John Calipari 'refused' to complete Arkansas deal on Sunday, Monday out of respect for national championship
John Calipari had an explanation as to why an official announcement of him taking the Arkansas coaching job took so long. Although it was reported Sunday evening that Calipari would become the Razorbacks next head man, the school didn’t announce the news until Wednesday morning.
Calipari appeared for the first time donning Arkansas gear later that day, speaking on the contract negotiations. He revealed that it was his decision to keep the news under the wraps, saying he didn’t want to take away from Purdue and UConn in the national championship.
“We talked Friday,” he said. “There was some stuff Saturday and Sunday back and forth. We didn’t talk contract more than 15 minutes total, maybe less. I refused to do anything Sunday or Monday because of the national championship game. That is those players, those coaches, those schools. They deserved it. Then when it leaked out — but you noticed neither one of us said one word.”
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Calipari and Arkansas agreed to a five-year contract worth somewhere in the realm of $37.5-40 million. He is set to take over a team that finished 16-17 this past season to miss out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years.
Calipari brings a strong resume with him to Fayetteville, having directed three others programs to the Final Four in his time as a coach. He directed Kentucky to a national championship in 2012, which is still his only title as a coach.