John Calipari hasn’t yet had his end-of-season meeting with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, but from tonight’s radio appearance, it his intentions appear focused on next season. With a buyout of $33 million and signing class ranked No. 2, there are reasons to keep Calipari around if he’s on the same page with Kentucky’s administration.
“You know I talk again about the standard, that is the standard I believe in that I think we can do, that standard of national titles has been here from Coach Rupp on,” Calipari said on radio. “The only thing I’m going to say to all of our fans is I’m going to work. Work in our state. Work for this program and for this university. Really work for these young people. That’s my commitment. I’m not changing. 24-7 let’s go. Whether it’s recruiting .. all the stuff we have to do. This is like wearing a coat, it never goes away. But I love it. This is what I want. This is why I never left. Now it’s come together, let’s go do something special. We’ve done it and let’s do it again.”
Matt Norlander reported Monday that Calipari will convene with Barnhart this week about the future of the program and what needs to happen for Kentucky to get back to competing for national championships on an annual basis following consecutive first-round exits in March Madness.
“(The) intent of the meeting will be to focus on significant program improvements, not necessarily separation,” Norlander wrote. “At this stage, Kentucky firing Cal ($33 million to pay him, remember) seems extremely unlikely, but source emphasized the importance of discussions between Barnhart (and) Calipari to be productive and positive.”
Kentucky basketball is at a crossroads under Calipari following its first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland, but firing college basketball’s active leader in March Madness victories would be a mistake, according to ESPN’s Jay Bilas. One of the sport’s best jobs, Kentucky is reportedly mulling over its next move after another disappointing finish for the Wildcats, who had garnered a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance before another upset.
“The bottom line is this, this wasn’t about being freshmen, or the construction of the Kentucky roster, it’s about a team that did not play well and that did not execute in a first-round game against a very good team,” Bilas said in a video. “Kentucky didn’t execute offensively against Oakland’s zone defense. There are some intricacies to it, but it’s not the first time they’ve seen a zone. If Kentucky fans want to get rid of Calipari, good luck, I think that would be a mistake.”
Since arriving at Kentucky in 2009, Calipari’s postseason success hit another level early in his tenure, but has fizzled since In his first 12 years with the Wildcats, Calipari went to the Elite Eight and won the national championship in 2012.
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Calipari hasn’t won a game in the NCAA Tournament in several years, however, and Calipari’s fascination with one-and-dones is hurting the program. Prior to his team’s loss to Oakland, Calipari said Kentucky was “built for March”, but the Wildcats struggled defensively against the Grizzlies.
