John Calipari Quotes

A lot of guys who have never choked have never been in the position to do so.

But if you can't relish playing in big games like this then it's not worth it.

I know how you can feel when you are playing under pressure.

It can be hard to keep that mentality but I know that to play your best you can't be worrying about getting dropped, because then you just go into your shell even more and play safe. I've just got to come out and play how I know I can play - that's the way that you get the best out of yourself.

What goes through my head when I'm going to take a game-winning shot is ... I better make it. Don't be afraid of the moment.

You have to have a short memory as a closer.

I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot... when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.

I've been in pressure situations before. All my life it's been about pressure and having to get it done. Just because you say it publicly, it does not make me afraid of it or make me shy away from it.

On a dirt bike, when you're sizing up a jump, you can't have any second thoughts. You have to fully commit. If you don't, a lot of things can go wrong.

I loved to hit with men on base and with the game on the line.

Actually, performing is a lot like golf. You are alone, so vulnerable.

Right before I go on stage, I'm absolutely terrified. My mind darts at many directions, but the center of me is going forward into the performance.

As I got older and started moving up the ranking, the matches got more important, and my emotions ratcheted up. I guess I hid my real feelings behind the anger.

I know I have the ultimate eye of confidence to take a shot down the stretch if a coach needs me to do it.

I can't remember ever racing without any pressure.

When I'm playing timid and afraid to make a mistake, then I'm not going to play well.

It takes a lot of nerves to be a sports entertainer and to be in front of those big crowds.

That is why I can never walk away from wrestling because there's this moment - the bell rings and everything slips away. The path, the future. There's nothing but that moment right in front of you where the intensity is high, the risk and reward are high, and you have to enter into a mental state that doesn't allow for hesitation.

I have the game for the pressure matches and now I just have to be consistent.

People talk about pressure in football, but I don't think pressure should always affect you in a bad way. I love games under pressure.

You live for those pressure moments. Through an international career, you have ups and downs, but you always feel you are going to be tested in moments like that. It has taken me years to feel comfortable and to feel like I have good composure in those situations.

I'm a big believer that if you can have success in the playoffs, when it means the most and when the game is at its highest pace, it always carries into the next year and it gives a player confidence.

I cannot see a situation when I won't feel pressure to play well and win.

I'm fine with pressure. I went to Kentucky, dealt with it all season, playing in front of all the top teams and top crowds.

There's a lot psychologically going on in boxing... I think I relate to some of it. I have a respect for it. It's like performing, but it's also this crazy, self-destructive thing.