Calipari safe at Kentucky despite tourney flop
John Calipari will return as Kentucky's head coach for the 2024-25 season, Kentucky's athletic director Mitch Barnhart confirmed on social media.
The Wildcats' first-round upset against 14-seed Oakland at the NCAA Tournament led to speculation the university could pay Calipari's reported $34-million contract buyout.
Thursday's flop in the national tourney isn't Kentucky's only major recent upset with Calipari at the helm. The Wildcats were stunned by 15-seed St. Peter's in the 2022 tournament's opening round and have won just one March Madness game over the last four seasons.
Calipari took over at Kentucky ahead of the 2009-10 campaign after the Wildcats went 22-14 under head coach Billy Gillispie the prior season.
The 65-year-old previously served as the head coach for Memphis and UMass. Calipari took the Tigers to the 2008 national championship game with future No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose.
Calipari ushered in the era of one-and-done players, starting with his 2009 recruiting class that included John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Daniel Orton. NBA teams have drafted 47 players from Kentucky since Calipari joined the program.
The Wildcats won the national title in 2012 with the help of future NBA star Anthony Davis.
Kentucky went 38-1 during the 2014-15 campaign, losing in the Final Four to Wisconsin.
The team finished last season with a 23-10 overall record and placed runners-up in the SEC.
Calipari is again bringing in a top freshman class next campaign, recruiting three players ranked in the top 25 on the 2024 ESPN 100.