This season marks 34 years on the college basketball sidelines for Arkansas coach John Calipari. With other old-guard coaches backing out of the sport by the year, those unable or unwilling to fully embrace the NIL and revenue-sharing era could soon be extinct. And Calipari made it clear at SEC Media Days Tuesday that he is part of that contingent.
Imminent retirement may not be on the table for the three-time National Coach of the Year, but if his methodology proves untenable, he said that is when he would call it a career.
“I want to help 25 to 30 more families,” Calipari said. “The only way you do that is you’re transformational as a coach. You’re not transactional. If I become transactional — I’m going to pay you this to do this and that — then I won’t do this anymore. I don’t need to.”
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Calipari’s final years at Kentucky came with a clear ceiling, and many attributed the early-round NCAA Tournament exits to his staunch commitment to an outdated model. Calipari was as successful as they came when recruiting one-and-done elite high school prospects was a surefire method to reach the Final Four. But as the transfer portal led teams to stock up on veteran standouts and resulted in experienced teams winning championships, Calipari fell behind.
“I think all of those said I’ve done what I do, and I’m not willing to do ‘all this’ to stay in the profession,” said Calipari. “If you watched us in practice,…
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