Monday Headlines: John Calipari Watch (UPDATE)
We still don’t know for sure what will happen with Kentucky Basketball, but for now, he’s planning to do his Monday call-in show.
This, according to Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
As of right now, John Calipari is planning to be on his weekly radio show tonight at 6 p.m. These would be his first public comments since Thursday night.
It’s been over 72 hours since the Kentucky Wildcats bowed out of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 3 seed Wildcats lost to No. 14 seed Oakland on Thursday, which has led to nonstop speculation on the future of head coach John Calipari.
If the Big Blue Nation had a vote, the majority feels like Calipari would be leaving town. It’s hard to argue against that notion, considering how lackluster the program has been since COVID-19.
During that span, Kentucky has been a rollercoaster in the regular season and lifeless in March—the complete opposite of the eight-year stretch Calipari had put together before he signed a “lifetime” contract in 2019.
That “lifetime” contract was granted by athletic director Mitch Barnhart and now, just five seasons later, the ball has reportedly been put in Barnhart’s court to make a decision on Calipari’s future.
Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones said on Sunday night that the decision could come as soon as today, elaborating that Calipari has been in New Jersey since the loss to Oakland.
It’s safe to say not many people know exactly what will happen, but Jones is as well-connected as any member of the media when it comes to UK sports.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Barnhart’s decision is made after having a conversation with Calipari.
If the program does indeed move on from Calipari, they most likely would have a replacement in mind and would turn that page quickly. But even if they don’t and Calipari returns for another season, expect lots of changes to be made to the structure of UK basketball.
Leave a Reply