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Cal vs. Mitch; battle for a new practice facility, basketball GM, football apology

JFCats22

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Feb 3, 2015
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If true, this makes Barnhart look like a total clown. He is actively holding the basketball program back from improving.

According to Kyle Tucker, Cal has secured $30 million in funding for a new facility. He is doing the fundraising alone on this and much of it has come from former players. However, Barnhart will not let him proceed with building the new facility.

From The Athletic:

To the first question: If I were GM of Kentucky basketball … the first item on my list would already be covered. Kentucky basketball needs a GM. I would argue every major program in the country today does. With the transfer portal and name, image and likeness transforming college sports — and deeply affecting the building, retention and management of your roster every year — you’d better be highly organized with a sharp leader at the top. To his credit, I’ve heard that Calipari pitched something like this to Barnhart in recent years and was shot down.

Which brings us to that question of athletic director culpability, and absolutely some of this lands at Barnhart’s feet. For whatever reason, he and Calipari no longer have a relationship of any significance. They don’t speak to each other, Barnhart attends fewer games and he hasn’t been to a Kentucky basketball practice in ages. His response to Calipari’s regrettable “basketball school” comments this summer was bizarre at best. Calipari wanted to immediately publicly apologize and was told by Barnhart to keep his mouth shut. Barnhart then joined football coach Mark Stoops for a stunning press conference that felt like an hour-long clapback at Calipari. How in the world was fanning those flames productive?

The bottom line here is that Barnhart signed Calipari to the crazy contract that means they are married to each other, like it or not, for the foreseeable future. So he’d better start talking to his basketball coach and work with him to try to fix this thing. The whole “basketball school” comment came during a Calipari rant about needing a new practice facility to keep up with the Joneses the way Georgia and Alabama football do, even if their current facilities are still fine. Calipari has already secured pledges of about $30 million in private funding — mostly from his former players in the NBA — but Barnhart refuses to let him proceed with planning a facility. He has balked at any request by Calipari to add support staff for basketball (UK’s staff is small compared to other top programs) while handing the football program a blank check.
 
Calipari as a college basketball GM, handling big picture things like NIL and facilities, whose only real input on the team is hiring the coach?

giphy.gif



It's too bad he's burned too many bridges with this fanbase and has essentially put himself at odds with Kentucky Basketball as a whole.. because something like that could work very well.
 
Calipari as a college basketball GM, handling big picture things like NIL and facilities, whose only real input on the team is hiring the coach?

giphy.gif



It's too bad he's burned too many bridges with this fanbase and has essentially put himself at odds with Kentucky Basketball as a whole.. because something like that could work very well.
would absolutely support that 100%. Its a perfect job for Calipari
 
Yeah wow, reading that last part:

Calipari has already secured pledges of about $30 million in private funding — mostly from his former players in the NBA — but Barnhart refuses to let him proceed with planning a facility. He has balked at any request by Calipari to add support staff for basketball (UK’s staff is small compared to other top programs)

... That's alarming.
 
If true, this makes Barnhart look like a total clown. He is actively holding the basketball program back from improving.

According to Kyle Tucker, Cal has secured $30 million in funding for a new facility. He is doing the fundraising alone on this and much of it has come from former players. However, Barnhart will not let him proceed with building the new facility.

From The Athletic:

To the first question: If I were GM of Kentucky basketball … the first item on my list would already be covered. Kentucky basketball needs a GM. I would argue every major program in the country today does. With the transfer portal and name, image and likeness transforming college sports — and deeply affecting the building, retention and management of your roster every year — you’d better be highly organized with a sharp leader at the top. To his credit, I’ve heard that Calipari pitched something like this to Barnhart in recent years and was shot down.

Which brings us to that question of athletic director culpability, and absolutely some of this lands at Barnhart’s feet. For whatever reason, he and Calipari no longer have a relationship of any significance. They don’t speak to each other, Barnhart attends fewer games and he hasn’t been to a Kentucky basketball practice in ages. His response to Calipari’s regrettable “basketball school” comments this summer was bizarre at best. Calipari wanted to immediately publicly apologize and was told by Barnhart to keep his mouth shut. Barnhart then joined football coach Mark Stoops for a stunning press conference that felt like an hour-long clapback at Calipari. How in the world was fanning those flames productive?

The bottom line here is that Barnhart signed Calipari to the crazy contract that means they are married to each other, like it or not, for the foreseeable future. So he’d better start talking to his basketball coach and work with him to try to fix this thing. The whole “basketball school” comment came during a Calipari rant about needing a new practice facility to keep up with the Joneses the way Georgia and Alabama football do, even if their current facilities are still fine. Calipari has already secured pledges of about $30 million in private funding — mostly from his former players in the NBA — but Barnhart refuses to let him proceed with planning a facility. He has balked at any request by Calipari to add support staff for basketball (UK’s staff is small compared to other top programs) while handing the football program a blank check.
Thank you AD Barnhart. Calipari is focused to much on new buildings and keeping up with the Joneses.

His job now is to win a few games. Forget buildings, new facilities or other distractions. Forget adding to the staff. Calipari is paid to win and not lose to South Carolina at Rupp. Until he proves he can do that he should keep quiet and spend time on coming up with game plans that can beat somebody.

Tennessee is Saturday. Don't embarrass the program any further.
 
If true, this makes Barnhart look like a total clown. He is actively holding the basketball program back from improving.

According to Kyle Tucker, Cal has secured $30 million in funding for a new facility. He is doing the fundraising alone on this and much of it has come from former players. However, Barnhart will not let him proceed with building the new facility.

From The Athletic:

To the first question: If I were GM of Kentucky basketball … the first item on my list would already be covered. Kentucky basketball needs a GM. I would argue every major program in the country today does. With the transfer portal and name, image and likeness transforming college sports — and deeply affecting the building, retention and management of your roster every year — you’d better be highly organized with a sharp leader at the top. To his credit, I’ve heard that Calipari pitched something like this to Barnhart in recent years and was shot down.

Which brings us to that question of athletic director culpability, and absolutely some of this lands at Barnhart’s feet. For whatever reason, he and Calipari no longer have a relationship of any significance. They don’t speak to each other, Barnhart attends fewer games and he hasn’t been to a Kentucky basketball practice in ages. His response to Calipari’s regrettable “basketball school” comments this summer was bizarre at best. Calipari wanted to immediately publicly apologize and was told by Barnhart to keep his mouth shut. Barnhart then joined football coach Mark Stoops for a stunning press conference that felt like an hour-long clapback at Calipari. How in the world was fanning those flames productive?

The bottom line here is that Barnhart signed Calipari to the crazy contract that means they are married to each other, like it or not, for the foreseeable future. So he’d better start talking to his basketball coach and work with him to try to fix this thing. The whole “basketball school” comment came during a Calipari rant about needing a new practice facility to keep up with the Joneses the way Georgia and Alabama football do, even if their current facilities are still fine. Calipari has already secured pledges of about $30 million in private funding — mostly from his former players in the NBA — but Barnhart refuses to let him proceed with planning a facility. He has balked at any request by Calipari to add support staff for basketball (UK’s staff is small compared to other top programs) while handing the football program a blank check.
Barney is a clown, we have known that for ages.
 
$30 million isn’t enough to build a new facility, Texas’s one they just finished cost $60 mil.

Then there’s the university and master plan for the campus they have - nobody in any department, athletics included, can just say they want to build a new building and go and do it. A lot of politicking involved.
 
$30 million isn’t enough to build a new facility, Texas’s one they just finished cost $60 mil.

Then there’s the university and master plan for the campus they have - nobody in any department, athletics included, can just say they want to build a new building and go and do it. A lot of politicking involved.
Throwing $60 million at a Calipari run program is a waste of money.
 
New practice facility? With the way this team is playing, I wonder if they are using the one they have!
Really don't care who makes it happen, we need it to happen. Other schools not named Kentucky have better facilities than we do.

I know, there are a LOT of you that in no way shape or form want Calipari connected at all to a new facility because you're afraid that will mean he's here forever. But we gotta take what we can get, and if he's managed to get $30mil set up to fund it, love him or hate him, we need to take advantage of it.

(side note - isn't it strange that Calipari can come up with $30 million for something, but only a few million for storm-ravaged Kentuckians? I'd say it's more noble and important to help people in need than build a gaudy basketball facility, but what do I know...)
 
This is about more than winning basketball games. If this is true, Mitch should be fired immediately. Deal with everything else later. He’s gotta be the worse AD ever other than Tom Jurich.
 
Calipari as a college basketball GM, handling big picture things like NIL and facilities, whose only real input on the team is hiring the coach?

giphy.gif



It's too bad he's burned too many bridges with this fanbase and has essentially put himself at odds with Kentucky Basketball as a whole.. because something like that could work very well.
As everything drags on, and little things start to add up, it's almost like Cal has been angling for this since the contract extension. It makes ya think.
 
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As everything drags on, and little things start to add up, it's almost like Cal has been angling for this since the contract extension. It makes ya think.

And I'm not going to give Cal a pass, as I'm sure there's things he's done to sour the relationship with MB and other pieces of the program. But if MB is purposely hamstringing him in areas and not giving him the support he needs.. then this really is a mess and likely needs to be torn down.

And he'd have made a great GM of basketball or some sort of similar role, but it's likely too late.
 
And I'm not going to give Cal a pass, as I'm sure there's things he's done to sour the relationship with MB and other pieces of the program. But if MB is purposely hamstringing him in areas and not giving him the support he needs.. then this really is a mess and likely needs to be torn down.

And he'd have made a great GM of basketball or some sort of similar role, but it's likely too late.
You think Cal is petty enough, and mad enough, that he would position himself to get a 'GM of Kentucky basketball' role, and maybe come after Mitch's job eventually? Cal seems to enjoy non on court sports things more than actually coaching.
 
You think Cal is petty enough, and mad enough, that he would position himself to get a 'GM of Kentucky basketball' role, and maybe come after Mitch's job eventually? Cal seems to enjoy non on court sports things more than actually coaching.

Hahhaa. I mean I could see it. Not sure how he'd do as the athletic director, trying to manage things like Diving and Field Hockey.. But you know what, maybe if they came out with this plan NOW, for him to be some sort of president of Basketball.. let him keep a good salary.. he might be able to keep the recruits.. do an interim coach for now and plan for a new hire next year..

Man.. I really like that idea. Cal would have to make some peace.. but he could essentially just be like "The coaching game has passed me by, as we all know. I''ve always been more focused on NIL, and the future of recruiting and building a brand, so with that said, I'll be taking a new position as such and such.."
 
Thank you AD Barnhart. Calipari is focused to much on new buildings and keeping up with the Joneses.

His job now is to win a few games. Forget buildings, new facilities or other distractions. Forget adding to the staff. Calipari is paid to win and not lose to South Carolina at Rupp. Until he proves he can do that he should keep quiet and spend time on coming up with game plans that can beat somebody.

Tennessee is Saturday. Don't embarrass the program any further.
There. You said it exactly right . And I believe one of Cal's problems is: his mind is on too many outside interests and not focused on basketball until game time.
 
This is about more than winning basketball games. If this is true, Mitch should be fired immediately. Deal with everything else later. He’s gotta be the worse AD ever other than Tom Jurich.
He might have been sleazy but Tom Jurich accomplished amazing things at UL. He upgraded their facilities and got them into a major conference.
 
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I would actually rather stuff happen like this:

1. Barnhardt fired this year.

2. Peevy hired as new AD.

3. Cal gets his class next year and steps down per his contract to become Special assistant to Peevy, fundraising, etc.

4. Hire new MBB Coach.

We'd get to see what Cal can do with OAD's one last time. We'd be talk of CBB. Have our AD for the future and a new coach rolling into town.

Probably a pipe dream but I actually like this moreso than what will probably happen.

Inexcusable for AD to sabotage the program.
 
Really don't care who makes it happen, we need it to happen. Other schools not named Kentucky have better facilities than we do.

I know, there are a LOT of you that in no way shape or form want Calipari connected at all to a new facility because you're afraid that will mean he's here forever. But we gotta take what we can get, and if he's managed to get $30mil set up to fund it, love him or hate him, we need to take advantage of it.

(side note - isn't it strange that Calipari can come up with $30 million for something, but only a few million for storm-ravaged Kentuckians? I'd say it's more noble and important to help people in need than build a gaudy basketball facility, but what do I know...)
Please don't downplay all the good Cal did for the victims of the storm. Say what u want about his coaching, he deserves it, but he was amazing helping out our state when it was needed. Former players who aren't from Ky are more willing to give to the athletic program.
 
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