Report: John Calipari asked Kentucky to counter Arkansas offer, Mitch Barnhart refused

Kentucky may have actually had a chance to retain John Calipari. Instead, AD Mitch Barnhart reportedly decided against it in regards to their former, Hall of Fame coach.

Dick Gabriel of the UK Sports Network reported this in an interview on Kentucky Edition on Tuesday. Within it, he explained how Calipari attempted to flip the leverage in their offseason conversations with Arkansas’ offer. However, in looking for a counter offer to bring him back, Barnhart and UK declined against it.

“Calipari, going into that meeting with Mitch Barnhart, didn’t have much leverage,” Gabriel said in regards to their end-of-season meeting. “Mitch had the leverage. But, now, when you’ve got somebody else in your corner who is a viable candidate for your services? I mean if, you know, a junior college team had tried to hire him? No. This is Arkansas – powerful school with deep, deep pockets and all kinds of booster money out there from Tyson Chicken and Wal-Mart. They come in and say, ‘We want you and we’ll do what it takes to get you.’ That’s leverage.

“Calipari, as I’m told, said, ‘Here’s what it’s going to take to keep me’ and UK said, ‘I don’t think so,'” said Gabriel. “As I understand it? Now, if the deal isn’t done? It’s going to be done.”

It would have been interesting to see what a counter from Kentucky could even have looked like. He was already on a $86 million lifetime contract at an average of $8.5 million per year. The ‘lifetime’ aspect of that deal was a role as a special assistant to the athletics director and university representative after this season if he so chose. That move would have paid him $950,000 annually.

Barnhart apparently drew the line on Calipari, though, after this maneuver. He and the university did not go for this idea, especially with how the past few seasons have gone with Calipari, for the program and university, and in regards to the fans.

“You got a fanbase that is unhappy, you have an institution that is not satisfied with what’s been happening. You’ve got another school that would be happy to have him. When you factor in the fans, this might be a win-win-win, if such a thing is possible,” Gabriel said.

“Now, that all depends, of course, on who Kentucky ultimately hires if and when Calipari does leave.”

In the end, Barnhart looks to have held firm on where he stood when it came to Calipari. Now, with that being his choice, it leaves him to find a new head coach to lead their men’s basketball team.