Examining Bruce Pearl's fit at Kentucky, why it won't happen
Speculation regarding the future of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari is picking up following the Wildcats’ 80-76 upset loss to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As Calipari has failed to lead Kentucky past the first weekend of March Madness since 2019.
Calipari meets with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart on Tuesday to likely discuss his future with the Kentucky program amongst other things. And in the scenario where the Wildcats do in fact move on from Calipari, On3’s Andy Staples proposed a surprising head coach candidate to KSR‘s Nick Roush on Tuesday.
“You know who really, if we’re being honest, if John Calipari weren’t the basketball coach at Kentucky, who the perfect basketball coach for Kentucky would be? It’d be Bruce Pearl,” Staples said. “He’s the rockstar Kentucky needs, but that ain’t happening.”
Pearl just completed his 10th season with Auburn, which ended the same way that Kentucky’s did with an unexpected first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament to Yale. But there’s no question that he’s turned the Tigers’ program around in his decade with the team. Leading Auburn to five 20+ win seasons, two SEC Tournament titles, two SEC regular season titles, and five straight NCAA Tournament appearances when eligible following a 14-year March Madness drought.
But Roush agrees with Staples that Pearl joining the Wildcats is highly unlikely.
“It’s not, but the thought experiment of it potentially happening. I just don’t know if we can handle another John Calipari run way. I think our DNA, our bodies would reject it,” Roush said. “He would be just sweating, just firing up the crowd. It would take us no time and we’d be eating out of the palm of his hand.”
Pearl is known for his high level of intensity, which both Roush and Staples believe would bode well for Big Blue Nation. With an improbable stop in Lexington potentially representing the third SEC head coaching job in Pearl’s career.
“100% and he doesn’t have to wear the suits anymore, he wears athleisure now so he doesn’t have to sweat through it,” Staples joked.
“But it’s Cal. Unless Mitch Barnhart wants to get really wild on Tuesday it’s Cal. It’s gonna be Cal, and Cal filibustered right up until the end on his radio show on Monday night,” Staples said.
Monday on The John Calipari Show, Calipari spoke about his dedication to the Kentucky program and what he believes his meeting with Barnhart will entail. As all eyes will be on the Wildcats on Tuesday to see what their next move is regarding the future of John Calipari.