LEXINGTON, Ky. — John Calipari is stepping down as Kentucky's men's basketball coach after 15 years, saying Tuesday that the "program probably needs to hear another voice" amid reports that he's closing in on a deal with Arkansas to take over that Southeastern Conference program.
Calipari posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he said that after talking with his wife, Ellen, he decided a change was needed. He added, "We've loved it here, but we think it's time for us to step away and step away completely from the program."
Calipari leaves a Wildcats program he guided to the 2012 NCAA championship among four Final Four appearances. He went 410-123 in 15 seasons. The past few seasons have been disappointing by Kentucky standards, with a 1-3 mark in its last three NCAA Tournament trips, including first-round losses to No. 14 seed Oakland last month and No. 15 seed Saint Peter's two years ago, despite being a top-three seed both times.
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The most recent loss set off immediate calls to fire Calipari before athletic director Mitch Barnhart said Calipari would return next season. Firing Calipari would've triggered a buyout of more than $33 million under the terms of a 10-year, so-called lifetime contract signed in 2019.
Barnhart said Kentucky would work diligently to hire "a proven, highly dedicated coach who embraces the importance of this program to our fans and the state of Kentucky."
The AD added: "We're appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky. We're grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court."
The list of possible candidates includes Baylor's Scott Drew, who guided the Bears to a national title in the 2020-21 COVID-19 season. UConn's Dan Hurley, who guided the Huskies to their second consecutive NCAA championship, also been mentioned along with Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, whose Florida squads were the NCAA's last back-to-back champs before UConn.
Calipari didn't specifically mention the Arkansas opening he has been linked to since multiple reports surfaced Sunday night about negotiations with the school. The Hall of Famer simply said, "There have been opportunities that have been presented to us, so we're discussing them as a family."
However, Calipari's announcement certainly clears the way for him to go the SEC rival with which he got very familiar while coaching the Wildcats. The 65-year-old would replace Eric Musselman, who left over the weekend after four seasons to become coach at Southern California.
However, Calipari’s announcement certainly clears the way for him to go to the SEC rival he got very familiar with while coaching the Wildcats. The 65-year-old would replace Eric Musselman, who left after four seasons to become the coach at Southern California.
The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas has scheduled a special meeting Wednesday morning to consider “a salary in excess of line item maximum” for its Fayetteville campus.
UConn students celebrate repeat titles
STORRS, Conn. — Some windows were broken and street signs taken down, but celebrations following UConn's second consecutive men's basketball championship were mostly peaceful, the school said Tuesday.
Thousands of students spilled onto campus following the 75-60 win over Purdue in the NCAA title game in Arizona and the celebrating lasted into the early morning hours.
Someone took a downed traffic sign and smashed it through part of the glass front of the student recreation center, school officials said. That section of the building was boarded up on Tuesday morning and the center's opening was delayed, according to the school's website.
UConn police said six people, ranging in age from 18 to 21, were arrested during the celebrations. Charges ranged from criminal mischief to rioting to interfering with police. Any students arrested also face university discipline.
“On the whole, it was a very good night on the Storrs campus and the university looks forward to continuing to celebrate our phenomenal student-athletes, their coaches, and this incredible win,” school spokesman Mike Enright said in an email.
The school planned a welcome home celebration for 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, when the team returns from Arizona. A victory parade is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday through Hartford from the state Capitol to the XL Center, where another victory rally will be held.
Women's final outdraws men
South Carolina’s 87-75 victory over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the women’s NCAA championship game has achieved a pair of milestones.
It is the first time the women's title game outdrew the men. It also was the second most-watched non-Olympic women’s sporting event on U.S. television.
The Sunday afternoon game averaged 18.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN while UConn’s 75-60 victory over Purdue in Monday night’s men’s final on TBS and TNT averaged 14.82 million.
The audience for Sunday's game — where the Gamecocks capped an undefeated season by winning their fourth national title and denied Clark’s Hawkeyes their first — peaked at 24.1 million during the final 15 minutes. The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan averaged 25.4 million on Fox. That also was on a Sunday and took place in prime time on the East Coast.
“You’re seeing the growth in many places: attendance records, viewership and social media engagement surrounding March Madness,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I don’t think you can attribute it just to Iowa, though. A rising tide does lifts all boats. But I think all those boats have been on many different waterways. The product is really good, and the increase of exposure is getting rewarded.”
The record for the most-watched women's basketball game still belongs to the gold medal game of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics between the United States and Brazil, which averaged 19.5 million. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was a member of the U.S. team.
The audience for the national title game was up 90% over last year when Clark and Iowa fell to LSU. That also was the first time since 1995 that the championship was on network television.
Clark repeats as Wooden Award winner
LOS ANGELES — Iowa’s Caitlin Clark won the John R. Wooden Award for the second straight year as the nation’s top women’s college basketball player on Tuesday.
The other finalists were Cameron Brink of Stanford, Paige Bueckers of UConn and freshmen Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame and JuJu Watkins of Southern California. All five women have been invited to Los Angeles for the award presentation on Friday.
Clark led the Hawkeyes to their second straight appearance in the NCAA title game, where they lost to undefeated South Carolina. She led the nation in scoring at 31.6 points per game and in assists with an average of 8.9 per game, becoming the first player to finish No. 1 in both categories in consecutive years.
Clark became the career Division I scoring leader for men or women in her final season at Iowa.
Caldwell wows to bring Lady Vols back
Kim Caldwell and the Tennessee Lady Vols are taking a very big leap together with the young coach tasked with turning the historic program back into title contenders.
Quickly too.
Caldwell, who has coached only one of her eight seasons as a Division I head coach, will be working in the shadow cast by the late Pat Summitt and her eight national championship banners hanging in the rafters. Caldwell addressed how Summitt changed women's basketball when introduced Tuesday.
“I will never be Pat Summitt,” Caldwell said. "Nobody can, but I will strive every day to be somebody that she would be proud of.”
Tennessee announced the hiring of the fourth Lady Vols coach in 50 years Sunday just before the women's national championship game. Athletic director Danny White said Caldwell stood out in her interview during the weeklong search.