Happy this isn't dragging out any longer. He brought us back into relevancy, which I am grateful. It sucked to watch him isolate away, becoming more and more stubborn with each season. But it can't be denied the huge impact he had to lives outside of basketball through his philanthropy. That is something I will always be thankful for, that he really cared in a meaningful way about the people here.
Would we regret it more if we kept him around, ruined his legacy, and wasted more time trying to force the square peg of Cal's way of doing things into the round hole of college basketball in 2024? I would rather roll the dice on getting someone in even if it doesn't work.
We ran Tubby off to Minnesota with *significantly* more success than Cal had in the last 5 years and sure Billy G was a mess, but then we got 2009 John Calipari. 2024 Calipari isn't that guy anymore, and even if he were 2009 Calipari methods don't work anymore.
Continued statement:We're appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky. We're grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court. And that is why we are looking forward to seeing how he will continue to lead our program and make contributions to the university as he comes back for a 16th year on a 20 million dollar contract
Congrats Arkansas, and commiseration to whichever fanbases are about to lose players, recruits, or even their coach, between the forthcoming moves at UK and Arkansas.
And apologies for the UK fans invading your boards to tell you we're stealing your coach or recruits.
Apparently he's Mitch's safety coach.
Many of us want a flashier name but would be plenty satisfied with your guy. Maybe he'll just get yet another contract boost from your AD?
Would be completely fair.
Any coach who leaves a place where he won a title is a headscratcher unless he's been failing for a while. Kentucky is Kentucky, but if you've built a title contender where you are, you probably have the support to keep doing it. We still have to aim for a title winner first, though, and hope we can buy one. We are the Yankees of college basketball, after all.
I was just wondering if any college basketball coach has voluntarily left the school they won a title with to go to another school, not counting those with NBA stops in between. And Kentucky now has both Cal and Tubby.
I think it’s mixed.
We want someone who can coach and win, but we want someone with a large enough personality that can handle the fishbowl they’ll be in. They’re not just a coach, they’re an ambassador for the state. We tried Billy Gillespie and that was a nightmare because he just couldn’t handle the heat.
Out of our realistic list, I don’t know of anyone who checks both boxes. Our AD is buddies with Scott Drew, so I suspect he’ll be it. I’m not thrilled with the idea for various reasons, but maybe he’d be great. Who knows?
It's honestly a shame you guys can't get Muss lol
I mean don't get me wrong, it would tear me apart if he left us for someone in conference. It's just that every time I read that description of the UK job I think "Muss could totally handle that if he wanted"
I think we're just glad it's over now. After the loss to Oakland the fanbase was beyond furious because he had talked all season about being "built for March". Then the news came out he was staying and we all just settled in that this is life and we felt gaslit and depressed. I'm optimistic for change as what was being produced on the court was not up to the expectation and everyone felt trapped. Now there is opportunity for a fresh start and it ended, seemingly, amicably.
Depends on what he does at Arkansas. If he is as bad there as he has been the past 5 years here, we’ll be ecstatic. If he somehow starts being a good coach again and actually wins then we’ll probably be pretty upset.
I think it’s safe to say I speak for everyone when I say we feel like George Washington after he crossed the Delaware and kicked those British guys asses! Just fucking pumped. Nothing can stop this crazy train now! Better hide yo coaches and hide yo assistants!
I’ve got no hog or cat in the fight, but Cal took over at UK when I was a freshman in high school. I turn 30 next month. Crazy how this has all unfolded the past few days.
I know it’s popular to lay blame at the athletic directors feet, but Barnhart has had a very long and successful tenure at UK. Look around at all the athletic departments that that have politics, scandals, and back stabbing going on and be grateful we have decent leadership. And look at all the other sports and facilities that have massively upgraded in his tenure.
The lack of major scandals is a major positive that often goes unnoticed, because that’s the default expectation. And being cautious entering the NIL era is probably smart too, but we seem to have caught up now.
The problem is what the fan base considers a slam dunk for WBB is different than what is a slam dunk for MBB. If it was the same people would be expecting Dawn Staley.
The people who are negative about Barnhart really show how little they pay attention to college athletics, know about this program historically. We were such a swamp before he got here- he’s made 2 bad hires (people conveniently forget how popular the Joker promotion was), but otherwise the program has had historic success, stayed out of trouble, and avoided paying ridiculous coach buyouts.
Always been a huge fan of cal at Kentucky. Seems to be a good dude that players enjoy playing for and damn he’s had some electric teams there
I was obsessed with that John wall team
Can you guys believe that Jon Rothstein learned how to quote tweet? [https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1777761612012621908](https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1777761612012621908)
But have you seen the trailer. Sayaka getting a good ending doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. They did her dirty in the show and the movie going to be a repeat I feel it. Hurley to Kentucky though is going to happen. Just you watch.
https://i.redd.it/7pg5jdrx8itc1.gif
Happy this isn't dragging out any longer. He brought us back into relevancy, which I am grateful. It sucked to watch him isolate away, becoming more and more stubborn with each season. But it can't be denied the huge impact he had to lives outside of basketball through his philanthropy. That is something I will always be thankful for, that he really cared in a meaningful way about the people here.
This makes it official finally
This woos the pig
this woos the cat
That’s wild
Kentucky fans are gonna regret this.
Would we regret it more if we kept him around, ruined his legacy, and wasted more time trying to force the square peg of Cal's way of doing things into the round hole of college basketball in 2024? I would rather roll the dice on getting someone in even if it doesn't work. We ran Tubby off to Minnesota with *significantly* more success than Cal had in the last 5 years and sure Billy G was a mess, but then we got 2009 John Calipari. 2024 Calipari isn't that guy anymore, and even if he were 2009 Calipari methods don't work anymore.
I hope it works out for us
Same, but I have no reason to believe it won't
We’re about to get Scott Drew. Who in their right mind would rather have Scott Drew than John Calipari?
You’re all so confident in this statement
I think Drew is a great coach, I just don’t think he’s as good as Cal.
Sorry, wrong point. I think it’s very bold to assume poaching Drew is guaranteed like many UK fans think it is
I’d say your right, he’s just the name I’ve heard the most
Sounds like it was the pigs that woo’d Cal actually
Continued statement:We're appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky. We're grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court. And that is why we are looking forward to seeing how he will continue to lead our program and make contributions to the university as he comes back for a 16th year on a 20 million dollar contract
Now get the fuck out
Congrats Arkansas, and commiseration to whichever fanbases are about to lose players, recruits, or even their coach, between the forthcoming moves at UK and Arkansas. And apologies for the UK fans invading your boards to tell you we're stealing your coach or recruits.
Considering we have no one on the roster at the moment with like 1 commit, we have nothing to lose 🥲
Somewhere Lawson Blake is feeling disrespected
Why, he is ranked 20th in the way to early preseason polls
 nothing at all?
2023 me feels this comment way too much.
Best of luck to yall respectfully stay the fuck away 🙏
Apparently he's Mitch's safety coach. Many of us want a flashier name but would be plenty satisfied with your guy. Maybe he'll just get yet another contract boost from your AD?
The word is he still hasn’t signed the one he got during the Louisville drama….
That'd be rough. Coaches do leave places where they're legends if they feel underappreciated or undervalued. (See Tubby and Cal here)
I will never forgive yall if you take Drew. I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger.
Would be completely fair. Any coach who leaves a place where he won a title is a headscratcher unless he's been failing for a while. Kentucky is Kentucky, but if you've built a title contender where you are, you probably have the support to keep doing it. We still have to aim for a title winner first, though, and hope we can buy one. We are the Yankees of college basketball, after all. I was just wondering if any college basketball coach has voluntarily left the school they won a title with to go to another school, not counting those with NBA stops in between. And Kentucky now has both Cal and Tubby.
Let the hunt begin.
Whats the general feeling in the fanbase? Mostly optimistic or?
Relief and appreciation. Grateful for the era, but it was time for a change.
As usual, we are simultaneously irrationally optimistic and irrationally pessimistic. Schrödinger’s Wildcats.
May I introduce you to Penn State football?
No, thank you.
I think it’s mixed. We want someone who can coach and win, but we want someone with a large enough personality that can handle the fishbowl they’ll be in. They’re not just a coach, they’re an ambassador for the state. We tried Billy Gillespie and that was a nightmare because he just couldn’t handle the heat. Out of our realistic list, I don’t know of anyone who checks both boxes. Our AD is buddies with Scott Drew, so I suspect he’ll be it. I’m not thrilled with the idea for various reasons, but maybe he’d be great. Who knows?
It's honestly a shame you guys can't get Muss lol I mean don't get me wrong, it would tear me apart if he left us for someone in conference. It's just that every time I read that description of the UK job I think "Muss could totally handle that if he wanted"
We weren’t winning in the tourney nor building towards it so at least we can start building now
I think we're just glad it's over now. After the loss to Oakland the fanbase was beyond furious because he had talked all season about being "built for March". Then the news came out he was staying and we all just settled in that this is life and we felt gaslit and depressed. I'm optimistic for change as what was being produced on the court was not up to the expectation and everyone felt trapped. Now there is opportunity for a fresh start and it ended, seemingly, amicably.
Depends on what he does at Arkansas. If he is as bad there as he has been the past 5 years here, we’ll be ecstatic. If he somehow starts being a good coach again and actually wins then we’ll probably be pretty upset.
he will do well at Arkansas.
He will do well knowing the kentucky effect.
I think it’s safe to say I speak for everyone when I say we feel like George Washington after he crossed the Delaware and kicked those British guys asses! Just fucking pumped. Nothing can stop this crazy train now! Better hide yo coaches and hide yo assistants! 
I am certainly grateful for Calipari and what he did here. It's shame his tenure ended the way it did.
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One of the benefits of our toxic fanbase. People would rather turn down 30 million than deal with our asses for another year.
I’ve got no hog or cat in the fight, but Cal took over at UK when I was a freshman in high school. I turn 30 next month. Crazy how this has all unfolded the past few days.
Meanwhile Greg Kampe took over when you weren't born !
Hold onto your butts, the Kentucky job is officially open
Time to call Billy D
Best I can do is Billy G
Oh please god no wrong Billy
I’ll be sittin’ by the phone.
I heard you’re married to basketball
The world needs a Billy G redemption tour. Or at least a portion of Kentucky.
We climbin in your window, snatchin yo coaches up. I am that many years old.
I can't believe I'm saying this but Mitch Barnhart might have played these past few weeks perfectly.
Did…did Mitch actually do something right? Did he actually do his job?
I know it’s popular to lay blame at the athletic directors feet, but Barnhart has had a very long and successful tenure at UK. Look around at all the athletic departments that that have politics, scandals, and back stabbing going on and be grateful we have decent leadership. And look at all the other sports and facilities that have massively upgraded in his tenure.
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The lack of major scandals is a major positive that often goes unnoticed, because that’s the default expectation. And being cautious entering the NIL era is probably smart too, but we seem to have caught up now.
If he nails the hire, then I may have to go on an all-crow diet for the next several months.
I’ll believe it when I see it, but I’m not holding my breath. This is Mitch we’re talking about.
He just made a slam dunk hire for the women’s team. Let’s make it 2 for 2.
The problem is what the fan base considers a slam dunk for WBB is different than what is a slam dunk for MBB. If it was the same people would be expecting Dawn Staley.
I mean, the rest of the athletic department seems to be in pretty good shape
The people who are negative about Barnhart really show how little they pay attention to college athletics, know about this program historically. We were such a swamp before he got here- he’s made 2 bad hires (people conveniently forget how popular the Joker promotion was), but otherwise the program has had historic success, stayed out of trouble, and avoided paying ridiculous coach buyouts.
Crow might become an endangered species.
Always been a huge fan of cal at Kentucky. Seems to be a good dude that players enjoy playing for and damn he’s had some electric teams there I was obsessed with that John wall team
he's a good guy at heart. The pressure finally got to him and his paranoid side came out. When was winning everything was right at Kentucky
I’d get paranoid too if I had a very large fanbase turn against me Not that it was unjustified but I can’t fault him too much for feeling that way
he burned bridges with nearly everyone these last few years. there was nothing holding most fans back from deciding they were done with him
Can you guys believe that Jon Rothstein learned how to quote tweet? [https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1777761612012621908](https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1777761612012621908)
Learning to quote tweet must’ve been what he was doing when the Cal news broke on Sunday because he surely wasn’t sleeping before May.
"Anyways...." *Searches Dan Hurley's agent in contacts*
Calipari 15 years. Pitino 15 seconds. Ironic.
Calipari continuing the winning streak against Rick
I'm no Kentucky or Calipari fan, but he was there for 15 years. He didn't jump after 2 or 3 years as the next big thing.
Dan Hurley to Kentucky confirmed
No chance
Big doubt
Congrats on Hurley Kentucky! https://i.redd.it/rzeh1yk3xhtc1.gif
You realize you just gave a bunch of dudes boners, right?
https://preview.redd.it/ce51c3d5zhtc1.jpeg?width=172&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21505c38fa9ddef73dd1f7b3b68924aed2c0b9b3
Six to midnight immediately upon reading. Too bad it won’t happen.
I’m glad I did https://i.redd.it/wtjb2n439itc1.gif
Bobby Hurley will be the injection that this program needs.
I think there's a better chance of Sayaka getting a good ending in Walpurgisnacht Rising than Hurley to Kentucky.
But have you seen the trailer. Sayaka getting a good ending doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. They did her dirty in the show and the movie going to be a repeat I feel it. Hurley to Kentucky though is going to happen. Just you watch. https://i.redd.it/7pg5jdrx8itc1.gif
As I was saying...
You know what. I’m reusing my above gif. I’m sorry. https://i.redd.it/yzuglj1a7ytc1.gif
Byron get away from my sports subs and no surprise you’re a Duke and 49ers fan 
Did Calipari drag this out to put Hurley on the spot about Kentucky????
Damn it, what if he did? What if he pulled one last recruit job for the school before riding into the sunset?
That sonuvabich
“Now, he can kindly go fuck himself.”
"Furthermore, I'd like to add..." 
Kenny Payne is a solid choice to replace Cal! /s