Earlier this week, the Kentucky basketball program received some earth-shattering news when it was revealed that head coach John Calipari, who has found immense success with the program during his tenure, would be departing the organization, reportedly to sign a contract to become the next head coach of Arkansas basketball, as reported by CBS Sports. Calipari won a national championship in 2012 with Kentucky basketball and also coached several players who went on to become stars at the next level in the NBA, including Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, and many others.
The shocking news immediately opened up speculation on who Kentucky basketball, one of the sport's “Blue Blood” programs, would bring on to become their next head coach and fill Calipari's legendary shoes.
Some names thrown into the mix included that of Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats, who just led his team all the way to the Final Four at this year's NCAA tournament but has since taken to social media to deny those rumors.
Another name was Chicago Bulls current head coach Billy Donovan, who prior to Monday evening's UConn victory, had been the last head coach to win back-to-back college basketball national championships, accomplishing the feat with the Florida Gators back in the late 2000s.
However, according to the latest intel, it doesn't appear that there is much, if any, validity to those rumors.
“Billy Donovan tells reporters prior to tonight's Bulls-Knicks game that he has not been contacted by Kentucky and he's committed to being in Chicago,” Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.
A new normal in Kentucky
John Calipari is just the latest in a string of head coaches across multiple sports who have left the organizations with which they've become synonymous over the last few months. First, Alabama football head coach Nick Saban shocked the masses by retiring from the sport following his team's loss in the College Football Playoff this past winter. Then, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and his team parted ways.
Now, Calipari becomes the latest head coach to part ways with the program he is so associated with. As previously mentioned, Calipari reached the sport's mountaintop one time in the 2012 Kentucky basketball season, led by Anthony Davis, who had one of the best college basketball campaigns of all time that year and has since gone on to become an NBA superstar.
Some in the Kentucky basketball community have already shared their appreciation for what Calipari was able to accomplish during his time there.
“We're appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky,” said Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart in a statement, per Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports. “We're grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court. We are working diligently to hire a proven, highly dedicated coach who embraces the importance of this program to our fans and the state of Kentucky.”
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