The decision is in.
John Calipari is back.
Following a disastrous exit from the NCAA Tournament, many wondered if we’d seen the last of Coach Cal as the head coach of Kentucky Basketball.
However, we now know that Calipari will return for the 2024-25 college hoops season.
Following Tuesday’s much-anticipated meeting with athletics director Mitch Barnhart, KSR’s Matt Jones broke the news that Calipari will remain the head coach of the Wildcats.
We’ll have to wait to learn about actual changes being made to the program, but Coach Cal is back.
I think some of the other details leaking about the result of the Calipari/Mitch meeting may not be totally accurate. We will see over next day or two
But Calipari will be the coach next season
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 26, 2024
In what will be his 16th year at the helm, Calipari will be looking for his first trip to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019. Since then, his Kentucky teams have suffered first-round losses to 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s and 13th-seeded Oakland. There was also the 9-16 year during COVID and the Round of 32 exit to Kansas State in 2023.
All of this made for a compelling argument to part ways with Calipari. However, his massive buyout of over $33 million made it too daunting of a move to make, so it’s no surprise to see him staying.
Safe to say this will be a very important year for John Calipari.