Jay Bilas weighs future of John Calipari at Kentucky after loss to Kansas State

Now that Kentucky is out of the NCAA Tournament, the future of head coach John Calipari could be a hot topic. Although ESPN’s Jay Bilas called it “ludicrous” for the Wildcats to move on from the longtime head coach.

Calipari is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history. However, he has just one national title with Kentucky.

Speaking on Get Up, Bilas was adamant canning Calipari would be a bad move.

“I can’t imagine that they would do that,” Bilas said. “That to me would be ludicrous. You know, Cal  has a record in the tournament, I think 72-15. That’s right at the top of the list among the greatest coaches, and that, to me, would be ludicrous. But you know, Kentucky fans can do whatever they want, it’s their fault.”

Calipari is 387-114 overall with Kentucky and 790-252 overall as a head coach. But it was a disappointing loss to Kansas State in the Round of 32 that highlighted this season.

“I have empathy,” Calipari said of the Kentucky fans. “I understand what this program is about. I think, again, that’s what makes it what it is, and that’s why I tell players, this isn’t for everybody because the expectations are so high. The same with coaching. It’s not for everybody. This thing is — there’s a high expectation level, and it is Kentucky. You put that on. The other team is going to play out of their minds, and they’re going to play like they have nothing to lose.

“That means you’ve got to play that way. So, yeah, I understand it, but, you know, my concern are these kids, and I tried to keep what you are saying off of them. Obviously, with a couple maybe I didn’t do as good a job as I thought I did. I wanted them to just play, have fun, enjoy the experience. You know, make the plays you make, take what they give you.”

Six seniors will likely move on from the program, giving Calipari and the Wildcats a pretty different look in 2023-24.

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“My guess is they will all leave,” Calipari said. “That’s my guess, but I have not talked to them all. You know, I think you start winding down this COVID stuff where that’s your extra year, but these kids accomplished a lot. We’ll sit down. Now is not the time. I hugged them all after the game, told them I loved them, and appreciated everything they’ve done. But those conversations will be for a little later date.”