Longtime coach John Calipari will return to Kentucky for his 16th season, athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced Tuesday.
“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” Barnhart wrote on X.
As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach.
— Mitch Barnhart (@UKMitchBarnhart) March 27, 2024
Barnhart’s announcement follows speculation about Calipari’s future after the Wildcats went 23-10 this season and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 14 seed Oakland. Kentucky was seeded at No. 3.
Calipari said on his weekly radio show Monday night that the team was “hurting” after the season-ending loss, and he vowed to “go do something special.” Under Calipari, the Wildcats reached seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours and a national title in his first 10 seasons.
“I’m gonna work,” Calipari said on the show. “That is a commitment that I give to the fans. (Expectation) never goes away, but I love it. This is what I want. This is what I wanted. This is why I never left. And now let’s come together and let’s go do something special. We can do it. We’ve done it. Let’s do it again.”
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(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)
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