Kentucky’s basketball coach, John Calipari, will continue coaching the Wildcats for another season in 2024-25, as confirmed by the school’s athletic director, Mitch Barnhart.
There was speculation that Calipari might leave after the Wildcats’ unexpected loss to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament, but Barnhart stated that they decided to keep him after discussing the team’s direction.
While Calipari has recruited top talent to Kentucky, the team’s performance on the court hasn’t met the program’s high standards in recent years. They’ve had disappointing exits from the NCAA Tournament, failing to make it past the second round in 2023 and losing in the first round in 2022. They didn’t even qualify for the tournament in 2021.
Although Kentucky reached the Elite Eight in 2019, they haven’t made it to the Final Four since 2014 and 2015 when they won the national title. The lack of recent success has led to calls for Calipari’s removal from some fans and media members.
Some critics, like former coach Jay Wright, have questioned Calipari’s strategy of recruiting one-and-done freshmen. They believe that playing against older, more experienced players has become increasingly challenging for young teams like Kentucky.
Despite the criticism, Calipari’s contract includes a buyout of $33 million. Kentucky is bringing in another highly ranked recruiting class in 2024, which may have influenced the decision to keep Calipari. This class includes talented players like Jayden Quaintance and Boogie Fland.
In his 15 seasons at Kentucky, Calipari has amassed a record of 410 wins and 122 losses. However, the Wildcats haven’t won the SEC since the 2019-20 season.
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