John Calipari Looks for 1 Last Hurrah as Arkansas Finally Finds their Man

Eric Musselman and John Calipari came into the 2023-24 season firmly ensconced in their respective head coaching positions at major college programs. This was especially true of Calipari, home at what Rick Pitino once characterized as “the Roman empire of college basketball.” But both coaches underperformed expectations.

Musselman was coming off three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances and four straight winning seasons. His team had a typical mid-season collapse, but this time with no March recovery, ending the year with a record of 16-17. Establishing symmetry between the two not seen at the time, the legendary coach and recruiter in Calipari once again lost in early rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Neither were in much danger of being fired, but things were getting awkward between the coaches and their rabid fan bases. Musselman is an alum of the University of San Diego and Hog fans always suspected that if their coach were to ever leave, it would be for the Pacific Time Zone. The first domino to fall was SMU firing their quite serviceable coach Rob Lanier who took the Mustangs to the NIT in his second season.

The firing was a signal that SMU boosters mean business going into next season, their first in the newly expanded ACC. The Mustangs eventually lured USC Coach Andy Enfield to Dallas, leaving a coaching vacancy in Los Angelos. Naturally, the Arkansas and USC fanbases saw the possible fit for Musselman in L.A., but Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yuracheck wanted to speed the process up with the annual coaching carousel about to begin.

Yurachek took to social media to release a video, edited from Musselman’s early “Muss Buss” days at Arkansas, with an incredulous athletic director adding, “You’re still here?!” Fans initially took it as a sign that their coach was returning, but as the days passed it became clear that Musselman hadn’t approved the video release and hadn’t signed a contract extension. It wouldn’t be long before Musselman announced his departure for Southern Cal.

In the long days after Musselman’s departure, reports indicated that Arkansas tried and failed to lure Chris Beard from Ole Miss and Jerome Tang from Kansas State. Yurachek’s public intervention on social media looked more foolhardy than bold at that point, as the move was seen as shutting the door on a possible return from Musselman, and apparently without a solid Plan B. By then the coaching search was producing names like Will Wade at McNeese State and Bucky McMillan at Samford.

The administration at Kentucky had little leverage with which to fire Calipari, a Hall of Fame coach with a 34 million dollar buyout in the hypothetical event he was fired without cause. Straining to preserve the progress made in the Arkansas program in the Musselman years and with players transferring out by the day, Tyson Chicken magnate and Arkansas donor John Tyson’s relationship with Calipari came into play.

Rumors were initially dismissed but only gained momentum, until eventually media sources universally agreed that Calipari to Arkansas was all but a done deal, sending shock waves through the college basketball commentariat. In his introductory press conference, Calipari said there is work to be done because he’d spoken with the team, and “there is no team,” as so many players have either exhausted their eligibility or entered the transfer portal. Even Calipari’s detractors agree he is a formidable recruiter, and Kentucky recruits are decommitting in what appears to be a possible move with Calipari to Arkansas.

Details of Calipari’s contract emerged, a five-year deal with the possibility of automatic extensions, at the time of signing making Calipari the 2^nd highest paid coach in college basketball at 7 million a year, with added bonuses and a generously funded NIL program. With Kentucky hot on the trail for a replacement, Calipari will certainly not be the last domino to fall this college basketball offseason.