Calipari, Hardaway speak on Memphis, Arkansas charity exhibition game

Less than a year after Arkansas coach John Calipari returned to Kentucky after 15 seasons as the head coach there, he'll be making another return to one of his former stops.

Arkansas formally announced a charity exhibition against the Memphis Tigers Oct. 27 at the Fedex Forum in Memphis, which served as his home floor from 2000-09 before he left to take the job at Kentucky.

Memphis Tigers coach John Calipari talks with forward Joey Dorsey (3) during the second half of the finals of the 2008 NCAA Mens Final Four Championship against the Kansas Jayhawks at the Alamodome. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The exhibition, which will be part of a doubleheader that also features a women's game between Memphis and Vanderbilt, is a charity fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Both coaches made it clear that one of the key cogs in putting the event together is the philanthropic element of the game. Tuesday's press conference in Memphis featured children who have directly benefited from St. Jude asking questions before the working media asked questions.

"This is bigger than the game," Calipari said. " This is about what we all can do for St. Jude. This is also about what we can do for the University of Memphis and what we can do for this great city. "

Penny Hardaway, the coach at Memphis since 2018 and someone who was born in the city, echoed the same sentiments.

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway smiles during a press conference for the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic at FedExForum. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I would hope that watching this game they would understand that it's bigger than basketball,” Hardaway said. “It's about the research hospital, and that St. Jude’s Children's Research Hospital is an awesome place that loves on children and gives them opportunities to live their life long term.”

The history of Calipari at Memphis isn't lost on anyone either. John Calipari is the school's all-time leader in on-court wins with 252 across his nine seasons. His 2007-2008 wins were vacated due to an NCAA investigation, but many of those players will be honored at the exhibition.

"it's about all the former players," Hardaway said. "I'm born and raised in Memphis. I understand what Cal did for this city. He and I have a really good relationship, so it's never been anything, me versus him. It's always been together.

“So this game was even bigger than basketball, because for him to come back and to see all these former players and a lot of people in the stands that helped him build a program, it was important for us to get Arkansas."

While Hardaway said that the Razorbacks were the "first, second and third choice" for this particular game, both coaches played coy about playing in the regular season. Calipari even jokingly called a reporter a "plant" when the subject of a potential home-and-home was brought up.

"One of the reasons we wanted to do this is to see where this goes." Calipari said.

Calipari took the Tigers to four Sweet 16s, including a Final Four in 2005. The game will not count towards the series history, which will remain deadlocked at 11. Calipari faced the Hogs three times while the coach at Memphis, going 1-2.

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