"I've been bailed out my whole career": Arkansas HC John Calipari gets real on players aiding his coaching career
Arkansas coach John Calipari has always emphasized the importance of players in building a successful program. From his time at UMass to Kentucky, Calipari has relied on talented rosters to lead his teams to deep tournament runs and national championships.
After the Razorbacks' 89-87 win over No. 14 Michigan in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday, Calipari was asked about the role that players have played in his coaching career.
"I've been bailed out my whole career," Calipari replied (Timestamp: 8:27). "I've had really good players who have bailed me out. Now we develop, and they go on, and they've made over six million in the NBA, but that's just here and there."
"But it does drive you nuts, doesn't it, when I say that? It's just like I can't believe he says it. It's just what he says, but yeah, I get bailed out a lot. And then, I hope they know that there will be times I bail them out. That's how this works."
John Calipari led Kentucky to a national championship in 2012 with a roster of NBA talent, including Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Terrence Jones.
John Calipari reflects on SEC progress in his coaching tenure
John Calipari has been a constant presence in the Southeastern Conference since arriving at Kentucky in 2009. After 15 seasons in Lexington, he moved to another SEC program, the University of Arkansas, this offseason.
Throughout the years, Calipari has seen a shift in the conference’s landscape, including the addition of Texas and Oklahoma recently. Following the 89-87 win over Dusty May's Michigan, he spoke about the conference’s growth and the challenges it presents.
"They're telling me this is like SEC baseball now, where it doesn't matter who you play, you can lose," he said (Timestamp: 2:25). "They're top to bottom and that may be the case, but all I know is we’ve got terrific coaches, terrific players, and terrific fans."
"I remember when I started, we were getting three teams in the NCAA tournament, and I was trying to get a six, seven, and eight ... Now you're talking about top to bottom, you know someone's going to win seven or eight games, they should get into the NCAA tournament if they won at Miami and Michigan."
John Calipari and the Razorbacks (8-2) have three games remaining on their nonconference schedule — Central Arkansas, North Carolina A&T, and Oakland — before diving into SEC play on Jan. 4, 2025, against the Tennessee Volunteers.