LOUISVILLE, Ky. — John Calipari isn't going anywhere, at least not yet.
The University of Kentucky coach will return for his 16th season, according to the university's athletic director, Mitch Barnhart. Many questioned if Calipari would be fired following another shocking early exit last week from the NCAA Tournament.
The news was first reported by Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio.
“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 said Tuesday night in a statement to WHAS11.
Questions were raised about Coach Cal’s future after the Wildcats made a quick exit in this year’s NCAA Tournament. They were bounced in the first round by 14th-seeded Oakland.
The Hall of Fame coach wrapped up his 15th season with a 23-10 record.
"This time around, last year I was in tears, I was bumming," he said after the loss to Oakland. "This time it's like I have so many emotions going on that I can't feel them. I'm just kind of numb right now, and I'm sure it'll hit me, but this one hurts a lot. You know, it hurts. It's obviously not the desired outcome, and you're on the headlines of a Cinderella story when you know that we had the potential to make a really deep run in this thing."
Calipari said the standard at Kentucky is winning national championships and his standard is competing for them.
The Wildcats have not been past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019 when they made it to the Elite 8, and haven't made a Final Four since 2015.
During his radio show Monday night, Calipari sounded ready and motivated to get back to that stage. He maintained that he wanted to be at Kentucky.
“I'm not changing 24/7 Let's go. Whether it's recruiting all the stuff that we've got to do, that is the commitment that I give to the fans that I haven't changed. This is like wearing a coat. It never goes away, but I love it. This is what I want. This is what I wanted. This is why I never left. This is it. And now let's come together, and let's go do something. Let's do something special. We can do it. We've done it. Let's do it again,” he said.
Calipari is 410-122 in his tenure at Kentucky.
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