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BOZICH | With Calipari gone, Barnhart must grapple with a UK legacy in transition

  • Updated
  • 4 min to read
John Calipari

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — At Alabama, Nate Oats posted a 63-word Tweet affirming his strong commitment to Crimson Tide basketball.

In suburban Phoenix, after winning the NCAA championship over Purdue, UConn coach Danny Hurley said there was “no way,” he would entertain taking the University of Kentucky basketball job, hours before it officially opened Tuesday afternoon.

Hurley even put an exclamation point on his hunger to chase a third consecutive national title at UConn by joking that his wife was already living as far away from New Jersey as she was comfortable.

And, on the TNT Final Four set, former Villanova coach Jay Wright made it a trifecta by shaking off interest in coaching at Kentucky.

After talking about all the innovative things John Calipari has done in Lexington while calling him a “genius,” Wright said he was fulfilled by his job coaching analyst Kenny Smith on the national TV set.

Asked by Seth Davis if that was a “firm No,” to the UK job, Wright said, “Yes, yes. Told you, I’m Kenny’s coach.”

So if you’re scoring at home, that’s either three solid Nos or three cagey negotiators. You can choose sides on that one.

What does not have to be debated is this: As soon as he tweeted the news that John Calipari was officially leaving UK, athletic director Mitch Barnhart moved directly into the spotlight/hot seat.

Barnhart, the guy who hired John Calipari, 15 years ago.

But only after he rejected John Calipari, hired Billy Gillispie, watched Gillispie hopelessly flounder and flail and then hired Calipari — under the intense urging of wiser basketball voices like the late Mike Pratt, the former sage UK basketball star who had connections across the game

Make no mistake. In 2007, when Tubby Smith fell out with Barnhart and left for Minnesota, Barnhart had no interest in hiring Calipari.

But John Calipari had extra-strength interest in leaving Memphis to come to Kentucky. At least four friends of Calipari’s in the media and coaching world called or met with me to talk up their guy.

They described Calipari as a perfect fit for the UK job, encouraging me to write a column about how Calipari was made for Kentucky and Kentucky was made for Calipari. During lunch with one of them at an NCAA Tournament regional in St. Louis, one influential friend of Cal told me that Calipari would remember the gesture if he landed the job.

I did not write the column.

I was in St. Louis, covering Florida’s regional victory on the Gators’ march to a second NCAA title. The Gators had the guy that I thought was the best fit for the job — Billy Donovan.

Donovan had worked at Kentucky. He’d won a national title. He knew the Southeastern Conference. He had the Rick Pitino stamp of approval.

And Donovan was one of the most remarkably normal human beings that I had ever encountered as a head basketball coach.

Didn’t happen. Donovan stayed at Florida until departing for the NBA, his home with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls since the 2016 season.

Calipari did not happen either. That was not the direction Barnhart wanted to take the program — until he had to take it that direction. There were questions about Calipari.

Gillispie was such a miscast failure that he barely lasted two seasons in Lexington. He wasn’t up to the scrutiny, the recruiting expectations or other parts of the day-to-day grind of the job.

Pratt saw it all unfold up-close and personal in his job at the UK radio network. Early in Gillispie’s second season, which started with a 111-103 loss to VMI in Rupp Arena, Pratt knew that Gillispie was not the right man for the job.

Pratt also knew who was the right man for the job — John Calipari, who almost won the 2008 national title with one-and-done guard Derrick Rose at Memphis.

Gillispie’s second season ended on March 25, 2009, a 77-67 loss at NIT loss at Notre Dame, UK’s 14th loss that season.

John Calipari agreed to become UK’s basketball coach five days later. It happened after former UK president Lee Todd, Barnhart and Pratt flew to Chicago to interview Calipari.

In a suite at a downtown hotel, Calipari laid out his vision for what Kentucky basketball would be — the perfect landing spot for the top basketball recruits in America, guys who would likely only be in Lexington for one season, but make Kentucky The Destination for the best recruits in the country.

And he would kick it off the first year by bringing John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe with him.

Sold.

Done.

And you know the rest of the story. Cal’s way worked wonderfully until it stopped working five, six or seven years ago. Eventually Calipari and Barnhart drifted apart. Happens after 15 years. Big time college basketball is a bruising sport.

Now we’re waiting for the official word that Calipari is bound for Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, where he will likely attempt to take his current recruits and future one-and-dones to clash with Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference.

Highly motivated? I believe he will be.

And Mitch Barnhart will be tasked with making certain that Calipari’s replacement is not the next Billy Gillispie.

Is Barnhart up to the task?

Absolutely. He’s upgraded Kentucky football, finding a foundational coach in Mark Stoops. Kentucky baseball is as good as its been in years, Men’s soccer has excelled.

But this is different. This is Kentucky basketball. And as Jay Wright and a million others have already said, following Calipari will be a daunting assignment.

An assignment that apparently does not entice Wright, Hurley and Oats. Replacing John Calipari will be more challenging than replacing Tubby Smith or Billy Gillispie.

Without the guidance of Mike Pratt, we’ll see which direction Barnhart turns.

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