Half of a seismic shift in college basketball is official: John Calipari confirmed Tuesday that he is leaving Kentucky after 15 years.
“It’s a dream job. It was my dream job. Anyone in our profession looks at University of Kentucky basketball and says, “It’s the bluest of blues.” “In recent weeks, we realized that this program probably needed to hear another voice,” Calipari said in a video message posted to his social media accounts. “And the fans need to hear another voice. We’ve loved being here, but we think it’s time for us to step away – and step away from the program completely.
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart simultaneously issued a statement thanking Calipari for his service and adding, “We are working diligently to hire a proven and highly dedicated coach who understands the importance of this program to our fans and the state of Kentucky.”
The other half of this seismic shift isn’t quite signed, sealed and delivered yet, although two sources briefed on the matter said Athleticism that Calipari has agreed to become Arkansas’ next coach. There has been no public announcement on the matter since the news broke Sunday evening.
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“Opportunities have been presented to us, so we are discussing them as a family,” Calipari said in his video. “I love coaching. I love coaching young people. This year’s team? I loved every day coming in. They reinvigorated me. I love the championship race. I love bringing the kids together. That’s what I do. This is who I am.
A message to #BBN: pic.twitter.com/TG344ipTfZ
– John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) April 9, 2024
Calipari won 410 games at Kentucky, 855 during his career, and led three programs to the Final Fours: Massachusetts in 1996, Memphis in 2008 and UK in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. The Wildcats won their eighth national championship in 2012 with Calipari. at the bar. But now it’s a decade without a Final Four appearance and four straight seasons without reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Fans became agitated after Kentucky followed a 2022 first-round loss to 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s with this year’s first-round loss to 14th-seeded Oakland. It’s not just about the NCAA tournament. The Cats haven’t won an SEC title since 2020 and have only won one SEC tournament game since 2019.
“Since our season ended, (my wife) Ellen and I have spent a lot of time thinking about our time here at Kentucky,” Calipari said Tuesday, “what it means to us, the friends we’ve made , on this field, the regional championships, the conference championships, the Final Fours, the national title in 2012. It was a great period for us.
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Calipari thanked his players, their families and the people who made his first seasons a resounding success. He even thanked a fan base whose passion for the program has often backfired in recent years. He preferred to focus on the good times.
“The people who traveled with us, I want to thank them. I hope this is an experience with your kids that you can look back on and say, ‘Man, this is something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives together,'” Calipari said. “Those memories and what we were able to do together, that’s what it’s all about. Once again, what we were able to do was a dream. But (after) 15 years, it’s time to have another voice, and you know I’ll always be a fan. THANKS.”
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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)