.