Jay Bilas weighs in on John Calipari rumors, future at Kentucky

In the wake of an up-and-down season for Kentucky, rumors continue to swirl connecting Wildcats coach John Calipari to the Texas opening amid reports about his future in Lexington. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas thinks he is likely to stay put.

Bilas responded to a report from Holly Rowe during the second half of Kentucky’s game against Tennessee Saturday afternoon in which Calipari said he plans to get through this season with his team. The Wildcats entered play Saturday with back-to-back losses, including one to South Carolina which ended a 28-game home winning streak, but Calipari predicted things would turn around.

“You guys are talking about the rough start to the season and the last couple of weeks, actually, for Kentucky. We talked to John Calipari about it today,” Rowe said. “He’s been mentioned, like, maybe he would be interested in the Texas job. All the rumors and circulating things that go around Kentucky when they lose two games. He said, ‘Absolutely not. I want to see this through. I absolutely believe that this team is going to break through at some point this year.’ I don’t know if he thought it would be today.

“But he believes in this young group. He said they’ve just got to develop confidence. They are playing without two key players. John Calipari, he has seen a lot of ups and downs at Kentucky, but he is weathering this storm and I really loved his pregame approach.”

Jay Bilas: I don’t see John Calipari going anywhere

Bilas responded with a prediction of his own, saying he expects Calipari to remain at Kentucky. After all, he signed a 10-year “lifetime” contract in 2019, and Bilas said that deal is important when talking about Calipari’s future.

That’s why he’s not sold on the rumors connecting Calipari to Texas.

“To Holly’s point on John Calipari, he signed a lifetime contract, and Kentucky’s going through a rough stretch,” Bilas said. “This has not been a fun year. But I just don’t see him going anywhere. I understand where the talk comes from. That’s sort of the nature of the business right now.

“But he’s not only going to see it through this year, but I just don’t see him leaving anytime soon. I don’t know where this stuff comes from.”