Mitch Barnhart is trying to navigate a restless fan base at Kentucky amid a difficult season for John Calipari’s men’s basketball team.

Barnhart, the athletics director at Kentucky, spoke with Matt Jones on Kentucky Sports Radio, via NewsRadio 630 WLAP.

Barnhart repeated said he didn’t want to micro-manage Calipari as issues were raised by Jones from an article written by Kyle Tucker of The Athletic, and deflected questions abut staff changes, or requests for more resources. Barnhart disputed the idea that he told Calipari that he couldn’t apologize after the brouhaha in the summer about Kentucky being a basketball school, or a football school.

“I did say stop the chatter, I didn’t say no one could apologize,” he said.

Barnhart admitted that fans are upset with him, and some wanted him to leave. Barnhart noted that Mark Stoops, Calipari and Barnhart could all leave and work elsewhere, but they haven’t.

“I love this place, I’ve devoted 2 decades of my public life to this place,” he said. “We’ve made a permanent home here.”

About the basketball program overall, following recent losses to South Carolina and Missouri, Barnhart offered his assessment.

“Obviously we all want to win, our coaches are all engaged in that,” he said. “… We’re not where we want to be, no one is. Cal’s a Hall of Fame coach, he’s been unbelievable in the past of finding a way for our team to get better as we go through the season. We’re in a tough stretch right now, we’ve got to find our way through that. I know our coaches and our players are committed.”

Barnhart did not dispute the idea that Calipari has $30 million in pledges that would help build a new practice facility. Barnhart said he believes Calipari has connections to secure those pledges, but there’s a long process to execute facility upgrades, and referred to Title IX, design, state trustees and construction as reasons why there are 18 to 24-month timelines for such a development.

“That’s not my DNA to turn away help or capital construction,” Barnhart said. “… Just because, even if we have pledges in hand, it’s not going to allow you tomorrow to go get a building together and put a shovel in the ground. We’re not against facility expansion.”