For the second time in the past month, John Calipari finds himself at the center of the men’s college basketball headlines. On the eve of Connecticut winning their second consecutive National Championship, Calipari announced he would be leaving Kentucky, where he had been since 2009.
The Arkansas Razorbacks are first up on what I have christened “The John Calipari Sunset Tour.”
For every Dan Hurley, Chaka Smart, or T.J. Otzelberger that comes up from smaller schools to the elite level, there is a Rollie Massimino, Stan Heath, or Steve Lavin that steps backwards to rebuild a program that will never live up to their previous gig.
Calipari and Kentucky were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 21 by Oakland in a #3/#14 matchup. This would be the second time in three seasons that the Wildcats would have a top-four seed in a region, only to go home after their opening game. Calipari has not won a National Championship since 2012, and has not been to a Final Four since 2015.
His move to Arkansas is on a five-year contract, reportedly worth $8.5 million per year. This is actually a pay cut from what he was making in Lexington. The 65-year-old Hall Of Famer takes over a Razorback squad that finished 16-17 last season under Eric Musselman. This was the only time that a non-Covid issue kept Arkansas out of the NCAA Tournament under Musselman. In fact, his three appearances resulted in a Sweet 16, and two Elite Eights. Musselman moved onto USC, who moved to the Big 10 for next season.
Arkansas, like Calipari, has only one National Championship to their credit, which was Nolan Richardson’s 1994 title. The program last made a Final Four the following year, when UCLA won their record-extending 11th National Championship. Kentucky is next on that list with eight, but is not likely to get closer for the distant future.
Lexington is not the job it once was, largely due to Calipari turning the program into a vocational school for high school seniors and NCAA transfer students to play for a year, before ultimately turning pro. Think of all the great talent in the NBA that came from Kentucky, then go back and look at how long they actually stayed in school, before declaring for the draft as underclassmen.
Calipari’s decision to head for Fayetteville was spurred largely due to reported ties with billionaire John H. Tyson, who is a heavy contributor to the university. This should help Arkansas with NIL money, but this will not be a fly-by-night turnaround, especially in a crowded SEC. Kentucky would have owed Calipari $33 million if he was fired, but the move is now Arkansas’ problem. The Razorbacks do not have to pay Kentucky, which is likely why Calipari chose to take such a large discount in signing.
Scott Drew at Baylor, Nate Oats at Alabama, Jay Wright formerly of Villanova, Billy Donovan of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, and Dan Hurley at National Champion Connecticut all declined interest in interviewing for the Kentucky job. Instead, the program turned to second-tier choice Mark Pope, who was the captain of Kentucky’s 1995 National Champion, and now former head coach at BYU.
Pope already has something in common with Calipari, as his 6-seeded Cougars were upset in the first round by 11-seed Duquesne. In fact, Pope never got BYU out of the first round since taking over in 2019.
Richardson made himself into a Hall of Famer. Calipari is one looking for a quick layover before a larger job, or retirement.
-JC24
Calipari and Kentucky were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 21 by Oakland in a #3/#14 matchup. This would be the second time in three seasons that the Wildcats would have a top-four seed in a region, only to go home after their opening game. Calipari has not won a National Championship since 2012, and has not been to a Final Four since 2015.
His move to Arkansas is on a five-year contract, reportedly worth $8.5 million per year. This is actually a pay cut from what he was making in Lexington. The 65-year-old Hall Of Famer takes over a Razorback squad that finished 16-17 last season under Eric Musselman. This was the only time that a non-Covid issue kept Arkansas out of the NCAA Tournament under Musselman. In fact, his three appearances resulted in a Sweet 16, and two Elite Eights. Musselman moved onto USC, who moved to the Big 10 for next season.
Arkansas, like Calipari, has only one National Championship to their credit, which was Nolan Richardson’s 1994 title. The program last made a Final Four the following year, when UCLA won their record-extending 11th National Championship. Kentucky is next on that list with eight, but is not likely to get closer for the distant future.
Lexington is not the job it once was, largely due to Calipari turning the program into a vocational school for high school seniors and NCAA transfer students to play for a year, before ultimately turning pro. Think of all the great talent in the NBA that came from Kentucky, then go back and look at how long they actually stayed in school, before declaring for the draft as underclassmen.
Calipari’s decision to head for Fayetteville was spurred largely due to reported ties with billionaire John H. Tyson, who is a heavy contributor to the university. This should help Arkansas with NIL money, but this will not be a fly-by-night turnaround, especially in a crowded SEC. Kentucky would have owed Calipari $33 million if he was fired, but the move is now Arkansas’ problem. The Razorbacks do not have to pay Kentucky, which is likely why Calipari chose to take such a large discount in signing.
Scott Drew at Baylor, Nate Oats at Alabama, Jay Wright formerly of Villanova, Billy Donovan of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, and Dan Hurley at National Champion Connecticut all declined interest in interviewing for the Kentucky job. Instead, the program turned to second-tier choice Mark Pope, who was the captain of Kentucky’s 1995 National Champion, and now former head coach at BYU.
Pope already has something in common with Calipari, as his 6-seeded Cougars were upset in the first round by 11-seed Duquesne. In fact, Pope never got BYU out of the first round since taking over in 2019.
Richardson made himself into a Hall of Famer. Calipari is one looking for a quick layover before a larger job, or retirement.
-JC24