College basketball's never-ending coaching carousel
The world of college basketball is changing daily, with each change leaving the past even further in the dust. One of the most consistent faces in the NCAA was John Calipari, as the Kentucky men's basketball coach, until late Sunday night, when he accepted the head coaching position at Arkansas.
Calipari spent 15 seasons with the Wildcats, leading them to a national championship, multiple Final Fours and producing countless high-level NBA draftees along the way. His successes earned him what was essentially a lifetime contract, in that it was a 10-year deal with a near-$35 million buyout if he were to be fired without cause.
Calipari and Kentucky felt like a match made in heaven, and the pair had the contractual agreement to back it up. They felt like the couple that everyone knew and simply accepted would be married and together forever — that was, until things began to unravel.
With Calipari's coaching history and stacked recruiting classes coming in year in and year out for his Wildcats, expectations and standards were always high. But in recent years, Kentucky has failed to live up to them.
The Wildcats' lack of success showed up particularly in the NCAA Tournament. In 2022, Kentucky was bounced in the first round to 15-seeded Saint Peter's in an all-time upset. The following season, the Wildcats made it out of the first round but failed to advance any further. That brings us to this season, when Kentucky shocked the world yet again, this time by losing to 14-seeded Oakland.
With Calipari failing to keep the Wildcats up to their standard, in came the rumblings from the outside world discussing whether it was time for the perfect pair to part ways. But Kentucky's athletic director confirmed that Calipari would be returning for a 16th season — until the Razorbacks' head coaching job opened up.
But where did the Arkansas vacancy come from? Well, it is a bit of a chain reaction.
It started when the offseason's first domino fell: SMU, which is headed to the ACC next season, fired head coach Rob Lanier. With that job opening up, Andy Enfield decided to leave USC and take the Mustangs' enticing head coaching job. With that, another desirable head coaching position was now available, which ultimately led Eric Musselman to leave the Razorbacks and take over the Trojans.
With one quick move after another, several coaches have jumped ship in favor of what they see as a better, more desirable fit, with each departure leaving another opening. It is a never-ending cycle that will now continue even further with Calipari leaving the Wildcats.
So, who will take over for Kentucky?
Well, with the Wildcats' standards, they will be shooting for the stars with their head coaching search. Firstly, they will likely give UConn head coach Dan Hurley a call. With the dynasty he seems to be building with the Huskies, Kentucky may strike out there and have to look toward other options. Alabama's Nate Oats and Baylor's Scott Drew could be atop the list of reasonable candidates.
There is also a strong chance the Wildcats will try to lure former Villanova head coach Jay Wright out of retirement. Perhaps Kentucky will even dip into the women's college basketball coaching pool and reach out to South Carolina's Dawn Staley, who has led the Gamecocks to an astounding 109-3 record over the last three seasons and three national championships in the last seven years.
With the resources the Wildcats have for their program, any coach on the planet is within the realm of possibilities.
Whatever the move may be for Kentucky, it will almost inevitably continue the chain of coaches going from school to school and leaving vacancies behind them. College basketball fans, gear up for this offseason and try locking your team's head coach in their gym in case they may be thinking about hopping on the coaching carousel too.
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