"Now I need you to do something down there" — John Calipari explains why he joined Arkansas after 15-year stint with Kentucky
At the end of the 2023-24 season, John Calipari left Kentucky after 15 years to start afresh as Arkansas' head coach. He is one of the most successful college basketball coaches in history, so the news of his departure came as a surprise.
In an interview with CBS Sports in his red Arkansas gear, John Calipari talked about the reasons he left Kentucky. He spoke about a driving force that pushed him or spiritually hinted at him to take a new job.
"I'm not going to try to get spiritual. Something nudges you and you don't know what it is," said Calipari.
"But I've been there [at Kentucky] 15 years. Maybe it's 'You've done what I needed you to do there for the kids, for the state. Now I need you to do something down here [at Arkansas]," he added.
He also said he had a feeling that some people wanted him gone from the program.
"I think some people were happy. [Some were saying], 'We've had this guy 15 years and we've only won 500 games. We only won one national title four Final Fours and eight Elite Eights. What the hell is going on here?'," said Calipari.
However, Calipari also shared the instances when fans got emotional and stopped his car to hug him with tears in their eyes. They wished him well for his future endeavors.
With Kentucky, he won the Naismith College Coach of the Year twice (overall three). He led them to the NCAA Division I Tournament Champion in 2012. He also led them to six SEC tournament championships, six regular-season championships, and four Final Four appearances.
He was the SEC Coach of the Year four times in 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2020. Now, he has signed a five-year deal with Arkansas and will earn approximately $7 million in one season. Additionally, the deal had a $1 million signing bonus and included other performance-based bonuses.
John Calipari talked about Reed Sheppard's expectations
In his interview with CBS Sports, Calipari talked about how difficult it is to earn your spots in a high program like Kentucky or Arkansas. He has made it clear before the season that there will be competition at Arkansas for a tight rotation.
To back it up, he shared an instance with Kentucky's Reed Sheppard when he was in his freshman year.
"I enjoyed coaching last year, I had a ball, but that was hard. Then Reed Sheppard decides to become [SEC] Freshman of the Year," said Calipari.
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 year.'," he added.
Today, Sheppard has earned what he wasn't even expecting at that time because of his hard work, earning his spot. He is now the projected top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.