UCLA Basketball: John Calipari is staying at Kentucky despite recent ‘buzz’
Kentucky head coach John Calipari takes to Twitter to reaffirm his commitment to Big Blue Nation after he was linked to the vacant UCLA basketball head coach position.
There has definitely been a lot of buzz surrounding Kentucky’s John Calipari as a potential candidate to be the next head UCLA basketball coach. Unfortunately, for those that were hoping he would head west, Calipari took to Twitter on Wednesday night to state that he is not going anywhere.
Before I go to bed, let me just say this: I’m coaching at the Univ. of Kentucky. In my opinion, there is no better job in the world to coach basketball. My plan and my desire is to retire at Kentucky. I think the university feels the same as I do and we’ve talked openly about it.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) March 21, 2019
Since former coach Steve Alford was fired, the UCLA Athletic Department has been putting together a list of potential candidates which included some of the top coaches in the nation. Names like Tony Bennett (Virginia), Mick Cronin (Cincinnati), Chris Beard (Texas Tech), Buzz Williams (Virginia Tech), and Jamie Dixon (TCU) are just a few that have been linked to the UCLA search.
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It was not until the last few days that Twitter was aflutter with rumors of Calipari as a potential candidate. On Wednesday morning, Bruin Report Online suggested that Calipari was “showing what some have described as “serious interest” in coming to Westwood.”
That is no longer the case as he plans to not only stay but wants to retire in Lexington.
The timing of this is interesting as Calipari is set to lead Kentucky into the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon against Abilene Christian. If Calipari had any interest in the UCLA gig, this could have been a big distraction for Kentucky and Big Blue Nation.
As for UCLA, they will continue with their search for a new coach, possibly landing one within the next few weeks. The Athletic Department is quite serious about making a splash with the new hire so expect UCLA to offer a big contract to the candidate they happen to land.