Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams criticize Kentucky ahead of John Calipari's pending departure
The college basketball landscape went into shock on Sunday night as reports surfaced that Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari is expected to depart from Lexington and become the next head man at Arkansas.
Speculation of Calipari and the Kentucky program parting ways came and went after he failed to lead the Wildcats out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight season. But those same rumors are now looking like a reality following Calipari’s 15th season with Kentucky.
Ahead of the men’s national championship game, analysts Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams gave their two cents on the Calipari departing. Putting some blame and criticism in the direction of the Wildcats program ahead of their potential breakup with one of college basketball’s most iconic current coaches.
“He’s not walking away from Kentucky, he’s walking to Arkansas,” Greenberg said. “And basically everyone wants to be wanted, he got to a point at Kentucky he didn’t feel like he was wanted. Over the last year and a half he’s had minimal or no relationship with his athletic director. I’ve been through that. You feel like you’re on an island.”
Jobs like Kentucky’s head men’s basketball coach come with high levels of pressure and expectations. Expectations that Calipari was able to meet in his first decade with the program. But Greenberg believes that five-straight seasons of not meeting that gold standard eventually ran its course with Coach Cal.
“I don’t care how many games you win, I don’t care how good your players are. He loves his players, he loves everything about coaching that team but it is suffocating when you have your support system isn’t on the same page. Coaching’s hard enough, but when your support system is pulling in another direction that becomes a problem,” Greenberg explained. “So to me, I’m really excited for him.”
“And I said this earlier when you’re referencing does John Calipari want to stay at Kentucky,” Williams added. “Every single day when your name is trending and people are trying to fire you, you don’t feel appreciated. And I really think that Kentucky missed the mark here and it can be best for both programs, they can find a new coach that can usher in a new era. That’s fine. I’m sure they’ll get their NIL money back. But I think people think it’s easier to replace John Calipari when I don’t know if that’s the reality.”
Calipari’s track record regarding acquiring and producing top-notch talent is undeniable, as he continues to send players to the NBA level more than any other coach in the college basketball landscape. But lately, that elite talent has not been able to produce postseason success. Which Williams believes Kentucky should have let Calipari adapt to and sort out with the program versus potentially letting him walk.
“I mean, the dude, I’m telling you, his ability to connect to young people is off the charts. Does it always translate to deep runs in the tournament? No, but JB we even talked about this on game day,” Williams said to Jay Bilas. “Well you can’t [win] with the young [players]. A couple years ago his team wasn’t young, he’s done it a variety of different ways. All I have to say is four Final Fours, one national championship. Sometimes you don’t know how good you have something until it’s no longer there and I think Kentucky’s gonna have to find that out.”
The end of the Calipari era in Lexington would surely present some new challenges for the Kentucky basketball program. With both Greenberg and Williams referencing NIL currently being more favorable at Arkansas moving forward compared to Kentucky. As all eyes will be on both programs moving forward to see who wins the breakup between Calipari and Wildcats in the future.
“I’m gonna say right now, with with the NIL situation that’s $5 million. That’s going to put them at the very, very top… the resources they have at Arkansas with NIL, facilities, the commitment to him, and the program. In three years he’s gonna be here,” Greenberg said on-site at this year’s Final Four in Glendale, Arizona.