Kentucky’s coach has been praised by college basketball fans for his message warning players about the perils of pressure.

John Calipari, head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, is a virtual sensation thanks to his growing fan base.

Calipari told his players after Kentucky’s opening round March Madness win over Providence (61-53) to forget about the score and just enjoy themselves.

3

The 64-year-old’s “great message” from this portion of his press conference has since gone viral on Twitter.

Calipari said“What the hell are you doing here if winning this tournament is a relief for you? This is a happy moment.

“It doesn’t matter how you win this tournament; there are teams that have been eliminated. You just keep playing and have fun.

We aren’t going into it with the attitude that “well, we’re going to win because everybody will be mad if we don’t.”

“What? No. Not bothered by whether they’re upset, pleased, or angry.

This is about these kids,” she continued. For their sakes, I hope they have a good time.

There will be no additional burdens placed on their shoulders. They won’t get any of my permission.

Have a great time today; that’s what I told them. …and they did.

After this, a Twitter user said, “Great message!” It’s important advice that I hope we can all put into practice.

A second person chimed in, “Great!!! You gotta love Cal when he’s on.

One commentator, however, remarked, “Man, that is fantastic insight by Cal. “I was never much of a fan, but that is a terrific quip.”

Since taking over as head coach of the Wildcats in 2009, Calipari has led Kentucky to a National Championship in 2012.

He has a career record of 387-112 with Kentucky, and this year’s team went 22-11 under his direction.

3