John Calipari at Arkansas: Sam Pittman, CBB experts share expectations for Razorbacks basketball under Calipari
John Calipari is reportedly in line to be the next head basketball coach at Arkansas.
Okay, the cat is definitely out of the bag, and Calipari has already announced that he is indeed leaving Kentucky. But, as of Tuesday night, Arkansas has not officially announced the move, and it looks like the formal move is being lined up for Wednesday.
With that move all lined up (and Kentucky looking for a new head coach), expectations for Calipari at Arkansas have begun to surface from various places. While CBS Sports analyst Seth Davis did not get into specific expectations, he did label the move as good for everyone involved, including college basketball.
“Arkansas gets a great coach and a fresh start… It’s good for Calipari, and frankly, it’s good for college basketball,” said Davis in an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
Davis included in his comments the fact that Kentucky looking for a new head coach and a fresh start is an intriguing angle for the offseason. He also reiterated that 15 years, the length of time Calipari spent with the Wildcats, is a long time for any head coach in this era.
Sam Pittman was even asked about the job search at a recent press conference. He expressed confidence in AD Hunter Yurachek and referenced reports that Calipari is the guy.
“I don’t know him well, but if he is the coach we probably hit a pretty good home run,” said Pittman. “Maybe even a grand slam.”
It’s hard to deny the level of excitement sweeping through Fayetteville right now after landing a coach of Calipari’s stature. Ever since the end of the Nolan Richardson era, Arkansas’ head basketball coaches have come to the program from stops at Kent State (Stan Heath), South Alabama (John Pelphrey), Missouri (Mike Anderson) and Nevada (Eric Musselman).
Every coach on that list led Arkansas to the NCAA Tournament, but getting back to the Final Four has not been achieved since Richardson. That makes landing the active head coach at Kentucky, even with a growing sense of pressure in Lexington, arguably the best moment for the Razorbacks since the turn of the century.
As for what to expect, ESPN’s Seth Greenberg actually predicts a swift turnaround for the Razorbacks. He expects the Razorbacks to see the Final Four within the next 3 years.
“I predict, in the next three years, he will be in a Final Four.”@SethOnHoops on John Calipari in Arkansas ? pic.twitter.com/SAMx76Px8g
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 9, 2024
RELATED: Looking to get in on the wave of Daily Fantasy Sports during baseball season? SDS has compiled our favorite DFS apps in one convenient location to help get you started!
Can Calipari lead Arkansas to a breakthrough?
Arkansas has a once proud basketball program from the time of Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson that spanned from the late 1970s all the way through the late 1990s with a national title in 1994. Unfortunately, the Razorbacks have not experienced much late-season success in the 2+ decades since, and it appeared Musselman may be the figure to deliver a breakthrough.
After back-to-back Elite 8 appearances and 3 consecutive Sweet 16s, Musselman’s group underwhelmed with a sub-.500 record this season. He also took the opportunity to head back to the West Coast via the USC job, spurring the job search that has landed Calipari.
Landing Calipari, even with his recent string of early exits at Kentucky, brings elite expectations that Arkansas can return to the ranks of the elite programs. Calipari has 6 career trips to the Final Four at 3 different programs and one national title while with the Wildcats.
No matter how you look at the move, Calipari is a proven winner, and it looks like has been given the necessary resources to deliver the desired results in Fayetteville.
On the front end, I realize we are getting the Cal “Brand” first & foremost…I was VERY DISAPPOINTED in Muss-one bad seasons & runs away-he was a good coach, but TOO QUIRKY for me (taking the shirt off, etc.) Cal is class, is he arrogant? Yes, but cool, he will bring in players? (of which we (Ark) currently has ZERO)..Yes, he will but what a lot of folks are missing is this: The expectations for Cal will be so much LOWER at Ark….we want to be competitive, be ranked (somewhere) & make the tournament each year…if Cal delivers this (I am thinking he will during year 1), Arky will build a STATUE for him on campus. This is not brain surgery-Cal is a total UPGRADE over Muss & he will deliver in the short term very soon….it is NOT out of the realm of possibilities that Cal will coach-up a future Final 4 team either, so that will only enhance what Cal brings to Arkansas…as other have mentioned, it is a Win-Win for both programs, now IF we could only get the same thing in football….
On the front end, I realize we are getting the Cal “Brand” first & foremost…I was VERY DISAPPOINTED in Muss, he had one bad season & then runs away. Muss was a good coach, but TOO QUIRKY for me (taking the shirt off, etc.) Cal is class. Is he arrogant? Yes, but in a cool way…Will he bring in players? (of which we (Ark) currently has ZERO)..Yes, he will but what a lot of folks are missing is this: The expectations for Cal will be so much LOWER at Ark (compared to KY)….Arky wants to be competitive, be ranked (somewhere) & make the tournament each year…if Cal delivers this (I am thinking he will during year 1), Arky will build a STATUE in his honor on campus. This is not brain surgery folk, Cal is a total UPGRADE over Muss & he will deliver in the short term very soon….it is NOT out of the realm of possibilities that Cal will eventually coach-up a future Final 4 team, so that will only enhance what Cal brings to Arkansas…as others have mentioned, it is a Win-Win for both programs, now IF we could only get the same thing in football….
They don’t build statues here. If Nolan Richardson doesn’t get one, no one will
Frank Broyles and John McDonnell would like a word.
If you believe some reports coming out now that Musselman was putting out feelers LAST season, during the season, to move on. If that’s true, Arkansas if fortunate that he’s gone. 13 total conference wins in his last two seasons looks weak. And this past season, you could tell something was not right with his coaching. Talent was there, but never seemed to mesh. In hindsight, Muss had already loaded his bus and headed somewhere, anywhere. I read it even sought the Louisville job which isn’t a step up. But then, neither is the USC job and if he was failing in SEC competition, he’s not going to find a smoother road in the Big Ten. But he would have bailed for a West Coast area job, even a Fresno or a San Jose State. He is a West Coast guy.