<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Amid rumors and speculation, John Calipari was clear. So long as the University of Memphis is "fair" and stays committed to having a "Top 10 basketball program" he will continue to coach the Tigers even if the likes of Indiana come calling. "Why would I leave? We have a Top 10 program. Why would I choose to leave?" Calipari said Monday night after a newspaper report -- one he ultimately disputed -- named him as the leading candidate at Indiana. "I know how high the expectations are (at Memphis), and if I didn't think this program could meet those expectations, then I wouldn't stay. But I think we can meet the high expectations people have." Calipari's comments came on the same day a report in The Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times suggested he was the top candidate at Indiana and cited unnamed sources stating he was already "negotiating" with the school. "I haven't negotiated with anybody," Calipari said. "That's not true." Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson said Monday nobody from Indiana or a firm working on behalf of Indiana had contacted him seeking permission to speak with Calipari, which is a general courtesy in most coaching searches. Johnson added he plans to meet with Calipari soon and implied he will likely redo parts of his contract that already runs through 2010 and pays the Tiger coach nearly $1.5 million per year. "John has done a great job, and we want to recognize that," Johnson said in reference to a 33-4 campaign that ended with Saturday's loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. "Obviously, I will do anything possible to keep him and his staff." According to Calipari, it shouldn't take much. Time after time Monday, he said he did not want to "go back-and-forth" with Johnson and only desired to have all aspects of his program rival those of other Top 10 programs. Among the things Calipari mentioned are increased salaries for his assistant coaches and assurances that neither the academic funding nor the recruiting budget nor the number of chartered flights the Tigers enjoy during the season will be decreased. Beyond that, he offered few specifics while only repeating that if the UofM continues to show the commitment it's forever shown then he is committed to remaining its basketball coach. "They've always been more than fair to me, so I don't expect anything other than that they're going to be more than fair," Calipari said. "I want to be the coach here. I think they want me to be the coach here. Let's just go." </div> Source
