Arkansas hires Kentucky's John Calipari as next head coach
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas has officially hired its next men's basketball coach, as John Calipari was announced as the 14th head coach in program history on Wednesday.
Calipari is expected to sign a five-year deal with the Razorbacks, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel.
The 65-year old just wrapped up his 15th season with the Wildcats, who posted a 23-10 overall record with a 13-5 mark in SEC play. Kentucky's season came to an end with a first round NCAA Tournament exit in an 80-76 loss to 12-seed Oakland.
“By all accounts, John Calipari is one of the premier coaches in college basketball,” Yurachek said on Wednesday. “A national championship coach, a four-time national coach of the year and one of the nation’s top recruiters, Coach Cal has consistently demonstrated his ability to attract outstanding talent and build championship teams within the Southeastern Conference and position his programs among the best in the nation."
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Kentucky boasted the nation's second best scoring offense (89.0 points per game), while the Wildcats' scoring defense was slotted at 334th nationally (79.7 points per game).
During Calipari's time in Lexington (2009-24), the Wildcats have compiled a 410-122 (.771) overall record with a 198-65 (.753) mark in SEC play. Kentucky has finished first or tied for first in the league six times, second or tied for second six times and has only dropped below fourth once (2020-21).
“As I visited with Coach Calipari during this process, he acknowledged the tremendous opportunity we have at the University of Arkansas to attract and retain top players and compete for championships," Yurachek said. "He understands the deep passion of the Razorback Nation and has experienced the tremendous home court advantage of Bud Walton Arena. I have no doubt that under Coach Calipari’s leadership and with the collective support of all those who love the Hogs, Razorback Basketball will continue to maintain its national prominence within college basketball.”
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A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Calipari has led Kentucky to 32 NCAA Tournament wins, four Final Four appearances, seven Elite Eight births and eight Sweet 16 showings in his 15 seasons at the helm — all of which are more than any other school in that time period.
Calipari's best season as Wildcats' head coach came in 2011-12, when Kentucky ran through the regular season and was crowned the National Champion after racking up 38 wins to only two losses.
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The Wildcats have signed more top-25 players under Calipari than any other program. Nearly a quarter of all of Rivals' top-10 prospects nationally over the past 12 classes have signed with Kentucky.
Known for his ability to recruit and develop talented prospects, Calipari has sent 58 players to the NBA draft with names like Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De'Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray, Karl Anthony-Towns and more.
Early Career
Calipari's coaching start came at Kansas where he served as an associate assistant (1982-85) before taking another assistant job at Pittsburgh from 1985-88.
He then took his first head coaching role at UMass where he led the Minutemen to five consecutive Atlantic 10 titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, including periods where the program was ranked first nationally. During his eight seasons there, Calipari finished with a 189-70 (.730) overall record with one Sweet 16, one Elite Eight and one Final Four appearance.
After that, Calipari jumped to Conference USA to coach Memphis. In his nine years as head coach, Calipari was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year three separate times and was also awarded the Naismith College Coach of the Year award in 2008. Calipari led the Tigers to a 214-68 (.759) overall record with a 101-25 (.802) record in league play.
Following his tenure with the Tigers, Calipari was hired by Kentucky in 2009 and quickly turned the program around after two years with zero NCAA Tournament victories under predecessor Billy Gillispie.
In his 32-year coaching career, Calipari has an astounding 813-260 (.758) overall record.
Calipari's full coaching career
1982–1985 Kansas (associate assistant)
1985–1988 Pittsburgh (assistant)
1988–1996 UMass
1996–1999 New Jersey Nets
1999–2000 Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)
2000–2009 Memphis
2009–present Kentucky