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Calipari opens up about exit at UK

John Calipari was, is, and will always be completely full of shit.

Like this much.

jurassic park deal with it GIF
 
I haven’t met a fan yet that wanted him back. I LOVE basketball, I hated watching our teams play. No idea what we were running or trying to do half the time. Was mind blowing how archaic and predictable we were.. don’t get me started on defense!
The last 5 years, it just seemed like every game was a struggle for a win. Every single one. And our record against the top-25 shows it was a big struggle.
 
I'm happy that the state and the program is free from the Cal NBA Brand. We had lost our way and were stuck in a marriage that was terrible with a guy who refused to change and thought he was bigger than the program and had players who believed the same.

I don't care what happens next year. It will be a welcome change from the same song and dance of Cal U.
 
Sooooo glad we don't have to put up with his shit any longer. He can cry, bitch and moan to the masses all he wants.
The idiot was looking for another job in February, and he was the one who engaged Arkansas and breached his contract thus saving us a boatload of money.
Adios you con artist, I'm so damn glad you are gone and I'm very happy to have our program back.
 
Hilarious seeing people whine about knocking Kentucky fans when one search on this board will see him labeled as a few dozen insults that have nothing to do with basketball.

Thanks for 15 years, coach! Maybe by the time you retire the vocal minority will have found a life that isn’t dictated by 18-22 year olds winning basketball games.
GTFO clown Fayetteville calling your ass go finish him off fanboy
 
I'm happy that the state and the program is free from the Cal NBA Brand. We had lost our way and were stuck in a marriage that was terrible with a guy who refused to change and thought he was bigger than the program and had players who believed the same.

I don't care what happens next year. It will be a welcome change from the same song and dance of Cal U.
That part of your post where you said he was bigger than the program and had players who believed the same...I don't think I've heard anyone else mention that about the players. I totally agree. That's part of the reason they continually leave. Cal had them brainwashed into believing him no matter what. Look at where Z and Thiero are going to play after what he did to them at UK (or didn't do as in play). That is a head scratcher. And apparently Reed still loves him even after Cal's "resentment" of him was obvious.
So I agree with you. Thanks for posting that.

GO BIG BLUE AND
COACH POPE, TOO!!!💙💙💙
 
I haven’t met a fan yet that wanted him back. I LOVE basketball, I hated watching our teams play. No idea what we were running or trying to do half the time. Was mind blowing how archaic and predictable we were.. don’t get me started on defense!
Yeah, this is my experience as well. I'm good friends with many UK fans and none of them wanted him back. Some were sort of upset about feeling that way, because they had become attached to him over the last 15 years. But they all, to a man (or woman), knew it was time to part ways. The results of 2021-2024 were completely unacceptable. Calipari knew this, too. And that's why he decided to voluntarily take that demotion to Arkansas instead of sticking around and taking the $33 million we still owed him.
 
How hard is it to say, "We had huge success the first half of my tenure, but the last several haven't been up to UK standards. So I decided to move on."

UK fans would respect that.
He won’t start groveling to UK fans until he’s retired, because all his other fanbases and school hate him too. I’m sure Arkansas will feel the same way. He should have retired here and had his championship legacy but his ego destroyed that.
 
The narrative that he left willingly and saved us a bunch of money doesn’t jive for me. I think he breached his contract by personally speaking with Arkansas before notifying UK. And that gave Mitch the legal option to send him packing. Just my take.

I also find it interesting that the Club Blue NIL fund is currently over $700K since its launch. The La Familia fund only raised like less than 100K.
I think that speaks volumes to how fed up the fanbase as a whole was of Cal. Yet the people who defended his horrible performance year after year swore it was just a few members of this forum who wanted Cal gone. How stupid.
Exactly. Just last year he made the statement “what’s the worst thing that could happen, they fire me ? Then I could buy an island “ . He did not walk away from that kind of money. He tried to use the Arkansas job as leverage to get Mitch to back off on some things he was about to implement (staff changes, putting someone overseeing the basketball program ) and to get Brad on Staff . But Mitch blindsided him with the breach of contract clause .
 
He conveniently forgot to mention his interest in the Ohio St job back in Feb. Ummm... maybe not completely rejuvenated. LOL

When the big money donors start to pull away, Cal's words couldn't have been more on point. "Its time for a new voice to lead the program". That was as honest as any big time coach leaving is going to get. They all have egos to operate at that level and get showered with the money they do. Humbled is never in their vocabulary.

I can't pull for Arky. I still like "our" kids, wherever they ended up. The recruits that never got here ... I never got attached.

Cal's record here looks decent taken with a complete 15 yr snapshot. But it truly was a great first 1/2 (which caused Mitch to lose his mind at contract time) and a bad second 1/2. Cal will always look at the whole, BBN will always look at what it was. A great long honeymoon followed by a miserable marriage.
 
The best part is the stories revealed yet another cal lie.

This happenstance meeting in Phoenix (which I don't believe was happenstance btw) was because cal was there as the head of some coaches committee. Not to support Reeves in the 3 pt shooting contest, which was what cal put out.

Just one more lie in an endless stream of lies.
 
The best part is the stories revealed yet another cal lie.

This happenstance meeting in Phoenix (which I don't believe was happenstance btw) was because cal was there as the head of some coaches committee. Not to support Reeves in the 3 pt shooting contest, which was what cal put out.

Just one more lie in an endless stream of lies.
He was there because ALL coaches attend the NABC convention Final Four weekend every year. Mark Pope was in Phoenix too. He didn’t and wouldn’t need to put out a reason for being Phoenix when every coach was there too. Just because Jack Pilgrim says something doesn’t make it true. A lot of networking and business gets done there, especially with assistant coaches.

 
I can honestly say I think him for the good memories.

But these last few years….. let’s just say parting ways was best…. And I’m happy it finally happened.
 
He was there because ALL coaches attend the NABC convention Final Four weekend every year. Mark Pope was in Phoenix too. He didn’t and wouldn’t need to put out a reason for being Phoenix when every coach was there too. Just because Jack Pilgrim says something doesn’t make it true. A lot of networking and business gets done there, especially with assistant coaches.


That's fine but the version he put out was there to support Reeves in the 3pt shooting contest which of course was false.

The happenstance part I don't believe is I certainly don't believe it was accident that lead to meeting with another AD especially given the fact we know he chased at least one other job.

I'm glad he's gone. I just laugh at the fact he barely knows the truth
 
I’m going to choose to remember the great years he gave us because they were some of the best as a UK fan. Yes, the last half of his tenure wasn’t what we wanted or deserved, but the man did make UK a top destination and bring home banners with some amazing kids playing here.
 
“I enjoyed coaching last year. I had a ball, but that was hard. Then Reed Sheppard decides to become Freshman of the Year. I asked him after the season, ‘How much did you expect to play?’ He said, ‘Ah, I thought I’d be carrying water.’ ‘Did you expect to leave here after the season?’ He said, ‘Coach, I expected to be here all four years,'” Calipari said. “My thought was, ‘We’re going to get this,’ and we had a good group coming in … It wasn’t like we were 15-15. But there’s an expectation where it’s only winning championships and winning that ‘ship.”

How do people take this guy seriously? Reed Sheppard was not going to play much?

These are the guards on UK roster

Dilly
DJ
Reeves (and Reeves was always a SG/SF combo)
Reed
Joey Hart

So you're telling me Reed expected to grab bench with only 5 legit guards on roster....1 of which was a last second low rated pickup, 3 true Fr and Reeves? The constant watering down expectations to lessen the blow of falling short is never ending with Cal. Now he's kicked to Arkansas to lower their expectations.

And it's already started....."We only need 8-9 guys" is his first stupidity time in Fayetteville. So when an injury happens or a kid falls short.....he'll have an excuse in place (that he created)
 
And this stuff is why this jackass will never be welcomed back in Rupp, all he has to do is go away, keep his mouth shut, finish his career, and he'd be appreciated on his return for the 2012 25th anniversary reunion in 13 years but no that won't happen because he is incapable of humility, silence, and grace.
 
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