“Let’s get Mark Pope on”: When $45 million worth John Calipari got roasted by sports analyst after leaving Kentucky for Arkansas
American sports analyst Dan Patrick once grilled Arkansas coach John Calipari about his departure from Kentucky.
Calipari, whose net worth is $45 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, appeared on the "Dan Patrick Show" on June 19, 2024, and cleared the air on the reason behind his transfer to the Razorbacks after a 15-year stint with the Wildcats.
He initially thanked Kentucky's administration for allowing him to share his wisdom with the players and help families during his tenure at Lexington. Calipari was lured into signing the contract with Arkansas due to its excellent facilities and great fan base. Furthermore, the 65-year-old coach was also allowed to hire his son, Brad, as one of his assistants.
Patrick then asked the three-time Naismith Coach of the Year if the fans' displeasure was the main reason for his departure from Kentucky. Calipari deflected this and defended the Wildcats fans by saying positive things about them.
"Kentucky fans are engaged. They're exactly what you want in a fan until you lose a game you're not supposed to lose and they're still engaged," Calipari said (Timestamp: 2:21). "Let me finish how I want to finish. Let me build another program. Let's win another National Championship. Let's help another 25 families."
Calipari recalled he had an offer to take the Arkansas coaching job in 2007 while still in Memphis. Following his departure to Kentucky, he was contacted by Tyson Foods chairman John H. Tyson, asking him to talk with Razorbacks athletic director Hunter Yurachek regarding the coaching vacancy.
The veteran coach, however, needed the help of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson to decide on the matter. He was, at first, worried about the players who would be left out when he left town, but Sampson told him to let it go because players could leave, go with him, or transfer to other schools and go professional.
The statement by Sampson helped him let go of his inhibitions and went on to sign with the Razorbacks.
Further in the interview, Calipari told Patrick that he had a vacation in Italy, where he was a citizen. The sports analyst asked him to help him out in expediting his application as an Italian citizen as well.
Unfortunately for Patrick, Calipari rejected his request, recalling that it was too hard to get citizenship in the European nation. Then the sports analyst blurted out a rib on Calipari and said:
"Let's get Mark Pope on. Better talk to him. Somebody's going to go a little further this year," Patrick said (Timestamp: 17:04), causing Calipari to laugh at him.
John Calipari's Arkansas loses key player amid five-game losing skid
The woes keep on piling on John Calipari's Arkansas squad this season. After starting with a promising 11-2 record in the nonconference rounds, the Razorbacks opened SEC play with five straight losses.
They lost to Tennessee (76-52), Ole Miss (73-66), Florida (71-63), LSU (78-74) and Missouri (83-65) to fall to 11-7 and languish down the cellar of the SEC standings along with South Carolina (10-8, 0-5). To make matters worse, five-star freshman Boogie Fland is set to miss the rest of the season due to a hand injury, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
Fland was the team's second-leading scorer at 15.1 ppg behind Adou Thiero and led the team in assists per game with 5.1.
Fland's injury could help struggling guard Johnell Davis find his bearings and resuscitate his fading season. This season, he has averaged 8.3 points and 1.4 assists in 28 minutes per game, which is a far cry from his 18.2 ppg last season when he was with FAU.
The Razorbacks still have an opportunity to turn things around but have to win their next game against Georgia on Wednesday.