John Calipari was the Kentucky men’s basketball coach for 15 years, which is a long time in any coaching post, especially one with such high visibility. Only Adolph Rupp has spent more time as Kentucky’s coach. Kentucky’s home court is named after Rupp, who won 876 games and four national championships over 41 seasons. What about Calipari, who departed for Arkansas after last season? Despite winning an NCAA tournament championship and sending scores of players to the NBA, he is unlikely to be remembered in the same light for the foreseeable future.
Calipari returns to Kentucky for the first time on Saturday night, when the Razorbacks play the Wildcats in a Southeastern Conference contest. It has long been one of the most anticipated regular-season games, and it is even more so now since the teams are heading in opposite directions. Kentucky (15-5) is placed 12th in the Associated Press poll, while Arkansas (12-8) is unranked and 1-6 in the Southeastern Conference. “There’ll be some emotions walking into Rupp Arena,” Calipari said at a news conference on Thursday. There will be. You will not be able to erase from my mind what we did there. “History cannot be erased.”
Indeed, Calipari made an immediate effect at Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to a 35-3 record and an Elite Eight participation in the 2010 NCAA tournament in his debut season. That June, five Kentucky players were taken in the first round of the NBA draft, setting a school record.
During Calipari’s tenure, 37 Kentucky players were selected in the first round of the NBA draft, including three overall No. 1 picks: John Wall (2010), Anthony Davis (2012), and Karl-Anthony Towns (2015). This season, Calipari coached five of the NBA’s top 15 scorers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.5 points per game), Tyrese Maxey (27.1), Davis (25.7), De’Aaron Fox (25.1), and Towns (24.6). Meanwhile, Towns, Davis, Gilgeous-Alexander, and former Kentucky guard Tyler Herro will all compete in this month’s All-Star game.
Calipari also led Kentucky to four Final Four appearances, including the national championship in 2012. However, the Wildcats’ previous Final Four participation was in 2015, and they have won just one NCAA tournament game since 2019. After Kentucky lost to Oakland in the first round in March, many fans became dissatisfied with Calipari. On April 7, the night before the national championship game, reports surfaced that Calipari was in talks to become Arkansas’ coach. Within days, he signed a contract with the Razorbacks, departing the Wildcats nearly five years after signing a lifetime contract.
Calipari said he plans to hook up with some old pals on Saturday, but he does not anticipate their allegiances to alter. “They grew up with Kentucky, and they’re going to be Kentucky fans,” Calipari told ESPN. “I hope they’re wearing red socks, but that’s what it is…They never cheered an opposing coach throughout my time there. I am fine. I just know about the supporters, and they are fantastic. They were excellent on our run. They’re engaged, and I think they’ll be even more engaged on Saturday.” Calipari was asked if he expects an enthusiastic reception from Kentucky fans.
“I don’t expect that,” he replied. “If that happened, I’d be like, ‘Wow,’ but I’m not expecting it, for any reason other than the fact that I’m the opposition coach. They all recall what happened, where it started, and how we got it going in that time frame. It may be matched, but you’ll have to do some work. And I’m not only talking about Kentucky. “I’m talking anywhere.” Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily members and receive our best stories, exclusive reporting, and key analysis of the day’s news sent to your inbox every weekday.
For Kentucky, Calipari’s exit has gone about as smoothly as anyone could have imagined. Under coach Mark Pope, a former Kentucky player, the Wildcats have won six games against teams rated in the top 15 of the AP poll, while relying entirely on transfers and rookies. This season’s Kentucky team has no returning players from the previous season. Nonetheless, the Wildcats average 87.6 points per game, which ranks third in Division 1 and fourth in analyst Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating.
Kentucky is coming off a 78-73 road victory over No. 8 Tennessee in which starting guard and second-leading scorer Lamont Butler (13.2 points per game) sat out with an injury and starting big Andrew Carr (10.4 points per game) only played 1 minute and 29 seconds due to a back issue.
“I’m not bitter in any way,” Calipari said. “What I did was right for me and my family, but it was also right for Kentucky. Mark Pope has done a fabulous job. He knows that program because he played in it. He was the right guy for that job.” Arkansas, meanwhile, has struggled with Calipari at the helm. The Razorbacks were ranked 16th in the AP poll, but they have lost six of their last seven games, all against SEC opponents. They are tied with LSU for 14th in the 16-tea.
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