Which teams has John Calipari coached? Taking a look at the Kentucky HC's coaching career
Hall of Fame college hoops coach John Calipari is now in his 15th season at the helm of the Kentucky Wildcats. Throughout his tenure, he`s basically seen it all--winning a national title in the 2011-2012 season and seeing the `Cats make it deep into March Madness with great regularity. It`s safe to say that John Calipari is a veteran`s veteran in college basketball coaching circles--boasting a career spanning 31 years.
Which teams has John Calipari coached?
John Calipari`s college basketball head coaching career is not as extensive as that of his peers, for a couple of reasons.
First, he didn`t move around much as a HC, and he also spent time coaching in the NBA--spending time with the New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.
That said, he got his first HC job at UMass in 1988, staying there until 1996. He got bumped to the NBA level afterwards, staying there for five seasons, then went back to college hoops as the head tactician of the Memphis Tigers in 2000.
He stayed there until 2009, notably coaching the then-future 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose.
After his time in Memphis, John Calipari would finally go to Kentucky, where he coaches to this day. It is said that his contract with the Wildcats is a "lifetime" one, though other sources say it`s more like a standard 10-year deal worth around $86 million (via The Courier-Journal).
Before becoming head coach, Calipari also obviously spent time as an assistant. He started his coaching career at Kansas in 1982, then moved to Pitt in 1985 until he found his way to UMass.
John Calipari`s head coaching record
With over three decades of experience under his belt, Calipari`s all-time win-loss record as a coach speaks for itself.
His all-time record encompassing UMass, Memphis, and Kentucky is a mind-blowing 813-260, for an excellent .758 win percentage. Aside from that, he also has a total of 29 seasons with 20+ wins, 11 seasons with 30+ wins, and five seasons with 35+ wins.
He won one national title with Kentucky in 2011, as previously mentioned, while also leading the `Cats to 12 total NCAA Tournament appearances.
John Calipari`s win total (which is actually 855 wins in all when counting every other competition his teams have ever been) is good enough for the top 9 all-time, just below Bob Huggins (via Sports-Reference).