OPINION

By Mike DeCourcy

updated 10:52 p.m. ET March 31, 2009

Mike DeCourcy

It is about a six-hour drive from Memphis to Lexington. John Calipari will never find that out because he most certainly will make the trip by private jet. The time frame is significant, though, because that's about how long it will take him to turn Kentucky basketball into a championship contender.

He is that good. Kentucky is that ready.

This is why:

1. Calipari is an extraordinary coach. In the past 14 years, six teams have reached the Final Four from non-BCS conferences. He coached two of those teams, 1996 Massachusetts and 2008 Memphis. When he got to UMass, it was one of the poorest Division I programs. And his success was not just a matter of recruiting Marcus Camby. Calipari made a Sweet 16 with guard Jim McCoy as his star in 1992, long before Camby committed.

2. He is the college game's best salesman. Calipari sells recruits on joining his teams. He sells the rich guys on supporting the program. He sells the media on whatever his message of the moment might be. He can be an irresistible force.

3. He will restock the pond. Presuming Kentucky big man Patrick Patterson and guard Jodie Meeks stick around — which they should, given the opportunity to be elevated by Calipari — they are expected to be joined by elite recruits John Wall, a point guard from North Carolina, and DeMarcus Cousins, a power forward from Alabama. Whether Memphis will allow recruit Xavier Henry to follow Calipari to UK is uncertain. Either way, the Wildcats will be loaded. They could advance from out of the tournament to Final Four contender as soon as Calipari crosses the border from Tennessee.

4. He will be motivated by the pressure. The extra scrutiny that comes from being the Kentucky coach ultimately will be a pain, but Calipari thrives on attention and seems to have a boundless energy supply.

5. He can't afford to fail. He's built his legend as someone who can win big where others have not. Calipari cannot afford to perform poorly where so many others — Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith — have won championships.

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