John Calipari is about to finalize a five-year contract to become the head of the University of Arkansas men’s basketball program, as per sources from ESPN late Sunday evening. This is going to be the major event influencing, first and foremost, the atmosphere in the SEC and, subsequently, the broader college basketball picture.
The former coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, who was relieved of his duties less than a week ago, is expected to be paid a base wage slightly lower than the $8.5 million he received at Kentucky, but there will be significant performance-related benefits that will enable him to earn more.
This agreement is expected to be reached shortly, within the next 24 hours. Calipari is going to take over the place of Eric Musselman, who transferred to the University of South Carolina. As noted, the contract is about to be agreed upon within the following day. Musselman took the place of Yurachek, who was fired via Skype. After Smith’s departure, he contacted Ole Miss’s Chris Beard and Kansas State’s Jerome Tang; Texas Tech’s Chris Beard was believed to have been given a deal about $5 million. Calipari’s future at Kentucky has been doubted.
The group has underperformed in the NCAA championship in recent years, losing to shocking teams shortly after the tournament starts. Calipari was even asked to step down from his position after an embarrassing loss to Oakland. Mitch Barnhart, the Kentucky AD, was required to issue a general statement that would declare that Calipari is still their coach. If Kentucky had dismantled Calipari’s program, Kentucky would have had to pay over $33 million over the next ten years; nevertheless, no payouts are necessary when a coach changes schools.
Calipari went 410-123 during his Kentucky career, making him one of the most effective Division I coaches of the last 15 years. He secured a national tournament championship in 2012 and several SEC championships throughout the years. He has also always taken his ball group to the NCAA championship. He also coached many NBA top talents. He’d also been Memphis’ head coach, carrying the Tigers to the ultimate four of the NCAA championship, and UMass’ headmaster, and led the Minutemen to the championship semifinals.