Vicky Graff Photo
It’s a tough day to be a Kentucky basketball fan.
Yes, Thursday night was tough watching the No. 3 seed Wildcats fall to No. 14 seed Oakland in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, Friday morning was tough waking up and realizing it wasn’t a bad dream.
But today is also tough.
Kentucky should be playing tonight, surging into the heat of the Big Dance and riding the coattails of one of the best offenses Kentucky has ever seen.
But instead, head coach John Calipari and his team are back home in Lexington after being sent home in the first round for the second time in three years and many wondering what his future holds.
Calipari has just one Elite Eight appearance (2019), three exits in the first round and a missed tournament in five years – excluding 2020 when the tournament was cancelled. He has also failed to reach the SEC title game in each of those seasons, with the last two including one-and-done exits to Vanderbilt (2023) and Texas A&M (2024).
It’s painful to say, but now is the time for Calipari and Kentucky to part ways.
No, the grass isn’t always greener. It’s likely there aren’t many coaches (if many at all) out there that Kentucky could hire to replace Calipari.
But the program needs a new voice. The culture needs a new direction. The fanbase needs some air. And, honestly, maybe Calipari also needs change of scenery.
Calipari is a great person. He wants the best for each player he recruits and coaches. He’s also been terrific for Lexington and many communities across the state with contributions to community service and non-profits.
But Kentucky needs that and more. The fanbase needs a coach who wants to win their conference tournament. The program needs new energy to get back to being the gold standard of college basketball and it appears the best way for that to happen is for this relationship to end.
The consensus with Kentucky basketball fans isn’t necessarily anger towards Calipari, but more-so a sadness because things weren’t always this way.
In five of his first six seasons at Kentucky, Calipari led the Wildcats to a national title, three Final Fours and an Elite Eight. He had saved Big Blue Nation from the dark days of Billy Gillispie.
It started in 2010 when Calipari introduced John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe at Big Blue Madness and won the program’s first SEC championship game in six years.
Then, in 2011, he led Brandon Knight and fan-favorite Josh “Jorts” Harrellson to a second consecutive SEC championship and the program’s first Final Four appearance since 1998.
In 2012, Calipari, Anthony Davis and company fell just short of a three-peat in the SEC championship but the Wildcats went on to win their eighth national championship title in a Blue Blood classic against Kansas.
In 2013, top-recruit Nerlens Noel suffered a season-ending knee injury that derailed the Wildcats’ hopes of a NCAA tournament appearance.
However, it took just one season for Calipari to get right back on track when Kentucky made a magical run to the National Championship game before the fire finally went out against UConn.
In 2015, he picked right back up where he left off with arguably the greatest Kentucky team of all time, leading the Wildcats to a 38-0 season and SEC championship before a heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin in the Final Four.
Back-to-back heartbreaking endings to the postseason were hard to stomach, but that didn’t defer Calipari from trucking on. Second-year star Tyler Ulis and standout freshman Jamal Murray led the Wildcats to another SEC championship before flaming out early in the NCAA Tournament.
In 2017, the trio of De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Bam Adebayo were playing like the best team in the country. They completed the program’s three-peat with a SEC championship but were dealt yet another heartbreaking exit from the NCAA Tournament as North Carolina’s Luke Maye swished one at the buzzer in the Elite Eight.
In 2018, Kentucky brought home yet another SEC Championship win behind the efforts of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company before flaming out in the Sweet Sixteen to Kansas State.
Kentucky fans enjoyed an eight year stretch of glory.
But since then, Kentucky basketball has been a shell of itself. In fact, the program of the last five years is hardly recognizable. So much so that it’s hard to see a path where Calipari and Kentucky can move forward together.
If Kentucky does divorce from Calipari, remember to look back at the entire ride he gave Big Blue Nation.
Because while the last five years have been rough, Calipari also gave this generation of Kentucky fans an eight year stretch they may never see again.
54 Responses
ENOUGH ALREADY! EITHER THE FRAUD RESIGNS OR FIRE HIS ASS!!!
Get Kenny Payne up there dumbass
Yes!! Since Kenny Payne left, there has been a great deal of losses.
Yep that’s the answer….yea let’s player a 6 year. 25 yr old man against 19 yr old young men.. I’m saying that wreplayed bad…but really you want to firer a coach for that… uall are a bunch of crazy ass fans….and to be honest why did 6 other sec teams not make it in the 1st round. I’m a KY FAN.. 2 of my children went there and graduated…I but would not turn my back on any of them…I’m sad for the players but growing up is hard. I’m just so ashamed of the weekend fans and for KY. WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE…..
Thank you…there is a sane person that posts!
A coach would want to be at Kentucky to have the support and facilities that exist in Kentucky the program. A coach that is winning LOVES the Kentucky fan base. Only losing coaches can’t get along with the Kentucky fan base. And only fans of losing coaches make the tired, stupid argument that no coach or player would want to be at Kentucky.
Kentucky successfully hired coaches after Rupp, Hall, Sutton, Pitino, Smith and Gillispie.
Hall, Pitino, Smith and Calipari brought huge success to the program. Each won a National Championship.
Only Sutton and Gillispie were failures. Both had issues that caused them to lose the job. Addiction, in both cases.
Kentucky has had 6 coaches since Rupp left. Four brought National Championships.
That’s a pretty good clip.
It’s time to get a new coach.
I’m sure another coach can win another NCAA Championship at Kentucky.
Stop being fearful.
Cal no longer has the fire.
He wants to help the kids become millionaires. He can do that in some other capacity. He can no longer do that AND be the Coach at Kentucky. His formula stopped working and he can’t see it.
It’s time to separate. It’s past time. It should have happened in 2017. Instead, Barnhart operated out of fear and gave Cal a lifetime contract that he and no other deserve.
Get the money and get it done.
Get Cal moving on.
Get a new coach to start the process of bringing Kentucky back to prominence.
Jay Wright
He might be my first phone call if it hasn’t already been made. He would then be an even better WILDCAT!
Jay Wright would be better than his commercials. Ugh.
We need more defense and offense we need to be on point on the whole situation don’t get dum out we have next time or sometime in the road
The media needs to leave our coach alone. We still love him
My sentiments exactly. The media hype behind Cal and our program is nauseating. Cal needs to stay and develop his players. I remember a statement someone said once, ‘Any team can win over any other team on any given night.’ I don’t recall who said that, it may have been Pitino. I was in school at KY when he was hired after "the scandal.’ We lived through that didn’t we? Look, sometimes shots don’t go as planned, Shepherd fell, etc. We’d still be in this thing if it was meant to be. People say, ‘Well the Capt. must go down with the ship.’ I say, THIS IS KENTUCKY BASkETBALL PEOPLE AND I DON’T BELIEVE WE’RE SINKING!!!!🏀
Thanks for taking the time to share Sandra
Got that right
I agree with you!
Amen, leave Cal alone and move on.
Shouldn’t hired em in the first place my opinion
You have to think too. If cal goes his team of players are going too. They love their coach and we will have to start all over. Our new recruit will probably back out too. So they are more involved than just getting rid of Cal. They should put him on probation for next season and hopefully our players will come back.
YES!!!!!
I say one more year. Calipari is a great recruiter. No one can get the players that he gets. With that said, as a former high school coach of over 30 years, and yes I know high school is not college, but basketball is basketball and I do see areas that need improvement. Rebounding: there is too much ball watching on shots. Defense: on the ball defense is really bad and weak side help and rotation is worse. You have to be paranoid and know where your man is and weak side men are all the time. Alway point man and ball. Close out of shooters. Don’t jump close out on the floor. Offense: we need a post that can score. We were too one dimensional. If we were hitting 3’s we won.!if not we struggled. You have to score in the post. Too much hurry at the rim. Be quick but don’t hurry. Make the easy play. Youth is a problem. Hopefully we can get some good tough transfers to give us more experience. We have to score through contact. We can’t get pushed around. Losing Calipari will solve nothing. Winning championships is tough. Coach K coached for 40 years and only won 5 and he had great players. So take a deep breath because there is always next year and if we make a deep run next year all this talk will die down for most fans. Some will never be satisfied unless we win every year. I feel that this drought will end next year.
Well said Coach Edwards! I have been asking all along what this coaching staff does during the week with BB 101 and apparently Cali-Fraudi’s stubbornness and selfishness rears its ugly head once again as he overrides anything that they say or might make sense.
Thank you John, and thank you Dave K for both pointing out good, cold-hard truths that so many people still seem afraid to face after now 4 straight years of total, complete, and unacceptable failing basketball at KY. In the end, the head coach is responsible for the results at any program, and the results since 2019 are not winning results and they are not satisfactory results. I have been on this site all winter and had to basically just talk down like a big baby imbecile to people because all you would see is people who defend CAL and still want him here lashing out at others who DONT still want him here, all because we had a difference of opinion and because we would just point out the facts. It’s funny how none of those people are to be found now. I know they still want him here–CAL could not win any games at KY and they would still want him here, but that’s ok, they’re entitled to their opinion just as I am entitled to mine, but like Dave said, fans of losing coaches don’t help the situation AT ALL, because when you’re a fan of a losing coach, your outlooks become losing in nature as well–thinking that no one else out there would want the job, or that we wouldnt be able to attract anyone "better". Better? Better than what? Better than winning one SEC and one NCAA game in 5 years? I would bet my life right now that WHOEVER would be hired at KY–i don’t even need a prospective name–would win one game in each tournament in a 5-yr period. I would love to ask these fans what it is they believe a new coach WOULDNT be able to accomplish at KY. KY is KY–122 yrs in existence, 7 coaches in the last 100, and 5 of them won championships. As Dave said, the only 2 who didn’t measure up with results failed Todo so because of personal demons. This is exactly where CAL has lost the fan base and lost me–believing he is bigger than the fan base, bigger than KY, bigger than the athletic dept, bigger than the president, bigger than the state! And I have seen the way he has changed since COVID–he is not the same man or same coach the last 4 seasons as from 2010 to 2019. At minimum, he could have easily been canned over just delivering the worst record in school history: 9-16. The only reason that was excused the way it was is because of COVID. and then in that same season, he goes all political and social justice warrior and pulls the kneeling incident–and I have been completely finished with him ever since that season. Everything that happened that year was all I ever needed to see out of him and all I needed to know. I have felt the last 4 yrs the same way everybody claims they feel today. And then these three consecutive SEC and NCAA tournament performances are all just proof in that pudding. The man simply does not care about or put a priority on winning basketball games for the University of Kentucky, plain and simple, and doesn’t the bball program just deserve that? And this shows up every year in the form of lack of team preparation, lack of in-game coaching ability, lack of adjustments, lack of awareness, lack of tact and respect, lack of team attitude, and lack of hard work. How much time do you honestly believe CAL and the teams spend in the gym, working on their game, working on strategies and matchups, watching film…….Seth Greenberg was saying how CAL needs to get back to old school CAL and old school CAL players, when he and they were both tough and fierce competitors, and he had guys who were physical, tenacious competitors who could play defense and rebound–which i agree with him on that–but that CAL is gone. And it’s too late for that kind of conversation anyway– we should have been having that, at the very LATEST, two years ago after the St Peters loss. And I actually foolishly thought maybe he was at least trying to get back to that over the summer with this year’s group–when I saw the efforts he made with this team he assembled and the way they started playing right out of the gate, I was cool with giving him one more chance for a full season to prove himself once again with a "CAL-type team". This was my final "prove-it-year-for-CAL for me. But I knew after the loss at home to UNC WILM that his curse was still alive and well–i was still willing to let the season finish out before bringing full judgment–but I knew then that things still weren’t right. And knew they were never gonna be. CAL has had more than enough opportunities and chances these last 4 seasons to prove he is still worthy of the KY job. And has been given a multitude of excuses by the fans since COVID for all the miserable failings and performances. And I’m glad in hindsight that he has gotten all 4 yrs because the track record, the patterns, and the trends have been consistent and have proven themselves out. And he has tried it multiple ways too–he got two years with super freshman classes, and two yrs with older, experienced vets & transfer portal guys–and all the results, trends, and patterns are the same in both cases. There is only one common denominator. You cannot justify keeping a coach who has publicly said "my job here is not to win championships, it is to change young men’s and families’ lives and make NBA draft dreams come true." That alone should bring a firing of any KY coach just making that statement. This man truly believes he is GOD. And he operates with that mentality in everything that he does. And let’s remember, his last 4 years are worse than what Gillispie accomplished in his two. And his last 9 seasons, beginning with 2015-16, he hasn’t accomplished anything more than what Tubby did after the ’98 championship. In the last 9 seasons, the BEST Cal has served up is two Elite 8s, one Sweet 16, and three SEC Tournament championships–and that was all done from 2016 to 2019. What has transpired since after 2019 is NOT KY BALL, and not KY BBALL-caliber. Unfortunately, as much as I hate saying it and thinking about it, I don’t think anything is going to change still at least for now. I think on Mon we r going to get some chicken-sh** half-hearted public statement from Barnhart telling us that he understands that the fans are upset and disappointed, and that it has been a disappointing weekend for all of us, and disappointing finish to the season for the team, and that he wants what is best for the bball program, and that he and CAL sat down over the weekend, and discussed the state of the program and his future, and that "a list of needed improvements for the bball program were laid out for CAL, and that he must address and follow stated improvements beginning with next season, then stated list will be tracked and reviewed upon with him at the end of each season going fwd"……I mean, doesn’t that just sound like a classic Mitch Barnhart statement and classic Mitch Barnhart move? I mean, I could just about write the entire statement before it comes out and I wouldn’t be that far off. I have listened to this half hearted, weak, spineless AD for over 20 yrs, and have listened to countless statements, just like that, made in that time period, and I am just as over him too as I am CAL. I am over the entire athletic program at KY all the way up to the president. They have all sold their souls out for woke political agendas. And unfortunately, our beloved bball program has suffered as a result of that more than any of the other blueblood programs because the coach supports and encourages that same agenda, and he directs and manages the bball program with that agenda at the forefront. His whole "getting kids to the league" is all about making himself look good In the eyes of the people who support same said causes. He has completely alienated and separated himself from the actual KY bball community which was not the case prior to COVID–and so UK needs to separate from him. The sad part is UK has forgotten everything that ACTUALLY IS UK since COVID as well. And it’s not about COVID–its about college sports as a whole going political and selling itself out to NIL and transfer portal. But in spite of that, turn on the NCAA tournament and u will still see many college bball players and coaches competing to accomplish the primary objective of why u play and coach: TO WIN. THATS what CAL has abandoned and left behind for us to pick up and rescue. And THATS why he should be removed IMMEDIATELY. I can only hope that I am wrong about my prediction. Unfortunately, the biggest mistake in the history of college athletics was made in June of 2019. And since that contract, the highlights for KY ball have been a Champions Classic win over Mich St, a road win at Kansas, two road wins over TN, two road wins at AUB, one SEC Tournament win over Vandy, and one NCAA tournament first Rd win over Providence. And now 5 years after the contract, this fan base and this basketball program are the ones paying the deepest heaviest price that could ever be paid for it. And I know that realistically, college sports are about money. But u know what? For everything this fan base has been through in 5 years and for all of the disrespect and tasteless bullshit that has been leveled at us by the coach in that time, Mitch, YOU OWE IT TO THIS FAN BASE TO "PONY UP" THAT 35 MILLION DOLLARS!!!! Because what this program and this fan base has lost is actually priceless–so it should be worth at least 35 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!
FREE BBN—FIRE CAL NOW!!!!
Thank you for filling in the holes I was missing. So a social agenda has been the mission these last five years, not championships. You certainly explained this situation quite well.
That social mission has been his mission since he arrived in 2009.
Nothing has changed.
Yes, he was able to have some success with his priorities in his early years, but the approach was never sustainable. After he claimed a NCAA championship in 2012, he literally got his name on the door, and in his world, he was done except for being this rick social warrior.
THE FRAUD IS A CANCER ON THIS PROGRAM!!!!!!
Maybe take a break from the Fox News
Wow…Thank you, James! There were a lot of great points made, none of which are untrue…but factually very much on point. Cal needs to go! He’s more worried about helping players advance to the NBA…it is not about winning anymore. FIRE HIM!
Coach Cal is a great coach . He has been great for our basketball program. He can’t shoot the shots for his team . Two of his top rookie athletes had bad games . These comments are ridiculous. Any team out there would love to have him as their coach . Besides what are we going to do, go back to Gillespie and lose . Cal is a winner and we should retain him . He knows the game has changed and he will do what’s best for our team to be successful.
Get rid of coach Cal .I will change teams been a Kentucky fan all my life
Understand Kansas may be looking for a new coach. Good
job for Cal?
Larry, I was thinking the same thing last night and seriously considered planting that rumor that they both had excepted changes of scenery. At least they could both lay claim to having the most victories on their resumes.
So true are people going off the rail in Kansas????????????????
Fans don’t fire coaches and positive comments wants keep them. We had no control over hiring Cal and so many fans love to play the get rid of him talk. I’ve been a fan for 46 years and I support not turn my back on any coach. When Cal or Mitch decide it’s over then it over. Whining and complaining won’t change anything. We’ve been blessed since Cal has been here and we’ll be blessed after he’s gone. He deserves to leave when he wants and that’s all I’m saying. He’s in a 5 year slump and that sucks real bad, but to oust him now because of it, wouldn’t fair well when looking for another coach. If Cal and Mitch do this right, we’ll get the perfect coach to carry on the best tradition in college basketball but if it’s done wrong, we’ll suffer from it for 3 to 4 years down the road.
ABC—Anybody But CAL. Why does anybody think anything will be better next year? THIS was the year. Everybody said so at the end of last year, last summer, last fall—THIS WAS IT. CAL finally had "his kind of team". So give him one more year. Now we say oh well he needs to get an older team. We just went thru that the previous two years. And most of that team next year ain’t gonna be young! But next year, after the SEC and NCAA streak extends to SIX YEARS, u all will be saying "aww give him one more year". And u say "oh no we won’t, that’ll be it!!" Here’s a question: if I had told anybody here last OCT based on the constructed roster that they would lose 10 games, 4 of them at RUPP, and go winless in SEC and NCAA tournament play, every one of y’all would have said "oh no way he survives that, and no way that he should". Again, I say how much worse do u think somebody else is going to do? Do u think "Anybody Else" wouldn’t at least go 9-16? Do u think "Anybody Else" would do worse than going winless in March? For those of you who want this guy back, I hope they go 9-16 again next year, or better yet, winless across the board. You all deserve the worst of results for continuing to welcome back year after year the worst in coaching, the worst in PR and media relations, the very worst in fan relations, the worst in athletic admin relations, and the worst at being the leader and ambassador of a program, and being a leader who shows a little bit of humility and graciousness towards those who pay his salary and who allow him to continue to occupy the greatest seat in college bball, and taking some genuine responsibility and accountability for his own job and for the program that he runs, and the kids that he coaches–those are the qualities and traits of a true leader and a true ambassador. It amazes me how many people still want him here and will continue to support him. More so, it amazes me how many people just still LIKE HIM!!!! Tell me, what is there to LIKE??? What is it u find so attractive about him? If u like a guy like him that much, that tells me more about YOU than HIM!!!
Get Rick P. back he wants to retire at UK.
No
I think that it’s time to start coaching for UK and quit worrying about these kids and their NBA careers because if they have the talent the NBA scouts will see that it’s time to completely quit talking NBA crap that isn’t giving UK one win what good has it done UK
Lets get Mark Few he’s the most consistent coach and has high school facilities imagine what he could do at Kentucky. I think in 5 years we make at least 3 final fours and probably 2 championships. bring Mark Few to Lexington please!!
It’s unreal, there was a time Cal could have ran for governor and won hands down, but his major critics now are the ones that raised a stink over players taking a knee, main reason people are out with Cal. People don’t realize that belittling or team and coaches hurts self confidence especially in these young kids. I’d rather trust Kentucky basketball to Cal than I would our country to someone that’s an insurrection with no respect for our constitution and calls our vets losers
This a sports forum not a political forum
It’s interesting you didn’t point that out previously. Guess only some people get to speak.
We really need a Coach that puts KY Basketball first and the fans! I am not worried about the NBA and how many players we have playing there! I am wanting SEC Conference Championships and tournament championships! Could care less about the NBA! Want players that want to stay and get better!
So we get rid of a coach with all the qualifications Ky needs! How about this scenario… he leaves and goes to another great college, recruits as usual and his new team destroys Ky … not a good thought but a realistic one! And devastating to big blue fan base!
Cal is a great coach. Why do we as fans that we should win every game and get championships every year? It would be impossible and I don’t care what coach you get will not do the above that I just mention. Let coach Cal do his thing. He has did a lot for people and the community. We Kentucky fans are never satisfied. I love Coach Cal and I hope he stays. Love this man. He is a genuine person. I don’t think God could satisfy some of the Ky fans.
When he first came to UK Calipari talked about the last few Smith and The Gillispie years. His comments was those years did not measure up to UK standards. His results the last 4 yrs are worse. He said UK basketball was the GOLD STANDARD. Have we been anything close to that? The man cares more about nba picks than winning games. Once he signed that contract he quit caring about UK and the results prove it. It is time for change. Who the next coach would be is anyone’s guess. My pick won’t be popular but I remember an 8 yr run that saw some of the greatest basketball ever witnessed at UK. That coach was Rick Pitino. Some say hell no but the man can coach. His teams played defense played hard and won. Hell maybe Reed would stay just to play for his dad’s coach.
First, I can easily imagine this happening: After women’s basketball coach Kyra Elzy was fired, she could have stopped by Coach Cal’s office and asked plaintively "Whose ass do you have to kiss to keep your job around here, anyway? Because it’s obvious you know that much even if you’ve long since forgot how to prepare your team to play against what should be an underdog one-and-done team. And, yes, the irony of that phrase was intentional." Remember, Coach Elzy had a long track record with UK, including 8 years as an asss’t coach. No one moaned and cried and sweated firing her outright for having what would have been a dramatic improvement over Coach Cal’s record over that same period of time. Still don’t wanna fire Coach Cal?Then fire the dumbass AD who got drunk with Billy G, then hired him when he should have hired Travis Ford. Now hire Coach Cal as the new AD, and he can keep recruiting all those great players, maybe for all the school’s other sports as well as the men’s basketball team.
Is it possible that KY basketball could return to the great program it used to be. POSSIBLE IF CAL WOULD CHANGE AND COACH THEY WAY HE ONCE DID. HOWEVER…. WILL HE DO IT!!!!
Good question Don
Pitino said leaving ky bball was a mistake. Bring him back. He would probably coach for free. Screw the NBA
Boycott the THE RUPP ARENA!
CAL! MUST GO! NO MATTER WHAT THE COST, FIRE THE NO BRAIN MAN.
No real way to boycott until next season
Get read coach Cal them we can be UofL for the last two years Cal
Keep coach Cal we don’t want to be like UofL for the last 2years
I would love to see Cal move into the Special Assistant AD positition as soon as possible. He has done a lot of great things for UK and could continue helping the university and the state in that position. He would also still be a draw for high level talent. And, I doubt if he has more than 3 to 5 years left coaching, even if a perfect storm starts happening this coming year. Then, I would do whatever is needed to get Brad Stevens as head coach. He’s still young enough for at least 20 years coaching and demonstrated successful abilities at the college and NBA levels. My second choice would be Scott Drew. Unfortunately, the timing for that to happen has bad timing during the year for Cal to change positions and not disrupt where the team is at when it might happen. I think it’s April 15th when he can give notice but a few months later before it would become effective? But, a contract can easily be modified if both parties agree. Just my thoughts on how to get Big Blue rolling and strolling through all competition ASAP!
interesting thoughts Lynn but Cal wants to coach and still believes he can win a title
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