‘It needs to be over.’ What the national media is saying about Calipari’s future at UK.

Dennis Varney

After Thursday night’s NCAA Tournament upset against Oakland, John Calipari offered up an apology to the Big Blue Nation:

“This team, I really felt, could have done so much more and our fans were here again. I just — I feel bad for our fans. … These kids — they know they’re playing for these fans and our fans, who are the best in the country. They travel; they’re everywhere. And I imagine they’re hurting like we are hurting.”

Based on social media reaction, it wasn’t enough to console the BBN.

The most vocal part of the fan base clearly wants Calipari out after 15 seasons as UK’s head coach.

And much of the national media seems to agree that it’s time for a parting of the ways.

Here’s some of the reaction from across the country after the Wildcats’ 80-76 loss to the Golden Grizzlies in the round of 64:

Matt Norlander, CBS Sports: “One thing that is inescapably true: The fan base is done and they are not coming back. A loss like this is it. Calipari will not be able to woo or talk his way back into the good graces of Kentucky’s base. On that front, it’s over.

“A large portion of Big Blue Nation has been fed up since the Saint Peter’s loss. The Oakland debacle is going to pull just about everyone over to that side. If Calipari can’t be paid out, what is the solution? This is KENTUCKY. The longer this goes on, the more toxic it will get. I would argue that things can get worse than how it seems in the heat of the loss, because there’s one potential future that mostly includes bitterness, apathy and fatigue.”

Kyle Tucker, The Athletic: “The question Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart must now answer is as simple as it is complicated: What is the price of the program’s dignity? What’s it worth to expel a Hall of Fame coach who can neither recapture the magic nor ever offer even a coherent theory as to why? What would the Wildcats be willing to pay for, say, more than one NCAA Tournament victory in the last four years? And is the obscene $33 million buyout in John Calipari’s albatross of a ‘lifetime’ contract too much?”

Dan Wolken, USA Today: “At some point in the next few days, John Calipari and Kentucky officials need to get in a room, lock the door and agree not to come out until they’ve reached a number that will end this agony. It’s over. It needs to be over. It’s time for college basketball’s premier program and the sport’s most underachieving coach to go their separate ways and do something different.”

Stephen A. Smith, ESPN: “You are a great coach who knows how to win basketball games. And perhaps the problem is, you’ve gotten soft because you got so caught up in bringing these young kids and prioritizing being a father figure to these guys … that in the process … you haven’t prioritized doing what it takes to win. …”

Jeff Borzello, ESPN: “The challenge is who to turn to after Calipari. Baylor’s Scott Drew just announced he was staying at Baylor after Louisville knocked on his door for its current opening; Alabama’s Nate Oats just signed an extension with a huge buyout; Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger would cost about $18 million to poach; UConn’s Dan Hurley probably isn’t leaving Storrs. Does Kentucky make a run at someone like Billy Donovan?”

If Kentucky wanted to move on from the John Calipari era, the university would owe the Hall of Fame coach 75% of his remaining salary. That total would be around $33.4 million.
If Kentucky wanted to move on from the John Calipari era, the university would owe the Hall of Fame coach 75% of his remaining salary. That total would be around $33.4 million.

Jay Bilas, ESPN: “They’re a very vocal fan base. They know the game. And they expect to win. … He’s not going anywhere ‘cause they’d have to buy him out at $33 million. He’s got a lifetime contract. So he’s not going anywhere.”

Myron Medcalf, ESPN: “Calipari has dominated the one-and-done landscape and attracted both top high school recruits and elite transfers. With NIL and the portal, however, even the blue bloods aren’t safe. The Wildcats would need a coach who has somehow been able to navigate the rapidly changing landscape. There’s no clear replacement who can both duplicate Calipari’s success and handle the pressure of coaching in Lexington.”

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