KSR's college interns reflect on John Calipari, the only Kentucky head coach they've truly known

The John Calipari era at Kentucky has officially come to an end.

It was a thrilling 15-year ride with Cal at the helm, lifted up by incredible highs (a 2012 national championship, four Final Fours in five years, dozens upon dozens of NBA Draft picks, etc.) and brought down by some crushing lows (missing the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2021, getting knocked out early in the postseason by double-digit seeds). But in all, it’s impossible to argue that Calipari didn’t experience far more success than he did failures while in Lexington.

For the younger generation, the Calipari era is all they know. Current college students might have some memory of the pre-Cal days, but those are fuzzy by now. For the most part, the only head coach they’ve ever known at Kentucky was John Calipari.

With that in mind, we asked our six talented KSR interns to jot down some reflective thoughts on their Kentucky fandom and what they’ll remember most about the last 15 years with Calipari in charge. All six shared different perspectives of how they got into being a member of the BBN, but they all have a common theme — Calipari is the reason behind it all.

Daniel Hager (junior at UK)

@DanielHagerKSR

First and foremost, I’d like to thank John Calipari for what he did during his time at Kentucky. He brought me the only National Championship I’ve ever seen in 2012 and provided me and my family with memories we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

My first Kentucky game was on January 12, 2008. The Cats went to triple overtime with Vanderbilt but held off the Dores. My fandom was born that day and I haven’t looked back since. I vaguely remember the Billy Gillispie era (watching Alan Cutler chase him down on LEX 18 more than anything else), but Calipari has been the only coach I’ve ever known.

I have many, many fond memories from the Cal era. The 2012 run to the NCAA title was obviously great, but my favorite span may have been the 2014 NCAA Tournament run. We spent all season wondering why this team wasn’t panning out at the rate we had expected (especially after an NIT berth the previous season), and we ended up getting five barnburner games that I will forever remember.

Even in the last few seasons when the success hasn’t quite been there, Malik Monk’s game against North Carolina, De’Aaron Fox’s game vs. UCLA, the Oscar Tshiebwe experience, and Reed Sheppard’s emergence last season are all some things I will always be appreciative of.

Making videos about Calipari and Kentucky Basketball is what got my foot in the media door, so for that, I’ll forever be grateful. Like myself and hundreds of others in Lexington/Kentucky media, covering John Calipari is what got us our start in the industry.

I’ve met Cal multiple times growing up and he was always nothing but polite to me. However, every story has to end. I will support him in everything he does (except when playing UK), but it was time for a new voice at Kentucky.

I am excited for what the future holds.

Katelyn Perkins (senior at UK)

@KPerkinsKSR

I vividly remember sitting in a booth at Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Indianapolis bawling my eyes out while watching Frank Kaminsky ruin our 2014-15 undefeated season. My family decided that we would drive up to be a part of the festivities that came with the Final Four just a couple of hours away from Lexington.

Kentucky was a juggernaut with a young Karl-Anthony Towns and a squad that proved to pan out tremendously in the NBA. Let’s not forget a baby-faced Devin Booker, who we knew could knock a shot down from the arc but would have never expected to be the star that he is now. That team was the most fun to watch due to their sharp shooting and strength down low.

Before I was crying in the infamous Hard Rock Cafe, we had seen the amazing game-winning shot that Aaron Harrison hit in the Elite Eight live from the Lucas Oil Stadium nosebleeds.

That season was a mix of emotions after going from winning every game to suddenly being out of contention, and to make matters worse, our all-time rivals in Duke went on to win the whole thing.

Although things ended rough, there were good times that came under Calipari, and just like how the 2014-15 season had a bittersweet feeling, so does the departure of a coaching legend.

Brady Byrdwell (junior at UK)

@BByrdwellKSR

Kentucky Basketball was my first love.

In fact, being a Wildcat was my identity for the first 14 years of my life. In elementary school, I had two different Kentucky #3 jerseys that I would switch off wearing every single day. I had multiple pairs of Kentucky game shorts, along with blue socks that went to my knees. I had the Nike LeBron Soldier 9s with the #BBN draped across the front laces.

By age 12, the nickname “Kentucky Boy” followed me along each grade, even though I resided in Cincinnati, right by Kings Island. However, I took pride in my father’s old home in Shelby County and felt connected to him whenever I put on blue and white. Even when I walked into a school full of UC and Ohio State fans, I wore my blue with enough pride to annoy every person in red. I would force my Dad to tell me stories of Tony Delk, Kenny Walker, and Scott Padgett. My athletic career was laced with concussions, so my memories aren’t great, but if they involve the ‘Cats, I remember every play.

I remember being in my childhood home, in the basement, jumping up and down for three straight hours as the Kentucky coronation took place in 2012. I remember being on vacation with a 100-plus degree fever flying in and out of consciousness as Kentucky dismantled Notre Dame in 2015. I remember Tyler Ulis bleeding out of his eye as Kentucky dethroned Louisville at the Yum! Center. Above all, I remember feeling like my team could take on the world, and that every March was a new opportunity to win number nine. By the time my college decision came, I think every person with ears and eyes in Kings Mills, OH, would have been able to tell you where Brady Byrdwell was going to school.

And even after the horrors of COVID that brought the worst season in Kentucky history, I was expecting to rush State Street and rival that feeling in 2012. However, it never worked out that way as NBA talent came and went, yet the results stayed the same. My father stopped watching games live, and I began to wear my Wildcats gear with less and less pride. Simply put, it just wasn’t the same.

However, every phone call with my Dad ended with me promising that the stars would align as DJ Wagner and Reed Sheppard would come to counteract all of the pain. But even with the revolving door of NBA talent, it still wasn’t enough.

I’m transported back to every March outside of ’12, where I’d walk into school to a parade of joyous people laughing at my pain as they professed Aaron Craft as the best player to ever play. But I will never forget what Calipari brought us: a swagger that rubbed off on a 5-foot-nothing kid in Cincinnati. That made me proud, too, of being a Kentucky fan, and that made me interested in the history of Kentucky basketball, which led me to this very job. However, it’s time to get our swagger back and reemerge as the Platinum Standard of college basketball.

Piper McCoun (junior at WKU)

@PiperMcCounKSR

Growing up in Kentucky, especially on the outskirts of Lexington, all I’ve ever known was blue. I was five years old when Calipari became the face of the Wildcats, so all I’ve ever known growing up was the excellence and stardom of the Kentucky Basketball program. It was so fun to be a Kentucky fan. It still is, and that’ll never change (we all know how deep those blue roots run).

I’ve got a plethora of fond memories growing up in the Calipari era, from trips to Rupp Arena as a little girl (still the best ice cream money can buy) to the neighborhood watch parties of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and beyond. In hindsight, it’s really incredible to have idolized people who would grow to become some of the most influential players in the game. From John Wall (you know the song) to Boogie, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, KAT, Tyler Ulis, Bam, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the list goes on.

It was Calipari who gave us something to not only root for in March but also people to follow in the NBA. Some of the best players in the league have been coached by him, and it makes me a proud fan to see those players vouch for their coach and continue to rep Kentucky.

Calipari leaving Kentucky was not something I’d anticipated coming this soon, but we all know it’s time for a new voice. I’m excited to see where this program goes and eager to follow Cal’s journey at Arkansas.

Phoenix Stevens (freshman at UK)

@PStevensKSR

While I think it was time, I am sad that the Cal era is over. My first memory of being a sports fan was the 2012 national title team led by my favorite athlete ever, Anthony Davis. I remember celebrating, jumping up and down around the house I used to live in with my parents.

I have lived and breathed UK basketball ever since then. Now, I’m getting teary-eyed and choked up as I write this brief “thank you” letter to Coach Cal.

My UK fandom has seen the highest of highs and lowest of lows. I remember watching the 2017 team take down UNC as Malik Monk put up 47 points in the desert. Oddly enough, I was at an O’Charley’s, running around the restaurant in excitement as the madness unfolded.

Additionally, I remember the very first game I went to, which was No. 8 Kentucky vs Georgia on Jan. 31, 2017. UK won 90-81 in OT. That was the first of many games that I attended as a fan with my Papaw Bob.

Then, there was the 2015 team. That season was so unbelievably fun, and it all ended at the hands of Wisconsin and Sam Dekker. Yeah, this guy.

I did way, way too much crying after that game. The Evansville game caused a lot of sadness as well. Even though there was some bad mixed in, I will mostly remember the John Calipari tenure for the good times.

Going to select UK games as a media member this past season was incredible as well. Most notably, I got to experience the Miami (FL) game and the Georgia game, Big Z’s debut. I asked Calipari a question in the postgame press conference. That was always a bucket list thing for me to do.

The reason for what is 99% of who I am started with Kentucky men’s basketball, and ultimately John Calipari. I’m excited for what the future holds for Kentucky, but John Calipari is all I have ever known here. It feels like a part of me died on Tuesday, but there will always be those special memories for me to hold onto.

Thank you, Coach.

Katie Hutchison (junior at UK)

@KHutchisonKSR

While my earliest memory of Kentucky Basketball is synonymous with my favorite Cal Era memory, I feel like it’s one worth telling. In 2012, when I was EIGHT, Kentucky won the national championship.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Even though I was young and didn’t really appreciate college basketball the way I do now, it’s a memory that’s stuck with me for the last 12 years. That spring break, my family went to Disney World. Spring Break always fell on the first week of April, which was perfect timing for the national championship.

On April 2, 2012, Kentucky came out on top. Honestly, I didn’t care. Like, at all. I was eight, I had more important things to worry about at Disney World. So why has this memory stuck with me for so long? Disney is a giant place. For those of you who have been there, the odds of meeting someone from where you’re from are VERY high. In fact, the amount of Kentucky blue I saw in the parks that day and the next day is something I’ll never forget. Part of the reason why I love Kentucky Basketball, and Kentucky sports in general, is because of the community they create. Even though I couldn’t have cared less about Kentucky winning the championship that year, I realized pretty recently that Kentucky really is a family.

And that memory is why.

When I was trying to think of a Calipari memory that stuck out to me, I couldn’t think of just ONE. I’ve met Cal once before when he came to my MKT 310 class to talk to us about… marketing…? I’ve met a slew of Cal-Era players, like DeAndre Liggins at my local sporting goods store. However, nothing has stuck with me quite like the sea of Kentucky Blue at Disney World. I didn’t realize it in that moment, but it would eventually become a core memory for me.

So while I don’t have a specific Calipari memory that I absolutely LOVE, I do have to thank Cal for making Kentucky Basketball feel like home. If he’s made any impact on Kentucky, it has to be that. He created a CULTURE. He ingrained it in 8-year-old Katie’s brain. I truly am so grateful for Cal. It was a great ride.