Calipari signs book at UK Bookstore
May 1, 2014
By Lindsay Travis
Head coach John Calipari wrapped up his book signing tour for “Players First: Coaching From the Inside Out” Wednesday night at the UK Bookstore.
This is the fourth book written by Calipari and his second while at UK.
“We had people here probably starting at 4 and (the signing) didn’t start till 6,” said Tanesha Curry, kinesiology junior who works at the bookstore.
“We had a good turnout. It went really smoothly, because we had people backed up to the Apple section (of the store),” Curry said.
Workers at the bookstore said there were over 100 people at the signing.
“The line wrapped all the way around the upper section of the store,” said Caitlyn Aitken, an economics junior and employee at the bookstore. “But (Calipari is) very organized and he’s done a lot of signings so he knew how to get everybody in and out of the line in 40 minutes, which was really impressive.”
Aitken said Calipari talked to the crowd about the challenges he faces in practices and games and how “getting a 19-year-old to think about someone other than themselves was really difficult.”
Calipari was scheduled to be in the bookstore from 6 until 8 p.m., but was finished signing books after an hour.
Karen Cullen was one of the hundred or so people to get her copy signed.
Cullen said she bought the book because she’s “a die-hard Kentucky fan.” She said the signing was “very fast and very quick,” but that she was able to get her picture taken with Calipari.
Radena Chitwood came in the store to purchase the book just before the store closed. She said she wanted to buy the book because of Calipari.
“He’s an inspiration,” Chitwood said. “We’re really proud of him and the work that he does. We’re just glad to be part of it.”
