John Calipari named Arkansas men’s basketball head coach
By Wayne Sterling and Steve Almasy, CNN
(CNN) — Hall of Famer and three-time national coach of the year John Calipari has been named the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball head coach, after his 15 seasons at the University of Kentucky came to an end.
Arkansas announced Calipari has signed a five-year contract with a starting salary of $7 million per season. Calipari’s contract runs through April 30, 2029, with a maximum of two automatic rollover years for NCAA tournament appearances that would extend the contract to 2031.
Calipari will be formally introduced as coach at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local time) at the Bud Walton Arena.
“It’s been a dream, what we’ve been able to do. But 15 years? It’s time for another voice and you know I’m always going to be a fan,” Calipari said of his time with Kentucky in a video posted on X Tuesday.
“This is a dream job. It was my dream job. Anybody in our profession looks at the University of Kentucky in basketball and says that is the bluest of blue. The last few weeks, we’ve come to realize this program probably needs to hear another voice,” he added.
The 65-year-old Calipari reached six Final Fours and finished with a 410-123 record at Kentucky, which has won more games than any other school in history and is second all-time in national championships with eight.
Last month, the No. 3 seed Wildcats lost to the No. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Kentucky fell in the first round to a double-digit seed for the second time in the past three years.
“We’re appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky. We’re grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court,” University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart said in a statement.
“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.”
Calipari was previously a head coach in college at Massachusetts from 1988 to 1996 and at Memphis from 2000 to 2009. He also coached the NBA’s New Jersey Nets from 1996 to 1999.
“By all accounts, John Calipari is one of the premier coaches in college basketball,” Arkansas director of athletics Hunter Yurachek said.
“I have no doubt that under Coach Calipari’s leadership and with the collective support of all those who love the Hogs, Razorback Basketball will continue to maintain its national prominence within college basketball,” he added.
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CNN’s Jill Martin contributed reporting.
