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Reports surfaced of John Calipari’s exit from Kentucky in the middle of the Men’s Final Four but the newly-minted Arkansas coach says he wouldn’t make anything official until after the tournament was over.
Speaking on Hogs Plus Wednesday, Coach Cal explained that he didn’t want to take away from the weekend’s championship action with his news. Explaining:
We talked Friday. There was some stuff Saturday and Sunday back and forth. We didn’t talk contract more than 15 minutes total, maybe less. I refused to do anything Sunday or Monday because of the national championship game. That is those players, those coaches, those schools. They deserved it. Then when it leaked out — but you noticed neither one of us said one word.
Calipari inked a five-year deal with the Razorbacks somewhere in the $40 million range, according to On3.com.
Despite some polarization surrounding his coaching/recruiting style and whether or not he’s underachieved in recent years, few coaches in the history of college basketball can boast resumes as strong as Calipari’s. He’s had success at every stop of his career and sent countless players to the NBA.
He’ll take over an Arkansas team that finished 16-17 in 2023 and missed out on the tournament for the first time in three seasons.