John Calipari: Endorsement from Nolan Richardson 'made my day'

New Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari has a reputation that speaks for itself. He has led three different programs to the Final Four and has won multiple national titles along the way. A resume like that doesn’t often require too much external endorsement when being considered for the Razorbacks job. However, Calipari still received it from one of the better-known individuals in Arkansas men’s basketball history, legendary coach Nolan Richardson.

During Calipari’s introductory press conference, he revealed that Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek reached out to Richardson to gauge his thoughts on hiring the former Kentucky Wildcats head coach. And the endorsement Calipari received was one that brought a smile and sense of joy to the new Razorbacks men’s basketball head coach.

“When I asked Hunter and I asked John, what did Coach Richardson say about me being hired? And he said, what he said was, ‘A great hire because he cares about kids.’ Made my day; made my day,” said Calipari. “I sent him the poster, and then I called him … I told him you’re always welcome here. I had Coach Hall at almost every practice I had before he got ill, telling me to play the 1-3-1. I imagine he’ll tell me you gotta press more.”

Calipari is often revered as a player-coach, and that is easily noticeable when viewing his relationship with his former players. Despite leaving Kentucky, where the vast majority of his former players still in the NBA played for him, those individuals showed nothing but love and showered Calipari with congratulations after jumping ship from the Wildcats to the Razorbacks. Some even went as far as to completely side with their former head coach over their alma mater.

Calipari was able to take all three programs — UMass, Memphis, and Kentucky — to the Final Four, something that only Rick Pitino is credited with doing. Not only that but at Kentucky, Calipari sent a number of players to the NBA, with 35 of them being selected in the first round. That is the most for any program since he took over at Kentucky in 2009.

That ability to develop bonds with young players has helped Calipari become one of the elite recruiting head coaches in college basketball. Should he continue that trend at Arkansas, Richardson and the rest of Razorbacks nation will likely have more to be elated about with the hiring of Calipari.