Did Calipari Decision to Have Fun Help Produce Hogs' Win?

Razorbacks' come-from-behind victory at Miami generated by closing 10-2 spurt

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari looks on after the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla.,, Tuesday night. The Hall of Fame coach added to his victory list, which tops all active coaches. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Everyone knows the timeless quandary of what came first, the chicken or the egg. The sports equivalent involves having fun and winning. Which causes which?

That's the question of the day: Do athletes and coaches have fun because they win the game, or do they win because they're having fun?

Chickens obviously came first, right? Or where did the eggs come from? / David Panian/The Daily Telegram / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Which comes first? Fun leads to winning. Or winning elicits fun. Obviously, it's more fun to win, that's without question. But if players and coaches have fun, thus relieving stress and taking a looser approach, does that lead to more success?

Either way, the comments by first-year Arkansas coach John Calipari during Tuesday night's post-game press conference were interesting. "We’re going to have fun," he said.

He didn't say it in a way someone might when they know they have no chance to win. Ah heck, we're terrible, let's just have fun. Nope, he was determined to win so it seemed a way to keep himself loose and transfer that vibe to the players.

Hey, it worked as the Razorbacks erased an eight-point deficit with 8:10 to play to win their first game away from Bud Walton Arena in three tries. They made all the right plays in the final five minutes while closing on a 10-2 run to erase Miami's five-point edge.

Arkansas 76, Miami 73 was an incredibly fun outcome for the Hogs and the coaching staff, and surely made for an enjoyable plane ride home to XNA. It's a long flight whether you win or lose, but seems shorter when you win.

The Hogs trailed by eight at halftime, but Calipari said, "Could have been down 20. But for us to come back and grind it a little bit and play the way we had to play to win -- because I told them we’re winning this game.

Arkansas guard Boogie Fland scored the Razorbacks' final seven points against the Miami Hurricanes Tuesday at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., as the Hogs escaped with a 76-73 victory. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"I told them at halftime, I told them at every timeout, ‘If you’re not in here to win the game, sit on the bench.’ That means you’re making easy plays. You’re not going nuts. We’re doing this together. It’s the only way we can win.

"All I told myself throughout the game, even down 8, 10, whatever we were down — some of the time I didn’t even look at the clock — ‘We’re going to have fun.’ It’s my first year, trying to establish a culture, a new team, young kids. I’m going to have fun. I was having fun throughout the whole game. There was never… If we lost, we lost. Next. We won, we go home, we’re a little happier."

Maybe he said all that because he'd had the opportunity to see a few former players before the game in Miami. He also visited with an assistant coach or two from back in the mid-1990s when he transformed the UMass program into the nation's No. 1 team.

Maybe he said all that because he believes deep down -- knows in his heart -- that when he has fun, his players perform better. Doesn't mean he's coaching any less fiercely; the guy is always competitive and demands that fire be matched, along with ultimate effort, by his players.

But it was old home night, a time for fun. Seeing people who meant something to him seemed to relax the Hall of Fame coach, perhaps even put things in perspective, especially if he's feeling a bit of pressure to deliver for Razorback fans in a big way this first season. Certainly, dropping both games against the only quality opponents before Miami weighed on him a bit.

So, spending a bit of time with Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, and former NBA star John Wall, both first-round picks from his days at Kentucky, was satisfying. Plus, Adebayo's mom came to the game to see coach Cal.

"I got to see Bam at the (morning) shootaround. I got to see John Wall after the game," Calipari said. "Miss Marilyn, Bam’s mom, and Kevin. I got to see all these people.

"Billy (Bayno) came into town, part of my staff when I was at UMass. So now all the UMass players were texting us. I mean, it was a good day with all that stuff and I was going to have fun."

Arkansas guard Boogie Fland joyously reacts after dunking against the No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks during second-half action at Bud Walton Arena Oct. 25. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

I'll leave everyone -- especially youth coaches -- with this absolute truth. There are moments when coaches and players have to be absolutely serious, whether it's Little League or March Madness.

But the more fun you have before the game, during the game, the more you win. Then if you win, you have even more fun. And if you're still wondering, it's chicken before the egg.

HOGS FEED:

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• Limited options for Razorback quarterbacks in bowl game

• Transfer board: Hogs' defense needs more SEC quality players

• Is prize recruit headed to Hogs? He dumped Ducks, will enter transfer portal

• Don't trust what the experts say on recruiting: Here's why

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