Report: Kentucky's John Calipari elected into Basketball Hall of Fame
Kentucky coach John Calipari will be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, reports ESPN's Jeff Goodman.
The vote was reportedly "extremely close." Candidates need at least 18 of 24 votes from the hall of fame's Honors committee to be elected. The enshrinement ceremony will be held Sept. 11 at the museum in Springfield, Mass.
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[daily_cut.college basketball]Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, who was among the other 11 finalists, reportedly did not receive enough votes. An official announcement is expected Monday.
Wisconsin and Kentucky met Saturday night in the Final Four, with Ryan's Badgers winning 71-64 to advance to the national championship and hand the Wildcats their first loss in 39 games this season.
Calipari, 56, has coached Kentucky to four Final Four appearances in the last five years and won the 2012 national championship. He also took UMass and Memphis to Final Fours, but both appearances (in 1996 and 2008, respectively) were later vacated.
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Other finalists for the Hall of Fame this year include Dikembe Mutombo, Tim Hardaway, Spencer Haywood, Kevin Johnson, Lisa Leslie and Jojo White, as well as coaches Leta Andrews, Bill Fitch, Robert Hughes and referee Dick Bavetta.
- Mike Fiammetta
