Committed to fulfilling his contract, John Calipari wants to take Kentucky to "another level"

After hitting a speed bump, John Calipari is putting his foot on the accelerator as he prepares for his fourteenth season as the head coach of the Kentucky men’s basketball program.

Calipari is two years removed from his worst season in Lexington, winning just nine games in the pandemic-plagued 2020-21 campaign. Last season featured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, romping the eventual National Champions at Phog Allen Fieldhouse with the National Player of the Year before they were stunned by St. Peter’s in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Some would be discouraged. John Calipari is rejuvenated.

“I’ve been here a long time for a coach at one place and I’m going to live out this contract. I’ve committed to it and I’m going to do it,” he said on Tuesday’s Kentucky Roll Call. “We want to say, let’s take this thing to another level and let’s just keep going.”

In the summer of 2019 Calipari signed a highly publicized “lifetime contract” with Kentucky. The extension is worth $9 million annually from 2025-29. However, beginning in 2024-25 he can step down to become a “special assistant to the athletic director/university representative” that pays $950,000 annually. It’s unclear if Calipari is committed through the entire decade or until he can become a university representative following the next two seasons.

The 2022-23 Wildcats are Built for Success

This summer John Calipari is receiving an additional ten practices with his team as Kentucky prepares for an August exhibition tour in the Bahamas. The fourth foreign tour under Calipari’s tutelage, two of the three prior teams advanced to the Final Four. In 2019 the Cats were an overtime period away from another Final Four berth.

“The Bahamas trip has been big for us… You really get to know who your team is,” he said.

Similar to the 2014-15 team, there are plenty of experienced veterans on this Kentucky basketball team, joined by a few newcomers with NBA potential.

“What’s happened is we have some players back. We’ve got some veterans. But our young people, our new people are really talented. They’ve been a ball to work with. So you get 10 practices, but we’re also getting two hours a week like everyone in the country’s doing, but we get those 10 extra practices. We begin that process already developing players, getting them to play together.”

The Bahamas experience gives Calipari a head start on the team building process. So far, so good.

“The competitive environment which is Kentucky, you gotta know you’re not going to be the only player here. There’s other really good players you’re going to have to play with and they’re getting the sense of that right now. I’m enjoying everyday I come in because we’ve got a spirited group. One of the kids, every time we practice, ‘Coach, we need that energy.’ It makes me laugh. We have a good group.”

John Calipari isn’t Changing his Recruiting Pitch

“Kentucky isn’t for everyone” has been a line the BBN has heard plenty of times over the last decade-plus. Consistently producing top two classes annually, that pitch is not changing in the twilight of his Kentucky career.

“We’re recruiting the best players. We’ve continued to do it. We’ve done it in a way that we’re not embellishing, we’re not just trying to get guys. It’s understanding what this is,” he said. “I was on the phone last night for a few hours with some different kids and the whole point of it was, look, this is different here. Every game is a Super Bowl. If you’re not really into growing in a holistic way, on and off the court, if you’re here to just run around, you don’t come here. And you’re going to have other really good players you play with, and you’re going to be developed as a player. If you think you’re a finished product, why would you come here?”

Even though his pitch is not changing, he’s made some alterations. Kentucky is targeting different kinds of players, like Reed Sheppard, to create a winning formula. Even though he’s won with freshmen filling up the starting five, the best of the best Kentucky teams under Calipari also feature talented veterans.

“We’re in the middle of our recruiting. The kids we’ve brought in this year, the kids we’re looking at now (in 2023), it’ll be a combination. My best teams — we had one team that had five freshmen starters and we went to the Final Four. But the reality is most of the teams that we’ve won those 38 games or 35 games with have been teams that have had talented freshmen with some returning players. Those were the best teams we’ve had. That’s what we’d like to do but sometimes it doesn’t work that way.”

Calipari expects six or seven guys to depart following the 2022-23 season. He’s going all in on the recruiting trail to ensure the Wildcats do not hit another speed bump in his final years at Kentucky.

Listen to the entire 20-minute conversation with John Calipari by downloading the Kentucky Roll Call podcast, where ever you get your podcasts.