John Calipari is not opposed to repeating himself, especially not when it comes to one-and-done/Succeed-and-Proceed.He has had ample opportunity to get his message out this week in promoting his new book, “Players First: Coaching from the Inside Out,” and didn’t let it go to waste. In doing so, Calipari was well aware his audience is split into three distinct camps.”The haters are not changing,” Calipari said. “They don’t care what I say. They turn the TV off and I’m fine with that. The lovers accept whatever I say. It’s all those independents out there that are looking at this in a different light and saying, ‘Well.’ And then the question is: Am I making sense? Is this common-sense stuff?”At the risk of sounding like a so-called “lover,” it’s difficult to answer anything other than yes.”I even think the NBA and the NCAA should get together and plan on the players’ association saying, ‘We’re not changing,’ ” Calipari said. “And then I think the NCAA and the NBA should get together and say, ‘How do we encourage kids to stay in school longer, which is good for you and good for us and good for kids.’ “Calipari was in a Socratic mood Thursday as he made his case for a two year-year rule and against the current baseball model. “Would you really want to be a part of the decision that took a whole generation of ninth and 10th graders that said, ‘Forget about education, you’re going directly to the NBA,’ when, in fact, of those 50,000, one or two may do it – maybe, maybe do it,” Calipari said. “Would you really want to be that person?”Whether the rule dictates players stay in school for one, two or three years, Calipari says it would be unwise to dismiss the educational value of top players going to college.”The guys that say let them go out of high school don’t want to coach against them,” Calipari said. “It’s simple as that. They don’t want to coach against them. For anybody to say Brandon Knight or any of my kids have no business being on a college campus, you’re old, you’re grumpy, go away.”Once they are on campus, Calipari says it’s the responsibility of the NCAA, schools and coaches to first put policies in place that don’t penalize players for staying in school. Next, the perception that top players sticking around for longer than a season somehow means they have failed has to be eliminated.”You cannot plan on coming into this university for one year and thinking you’re going to get out,” Calipari said. “If it happens, hallelujah, I’m happy for you. But if it doesn’t happen, you understand, ‘I’m maturing. I understand the grind. I’m physically getting better.’ But it can’t be me just doing it. It’s gotta be everybody out there. Staying in school more than one year is not a failure.”Calipari’s crusade against the one-and-done rule is only the most prominent example of his campaign to bring change to the NCAA. This week, he revealed another idea he and his wife, Ellen, presented.”We wanted to start a fund,” Calipari said. “We’ll fund it; we’ll put the money in. That every player that’s ever played for me, whether they be at Mass, Memphis or Kentucky, can request a grant for their children’s education.”After Calipari’s retirement, the money remaining in the fund would go back to the three schools where he coached.The NCAA decided not to approve the fund, according to Calipari, deeming it an extra benefit, but Coach Cal sees some of the have-vs.-have-nots attitude that has defined much of the organization’s legislation beginning to disappear.”That is what is ending,” Calipari said. “It’s what I talked about for the last five years. That has to end.”No rest for the wearyAfter one of the most trying yet rewarding seasons of his coaching career, Coach Cal, at least in theory, could have used a rest.But in reality, the book tour that hasn’t allowed him a moment’s rest this week has been exactly what he needs.”But I haven’t – listen, folks, I haven’t slowed down right now,” Calipari said. “And it’s really good.”If not for the tour, Calipari would be incessantly replaying moments from UK’s national title game loss to Connecticut. All those times the Wildcats cut the Huskies’ lead to one, those wouldn’t quite running through his brain.”And then I’d want to jump off a bridge,” Calipari said. “So, just keep running and I’m not looking back until May 2.”Running, for Calipari, meant a Wednesday to remember. It began with appearances on MSNBC and CNBC, then a visit of nearly two hours with President Bill Clinton over lunch. Just a few hours later, it was off to Charlotte, N.C., to watch two former players — Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Chris Douglas-Roberts — play for the playoff-bound Bobcats against Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls.Calipari was back in Lexington on Thursday. He surely has a few more adventures ahead of him before a medically mandated break two weeks from Friday.”I’ll have my hip replaced here in town,” Calipari said. “One of the best hip doctors is right here in Lexington, so I’ll do it here and take a month to recuperate and try to get back.”Coach Cal shrugs off latest NBA rumorIn the hours before the national championship game, conversation about UK’s quest for a ninth title was momentarily derailed by a tweet. UK great and longtime NBA player and executive Rex Chapman, citing sources, started the rumor that Coach Cal would go to Los Angeles to coach the Lakers regardless of the outcome. Calipari, rightfully focused on the task at hand, didn’t find out until he returned to the UK locker room after the game.”The only time I learned about it is when the game ended and then Anthony Davis and Darius (Miller) and John Wall and the guys were in there,” Calipari said. “I can’t remember if one of them said to me, ‘You’re going to Lakers.’ It might have been Anthony.”He quickly defused the talk, though not without having a little fun first.”I said, ‘Come on, no, I’m not going to the Lakers,’ ” Calipari said. “And then I looked at him and I said, ‘Unless you’ll come with me.’ As I joked, please. (Pause). Maybe. (Laughing).”Though the possibility of coaching Davis, the ascendant NBA star, in L.A. is tempting, Calipari has repeated ad nauseam during a media blitz promoting his new book that he is not headed to coach the Lakers.As for Chapman and the timing of his tweet, Calipari isn’t holding any grudges.”I haven’t talked to Rex but I’m fine,” Calipari said. “Look, there a couple of other rumors that I’m glad he didn’t talk about on radio. It’s fine. I mean, we didn’t hear it, I didn’t hear it.”Decisions about new assistant, summer trip not finalizedWith no games to focus on, speculation has shifted to the stay-or-leave decisions of UK’s underclassmen and whom Coach Cal will hire as an assistant, a vacancy created by Orlando Antigua’s move to South Florida as head coach.Calipari, busy with that whirlwind tour, is still working his way through a decision.”Everybody’s already named assistant coaches, they tell me, and I haven’t gone through the process,” Calipari said. “I’ve called some people up. I still–I have work to do but I haven’t had time. I mean, I’ve not done–like, there’s no one I’ve sat down and said, ‘Hey, I want you to do this.’ But I will.”The same goes for UK’s rumored summer trip.”We’ll probably do something this summer, but I haven’t made the total decision of what it’ll be,” Calipari said. “Probably be something to do with the World Games, trying to play teams from the World Games, which means we probably get beat up each game, because you got NBA players on every one of those teams. But it would be a good experience.”