"Band is back together": $45M worth John Calipari reunites with former UMass staff in latest snap
John Calipari has spent multiple stints at different programs. UMass was one of them.
Calipari coached the Minutemen from 1988 to 1996, finishing with a 189-70 record while being a dominant team in the Atlantic 10. He led them to two consecutive appearances in the National Invitational Tournament in 1990 and 1991 before making five straight berths in the NCAA Tournament from 1992 to 1996, reaching the Final Four in his last season.
Before Arkansas' encounter with the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday night, Calipari caught up with some familiar faces during his time at UMass, particularly coaches he worked with. He posted on social media with eight words to show how happy he was to reunite with his colleagues.
"Band is back together. Our staff at UMass," Calipari said.
John Calipari prepares Arkansas for Miami, who will look to get an upset win
Now coaching the Razorbacks in his 37th season as a head coach, John Calipari has gotten the program off to a 5-2 start.
They played Tuesday night at Miami, where Calipari shares a long-time connection with Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga. Going into the matchup, Larranaga pointed out one of Arkansas' players whom Miami must be cautious about during the team's news conference on Monday.
“I know Coach Cal for a very long time. They’ve got a bunch of NBA guys," Larranaga said. "The first is the 7-footer (Zvonoimir Ivisic), whom we call Big Z. He’s an NBA stretch five, men. He’s a very, very good 3-point shooter. You’ve got to guard him at the 3-point line.”
Larranaga was accurate with his analysis. Entering the game, Ivisic averaged 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.1 steals on 60.4% shooting, including 55.2% from downtown.
Miami has to be careful defending against the Razorbacks. They put up 80.6 ppg on 50.0% shooting, including 34.8% from beyond the arc, with six players scoring seven or more points per contest.
After Tuesday night's game against the Miami Hurricanes, John Calipari and Arkansas will host UTSA on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.