Stephen A. Smith 'shocked' John Calipari is 'running away' from Kentucky job
Surprising news broke Sunday night as it was revealed that Kentucky coach John Calipari is set to leave for the Arkansas job.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith was among the crowd stunned by the decision. Smith shared his reaction during First Take on Monday.
“I’m shocked,” Stephen A. Smith said. “I’m shocked because Arkansas is not Kentucky tradition wise. … I know that Calipari is friends with one of the alumni who happens to be a billionaire from Arkansas. I get that part and maybe that had a lot to do with this. But I think the reason I’m shocked is because Kentucky is a blueblood.”
Kentucky is without a doubt one of the best college basketball programs in the country. The Wildcats have won eight national titles, including in 2012 under John Calipari.
However, Calipari’s teams have underachieved in the NCAA Tournament lately, and the fanbase was growing frustrated with early exits. Smith believes those frustrations led to Calipari leaving town.
“I love Calipari. I’ve known him for close to 30 years. But he’s underachieved over the last decade. Hasn’t made it to a Final Four since 2015, hasn’t won a national championship since 2012,” Smith said. “In Calipari’s first six seasons at Kentucky… they had three 35-win seasons. They had four Final Four appearances and they won a national title. In his last nine years… zero in every category – the 35 wins, the Final Fours, the NCAA titles.
“When you’re at Kentucky and you see North Carolina and Duke keeping themselves relevant – even when they don’t win, they’re knocking at the door, they’re in the mix. And over the last four years you’ve had two first-round exits, to a No. 14 and a No. 15 seed. You didn’t make the tournament once, and then you got to the second round and that’s all you have to show for it at Kentucky, they were saying it’s unacceptable and there were rumblings about Calipari.”
Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe that John Calipari was forced to leave Kentucky. But he does feel that the frustration from fans led to him leaving for Arkansas, even if it’s not as good of a job as Kentucky.
“It does give you the impression that he’s running away from something rather than being pushed out, even though they weren’t going to push him out because they were going to owe him a $33 million buyout,” Smith said. “But in the end, I found myself shocked, because to go from Kentucky to Arkansas, that’s not about a better opportunity as much as it is a better environment for you, because the environment where you were evidently soured on you, and that’s why you left.”