Derrick Rose Said John Calipari Being 'An Honest White Guy' Is Why He Went To Memphis And Not Illinois

[Chicago Tribune] - 2. According to Rose, whatever chance Illinois had of signing him out of Simeon vanished with then-Illini coach Bruce Weber’s reluctance to visit Rose’s home.

Memphis coach John Calipari, meanwhile, not only showed up in Englewood, but also treated Rose’s mother as if they were longtime friends. Rose writes that Calipari treated his mother “with the utmost respect, and for me to see a white guy being honest like that meant something.”

I know there are a lot of reasons as to why Derrick Rose didn’t go to Illinois. It all depends who you ask really. Hell just put Derrick Rose, Illinois, in a Twitter search and you’ll see 5 different reasons in the first 5 tweets.

But, in Rose’s ‘tell-all’ book he says it’s because Bruce Weber didn’t visit his home. Meanwhile overall good guy John Calipari went the extra mile. Not only did he visit Derrick Rose’s home he treated his mother with the utmost respect.

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That’s why John Calipari is a great recruiter. Has nothing to do with these accused cheating violations. Remember, the two times he was ‘cheating’ it had nothing to do with illegal recruiting. It was Derrick Rose’s ACT score and Marcus Camby and an agent. People seem to forget it wasn’t Calipari.

And you know what. I don’t blame Rose for picking Calipari. I mean spot the lie. The man is as good as it gets. That’s why he’s just an honest guy that dominates the recruiting scene and really college basketball in general. Sure, it also helps he’s a good coach, but it’s really just the ability to be a regular, kind human.

Gotta be a real kick in the dick to read this as an Illinois fan. Like I said, there are a variety of reasons and theories as to why Rose didn’t go to Illinois but according to him it was because Weber didn’t visit. Sort of important to keep an in-state guy home.

Feels good to cheer for a team led by an honest man. Not many can say that apparently.