by GoldenWarrior11 » Mon Apr 08, 2024 12:29 pm
I get the booster connection, but Calipari seems like such an odd fit for Arkansas. Had the move been to a Louisville (still a top-level program, minimal change in location) or a USC (LA, B1G move) I could see it. Arkansas has always been an underappreciated basketball program, given its fan support and historical success. Will be fascinating to see if he can get Arkansas to a F4 or even win an SEC Championship.
For UK, the expectations are so high that, realistically, there is not a present coach capable of consistently meeting that demand. Even if you take Dan Hurley, there's no way he makes it to his back-to-back NCAAT championship game appearances, as he missed the tournament the first two years; I'm not sure you make it to year three at UK if that happens. It took Scott Drew seven years to even win an NCAAT game, and he has *only* won one NCAA Championship (which doesn't meet the standard or expectation from UK). There is not a beloved alum that the fan base is clamoring for either. The next coach needs to be a winner from day one. Nate Oats checks many of those boxes, as does Bruce Pearl; but neither has won an NCAA Championship.
Will be interesting to see nevertheless.