A Deleted Video On Twitter And Reportedly Asking Kentucky To Take Him Back - John Calipari Ended His Era In The Most Fitting Way Possible
[Source] - “Calipari, as I’m told, said, here’s what it’s going to take to keep me and UK said, I don’t think so. As I understand it, now if the deal isn’t done, it’s going to be done. You have a fanbase that is unhappy, an institution that is not satisfied with what’s been happening. You’ve got another school that would be happy to have him. When you factor in the fans, this might be a win-win-win if such a thing is possible. That all depends, of course, on who Kentucky hires if and when Calipari does leave.”
If you haven't heard the name Dick Gabriel, he's a staple in reporting Kentucky basketball. He's arguably the one guy you should trust the most when it comes to Kentucky basketball news. Dude has been around forever. If you don't trust Dick Gabriel, Norlander has this tweet which lines up to this:
Calipari's lawyer put this out there:
Welcome to the John Calipari experience Arkansas fans! A whole lot of this. One side saying something, the other side saying the complete opposite. Neither really say anything and confirm who is right, this is just how the experience goes. When Cal is yours, you defend him no matter what. You'll learn quick.
Now assuming what Gabriel/Norlander have is true, what the fuck man? How do you one-up a lifetime contract? A second lifetime? Brad gets the head coaching job when John dies? That has to be the only way you match the deal. Either way, it's time to just get out. Leave. Play the JoJo song and get on with it already. The news broke Sunday night - during WrestleMania main event nonetheless! It's now Tuesday afternoon and he hasn't officially told Kentucky he's leaving. I know you like the spotlight, Cal. You love the camera on you. At least he finally announced it and can now go call the hogs or whatever.
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You might be wondering what was deleted. Well, this is a second take of the video. The first one that he deleted was grainy and can only be described as a hostage video.
That's what this whole situation felt like. It's also the fitting end to the Calipari era. Losing because he refused to adapt, waiting to take a job that keeps him in conference and then waiting days to announce it this way. The fact he couldn't get it right the first time, had to tweak, all the hits he played at Kentucky. He's right. It's time for a new voice in Lexington. It's time for the divorce. It's time to get back to winning when it matters.
This is already turning into the most bizarre, talked about coaching search in college basketball since, well, Calipari got hired at Kentucky. Those were the days we stared at a door just to see if he emerged. This is what happens when Duke hires an assistant coach, same with UNC, same with Nova and everyone knew Dan Hurley was taking UConn. We haven't experienced a college fooball-esque coaching search in this sport in over 15 years.
We saw Nate Oats put this out last night:
We saw Dan Hurley talk about it:
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Feels like the Scott Drew news is going to come fast. But back to Calipari, his era is bizarre to say the least. He always said Kentucky felt like a 10-year job. If he stopped at 10 years he'd be remembered as the guy who made Kentucky cool again, won a title, had the runs to the Final Fours. Instead he had a Civil War among fans and this bizarre two-day leave. I'm sure in a few years he'll be talked about for the first half of his run again more within the state of Kentucky, but for now he's about to be an enemy. Thanks for 2012, hope you lose every game at Arkansas.
All I know is it's time to hang this next to his face at the Hall of Fame: