offering lifetime contracts to coaches with no intention of honoring them, just waiting until the coaches and fans are so miserable the coach leaves to take another job
Mitch Barnhart, I didn't understand your game
- Thread starter kfwa
- Start date
I had someone close to me tell me he thinks Cal violated his contract on purpose saving us the money to have to buy him out. Im gonna start going with that to brighten my view of Cal and the good he did here.
I think he was just done, it’s not fun going to work while everyone around you is miserable and not excited anymore. He had to leave the state for awhile and go to a new place he hadn’t worn out yet with his style. I think he returns someday like Joe B and becomes pretty universally loved again. The 5 bad seasons will fade eventually and he will be remembered for the final 4’s, title, and runner up plus all our NBA success.
I just wish Cal had gone somewhere other than in conference. If he was at Rutgers or something, I might even root for him.
Pope deserves the Honeymoon period. If Cal had been here last year, with the same players and the same record, the season would have been considered bad. Just imagine the outcry if a Pitino or Tubby brought a team into Rupp and whipped us like Cal and Arkansas did last year.
Stoops needs to go. Point blank period. Hes a bum. Mitch needs to go before him
That was definitely a terrible game. You could tell Cal had all the guys ready to play. They were all comfortable at Rupp because A lot of them played here. He knew how to coach here I just think it meant more to him.
Don’t lie. EVERYONE knows you took Tylenol, in protest, to prove it doesn’t affect pregnancyYou made me look to see if Stoops left and he didn't and now I don't like you.
. Just messing with you, man.
I ate every dang Tylenol at the Walmart... Including the kind that killed people in the 70s. What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger lolDon’t lie. EVERYONE knows you took Tylenol, in protest, to prove it doesn’t affect pregnancy
Lmao. And Barnhart had the breach of contract papers delivered to his house by unicorns. Cal could have just accepted the Arkansas job and there would have been no buyout to pay. But whatever makes you feel better.lol
“Our nba success “ means zilch to me . If people didn’t mention it on here I wouldn’t even know about it.
You made me look to see if Stoops left and he didn't and now I don't like you.
You made me look to see if Stoops left and he didn't and now I don't like you.
That’s true, any other conference would have been easier to deal with for sure.
I think he was thinking "Ha! I'll do this an Mitch will be like "No! Don't go!" And then Mitch called Cal's bluff.
Sadly, days before we saw him and Mitch acting as if they liked each other. So, while I give 10 BILLION points for Mitch telling Cal "See ya then" He loses 20 Billion for brining the numpty back anyway.
Mitch has done some decent stuff here. But the FB and BB contracts for Stoops and Cal would've have gotten him fired anywhere else in all likelihood. Especially Stoops. Awful AWFUL contract.
Stoops realizes its over her just like Cal, he just doesn't have any options like Cal did. Stoops will take a 70% pay cut at his next gig, but while my original post is in jest, Barnhart will just ride out another bad year with Stoops, and potentially two - the revenue for football won't change, just the NIL money
Should have done a broadcasting gig for a year and found a better fit. UCLA would have been a better fit. Syracuse, somewhere like that.
According to some influential people in the basketball side that know quite a lot that goes in with Calipari and Pope Calipari tried to go to a few others programs outside of the SEC and was told no interests the year before. One of the programs was Ohio State, and I could see it. Really good basketball history, huge brand, would love to have the players and NBA recognition but no pressure to win titles. But they weren’t interested in getting in bed with Cal2.0 and I don’t blame them. Apparently that’s the one he wanted.
There was another few that he inquired about and was also told no interests. I think Arkansas was as good as he could get. Former champion program but dead for 30 years. I know many people closer to the situation do not believe he intended on going to Arkansas. It was strictly a leverage play that backfired. But then they were the only ones willing. He never thought he’d end up there. I think they’re ended up being the only ones who would honor the price tag. He’s only there because of money, he retired years ago.
Calipari likely didn’t realize how a bad his brand had fallen. If you’ll toy with UK and, I believe and others do as well, throw clunkers to prove points, those programs certainly aren’t going to get involved with you. I’m not alone in believing some of those losses were Calipari allowing bad **** to happen. Not necessarily throwing them but close.
Calipari had no idea his name turned into that of an average coach with tons of negative baggage. Hope he doesn’t put it together at ark but it’s possible. Revenge Calipari is the best Calipari, and he’s now retaining players due to NIL. But I only hope not for his future legacy at UK, not anything else because even if he does he wouldn’t have done that here. Until he got all of his demands he was going to continue to do things that hurt the program. But if he wins there his legacy will be there, I don’t know if he’ll be back here. It will cause bad blood to remain and he might want to be known as the guy that restored Arkansas and keep his war with UK. It’s why I didn’t want him going there. It’ll hurt the era here. I like our tradition and legacy in harmony.
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I remember a lot of this scuttlebutt at the time. Ohio St would also be a better fit. I do believe some of it, but hard to know for sure.
Kind of what I meant in taking a year off and doing broadcasting. Put a little distance from the KY situation and rehab himself a bit. He can be successful at Arkansas imo, but it's just a bad fit overall.
I get people without a way to know being skeptical. But this is coming from a family that are NIL / Program contributors and also do a lot of interaction personally with the coaches and their people. I could get more into detail of just how close but wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so. Without them a lot of what happens at UK would be affected to some degree. I’ll say that.
There was a lot that went on with Calipari that I don’t talk about because it’s too close and I just don’t feel comfortable doing so. Like “taken out and call it a robbery with nothing stolen” type of deal.
I always felt that Cal was told the big donors weren't going to pony up money for him to mail it in, and he knew the writing on the wall was that he couldn't get players to UK on his name recognition alone.
So while Arkansas might have been a leverage move that backfired, Cal made sure he had NIL money there to spend to keep the pipeline open.
secondly, the Crafts , Oscar and Cal's political leanings not aligning didn't help
So while Arkansas might have been a leverage move that backfired, Cal made sure he had NIL money there to spend to keep the pipeline open.
secondly, the Crafts , Oscar and Cal's political leanings not aligning didn't help
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I do know exactly what happened with Cal. And like the other poster I can’t go into great detail either. But the Ohio St thing never happened. Not from Cal’s side anyway.
Nor did Cal over play his hand.
Cal had every bit of the leverage. Had UK fired him he not only got a boatload of money, there was a dozen power 5 schools ready to offer him the moon.
Cal was never going to be fired.
There’s 7-8 power brokers with the power to get UK to thinking about firing the coach.
Only 1 of them that truly moves the dept.
None of them even suggested firing Cal.
All of it makes good stories. It’s still stories.
Nor did Cal over play his hand.
Cal had every bit of the leverage. Had UK fired him he not only got a boatload of money, there was a dozen power 5 schools ready to offer him the moon.
Cal was never going to be fired.
There’s 7-8 power brokers with the power to get UK to thinking about firing the coach.
Only 1 of them that truly moves the dept.
None of them even suggested firing Cal.
All of it makes good stories. It’s still stories.
Definitely can be successful at Arkansas. I agree, though he would kill it at a place like SMU, as you said, Ohio St. Somewhere he can recruit well and not have the gauntlet of a regular season the SEC has.
I don’t believe any of that for a minute. If what you say is true that ******* would still be here.