Calipari gets lukewarm response in return to Kentucky as Arkansas coach
Arkansas coach John Calipari reacts to an official’s call against Mississippi during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
LEXINGTON, Ky (AP) — John Calipari received a mixed reception at Rupp Arena on Saturday night prior to his Arkansas Razorbacks playing No. 12 Kentucky.
Calipari, in his first season at Arkansas, served as coach of the Wildcats for 15 seasons and compiled a 410-123 mark. He led Kentucky to its eighth national championship in 2012 before resigning last April to take a similar post at Arkansas. He signed a five-year contract that included a base salary of $7 million, plus incentives.
There were definitely more boos, but some applause and cheers as well in Calipari’s first time back in Lexington.
The Hall of Fame coach is the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball and has an 867-271 mark during his stops at Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky and now Arkansas. He was 248-26 at Rupp Arena and led the Wildcats to a 93-77 win over Vanderbilt in his last home game at Kentucky last March 6.
Despite the early success, Calipari struggled his last two years, especially in the postseason where the Wildcats were eliminated early in the SEC Tournament and in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. His last game as Wildcats coach was an 80-76 loss to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament.
In his first season with the Razorbacks, Calipari has struggled to regain the success he enjoyed at Kentucky, especially in the Southeastern Conference, where Arkansas lost six of its first seven conference games this season.
Former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, who led the Wildcats from 1997-07, where he went 263-83 and guided the Wildcats to a national championship in 1998, also was in attendance. Smith was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2013 and had a jersey retired in his honor in 2021. He concluded his coaching career in 2022 at High Point.
Former Louisville coach Kenny Payne, part of Calipari’s staff for 10 seasons at Kentucky, joined Calipari at Arkansas. Former Kentucky players Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner and Zvonimir Ivisic followed Calipari to Arkansas, along with Calipari’s son Brad who is on the Razorbacks staff.
Mark Pope took over for Calipari at Kentucky and led the Wildcats to a 15-5 record in his first 20 games.
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