Calipari, Razorbacks Perfect For Each Other Even When Kentucky Scoffed at Move

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — John Calipari has always been the brand.

For 16 years at Kentucky, a blue blood in every form and fashion, the lights of Rupp Arena were brighter than ever because of the aura its Naismith Hall of Fame coach brought to the program.

The Pennsylvania native cut his teeth in the coaching ranks by surrounding himself with other legends at the 5-Star Basketball Camp started up by Howard Garfinkel, Will Klein and Roy Rubin. It was there Calipari made connections with the likes of Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, Hubie Brown, Mike Krzyzewski and many more.

During his climb as an assistant at Kansas under Larry Brown to getting his first job at an also-ran turned NCAA Final Four program in UMass, Calipari has spent his whole life grinding to be at the top of his profession.

From the peaks of three championship game appearances between Memphis and Kentucky, he's done it all in the sport. Calipari reached the 900 on-court win threshold earlier this month and brings his legendary career to Arkansas where he's raising the expectations from making the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament to potential championship contenders.

He challenged his team this season with arguably the hardest schedule in college basketball history by facing every team from last year's Elite Eight.

There were moments this season where it didn't appear Arkansas was going to have the horses to make a run. Back-to-back road losses to SEC foes Auburn and Georgia put a bad taste in the mouth of Razorback fans.

Others who follow the sport closely probably thought it's going to be another one of those one-and-done years for Calipari in the NCAA Tournament. Yet, the Razorbacks find themselves firmly in the field as a possible No. 4 seed.

That's the exact type of vibe award-winning ESPN reporter and radio host Ryan McGee got when gauging the pulse around Arkansas earlier this season.

"Back in the wintertime there was a lot of disgruntlement about whether this was a good move for Arkansas and Coach [Calipari]," McGee said during his SEC Network radio show Marty & McGee Saturday morning. "There they sit, not just going to be in the tournament, but a high seed and that's just what the man does."

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari talks with guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) during a time out against the Oklahoma Sooners during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

That's right. All Calipari has done his entire career is win.

Maybe it hasn't been at the highest of clips considering the talent level he recruited to Kentucky for years, but basketball is one of the hardest sports to win a championship in, especially in a single-elimination tournament setting where dozens of factors go into whether your team wins.

There was certainly doubt around the country about Calipari's stunning move to leave Lexington after a nearly 20 year reign head down the road to Arkansas. With Razorbacks booster and dear friend John Tyson laying a prosperous offer on the table for him, it was an opportunity for the coaching legend to get off the open flame spit, and still have the resources to compete for a national title.

"You throw that money at Arkansas, throw that money at Coach Cal for one reason — to hire him away from Kentucky," McGee said. "That's because you want to be back in the national conversation. That's exactly where Arkansas is as they face underdog Ole Miss for the chance to make the finals of the SEC Tournament. That's just what he does and it looks like he's having a really good time."

McGee's co-host Marty Smith got in on the conversation about how Calipari's healthy break-up from Kentucky allowed him to experience a "rebirth" of sorts coming to Arkansas.

"He's a Hall of Famer," Smith said. "He's said for years, 'My job is to win basketball games and get you guys to the league. He's done a tremendous job of that. Toward the end of his tenure at Kentucky it got really bad. There was a lot of fans disgruntled, Coach Cal was frustrated. It went both ways. It was a healthy departure for him to go down to Fayetteville.

"He's going to win a lot there, too. [Arkansas] is a major problem when we get into the NCAA Tournament. They have talent everywhere. I love the brand of basketball they play. They are so fun to watch. I know he's having fun. It's almost like a rebirth for him. They have nothing but money down there to recruit talent just as he did at Kentucky."

Of course the expectations are going to be high when throwing as much money at a program as Arkansas has. Calipari certainly understands that and has brought his philosophy of recruiting men to the Razorbacks to impact their lives and also win at a high level.

He has shown his brand remains strong. His history of developing guards and sending them to the NBA is at a higher rate than any other active coach.

That is why Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas signed with Arkansas.

Calipari's brand is why Jordan Smith, the No. 2 player in the nation, signed with the Razorbacks for next season. He has been afforded the resources to not only win, but have fun doing it again without having every aspect of his job held under a microscope by each move.

For much of his career, Calipari has been defined by the pressure that comes with coaching at the sport’s most visible programs.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 105-85. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

At Kentucky, every win was expected and every loss magnified. The weight of such expectations eventually created an environment where even a Hall of Fame résumé wasn’t enough to quiet the noise from the Wildcat faithful

Arkansas has given him something different. Although the expectations remain sky high, the energy around the Razorbacks program likely brings him some relief, allowing him to work and coach a team his way.

The Razorbacks were brought back to the national stage under Eric Musselman, and Calipari's hiring kept them squarely in the national conversation for years to come. That's what Arkansas wanted and that's exactly what it's getting.

The Hogs look to make a run to the SEC Tournament championship game Sunday, and there will be plenty of national spotlight on Calipari to get it done.

And if the last few months have proven anything, it’s that Calipari didn’t come to Arkansas to slow down, but start another chapter in his storybook coaching career.

It's a place where the Razorbacks brand is recognizable enough to sit at the table with other national powers. For Calipari, Arkansas is a place where expectations remain enormous and the wins, just like they have for nearly four decades, can keep coming.

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