DETROIT (2/19/2021) -- Senior Day won't quite be the same this season with the absence of family and fans and the additional year the seniors can use that was provided by the NCAA to extend their careers, but for one Titan upperclassmen, he is looking to help his team accomplish a goal and looking to start his own career in the process.

"Well for me, I don't think about it that much," said Detroit Mercy guard Brad Calipari. "Being able to play under my dad for three years was special enough. But for the other guys, whose parents haven't been able to see them play a lot, and this year at all, that can be pretty difficult. You want your family to be there. My family has given me tremendous support over the years, especially in the past few months dealing with all the COVID issues, and the same for everyone on the team and their families. I wish they could have their Senior Day for their families."

Calipari came to the Titans last season with the rare two years of eligibility as a graduate senior after playing three seasons at Kentucky. With the Wildcats, he was able to play for one of the premier programs in all of basketball and with his dad, John Calipari, as head coach.

At Kentucky, he was a part of 88 wins and trips to the Elite 8 in 2017 and 2019 and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018. As a Titan, he has played in 33 games in his two seasons and led the team shooting 38.0 percent from three in 2019-20, finishing second on the team with 46 triples as 46 of his 51 total field goals were from behind the line. His 1.7, 3-pointers per game was second on the team and 11th in the Horizon League.

"Last year, I was able to go to Notre Dame, North Carolina State, Kent State, Wright State and watch him get on that court and play, play hard and smart and make shots," said John Calipari. "His attitude and love of coach Davis is not predicated on how much he is playing. I can't tell you as a father how proud that makes me."

But with all of that said, it was a moment this season that sealed what he wanted his future to be, he wants to get into the coaching profession. 

"It really started this year even though at the end of the day, I always wanted to be a coach, but this year solidified it that it was something that I want to do," said Brad Calipari. "When we lost coach (Keith) Legree at the start of the season, coach Davis and I talked and I told him where my head was and what I was looking to do. He respected my knowledge of the game, listened to me and my input and I was able to help him with film, game plans, how we are going to attack teams and that helped me put everything together that this is what I want to do. I am seeing everything from a different perspective and it's almost like a different love for the game."

Growing up, he was mentored in the game of basketball, specifically coaching. His dad was the head coach of the New Jersey Nets when he was born and he grew up understanding and appreciating the game when his dad became head coach at Memphis from 2000-2009.

At Memphis, where he began to learn the game of basketball, his dad was building a powerhouse winning 252 games, including a NCAA-record 38 wins in 2007-08 and a trip to the national championship game that year, with Brad watching at the young age of 11 years old.

"I remember when the team made it to the NCAA Tournament, there was a lot of doubt if the team could make it far. That team had Derrick Rose and a lot of other guys that were highly talked about. There were so many people that wanted to see him lose and I saw a team that wanted to win for each other and relied on each other," said Calipari. 

A couple of years later, it was off to Kentucky, such is the lifestyle of a coach where at any time, either by your decision or not, you are changing jobs. Brad was now seeing what one of the greatest programs in the nation looked like, all while trying to create his own legacy on the court. At 13 years of age, he was playing highly competitive basketball at the prep level, but still always learning from his dad.

"It was never like I had to play basketball because my dad coaches it and he made that clear," said Calipari. "I played multiple sports growing up, baseball, soccer, golf, and what I always came back to was basketball. I was around it so much that I began to just love the game and I wanted to work hard at it and put everything into it."

Transferring to Detroit Mercy opened a new set of experiences for Calipari, ones that he will cherish as he moves on. 

"It has been a great experience, really different than Kentucky," said Calipari. "You get a different view of the game and a chance to see another coach and a coaching style. That has definitely helped me develop and grow as a player and also my knowledge of the game."

Being able to learn all those years from his dad has given him an insight into coaching and his dad has offered some great advice.

"He said it's a hard profession, but if you do things the right way, you have the capability to be great," said Brad. "You have to treat people right, create good relationships and do it for the benefit of others and not yourself. I saw my dad transform a lot of kids into young men, good men. He has kids that come from poverty-stricken homes and them making it is the only way they can help their families and seeing him work with those players and help them put those kids in a position to change their families' lives is life-changing. I have seen that from such a young age and is something I want to continue to do." 

"He is doing what I did and that is dreaming big dreams and having his thoughts about what it would be like if he was a head coach and he has done great stuff," said John Calipari. "Coaching is about the long haul. It is about getting an opportunity to be on a staff and getting an opportunity to get a job. At the end of the day, if you care about kids, if you create relationships with people that are long-lasting relationships, his commitment to himself, to the sport, to training to his body, shift that to coaching and he will have a long career."

With the conference tournament coming up, Brad Calipari knows that the team still has one goal in place and that is a Horizon League Championship and a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

"It is definitely a big goal to play in the NCAA Tournament," said Calipari. "It is what we want as a team and a program. We have a lot of guys who want to play at the next level, overseas, in the G-League, and playing in the tournament, going far in the tournament will help everyone play against some great talent and show what they can do and what they have to offer."

"My hope is that he gets a chance to taste the NCAA Tournament again because if Detroit Mercy goes and wins their tournament and they can, they can," added John Calipari.