Should John Calipari be on the Hot Seat?
Photo by Jacob Kupferman
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY (PSF) - After Kentucky was bounced out of this years NCAA Tournament by Kansas State in the round of 32, fans and critics have started to speculate on Head Coach John Calipari. The Kentucky Wildcats have won a single tournament game in the past 3 years and this leads to the question. Should John Calipari be on the hot seat?
The Kentucky Wildcats have been a dominant force in college basketball for decades. As a program, they have 60 NCAA Tournament appearances, 17 Final Four appearances, and 8 National Championship wins. The last time Kentucky won a national championship was in 2012 where they defeated the Kansas Jayhawks (67-59). This is John Calipari’s only National Championship head coaching Kentucky.
While the programs successes as a whole are impressive, the past few years for the Kentucky basketball program have been a struggle. In 2020, the NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a struggle for all programs and fans. In 2021, Kentucky went 9-16 overall and did not receive a bid for the NCAA Tournament. The 2022 season was looking like a bounce back year for the ‘Cats. They achieved a 26-8 record and received a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They were shocked by #15 seed Saint Peter’s University and lost in the Round of 64.
This season, Kentucky received a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated #11 Providence in the round of 64, breaking the 3 year drought. They were knocked out of the tournament by #3 seed Kansas State in the next round. To say these past 3 years for Kentucky have been a disappointment would be an understatement, but putting John Calipari on the hot seat would be a difficult decision for one simple reason.
Calipari is the best recruiter in college basketball and the numbers back up the statement. Kentucky has had the #1 recruiting class 8 times since the signing of Calipari in 2009. The class for the upcoming season is included in that list and it may even be his best. Kentucky has 3 of the top 5 players in the class coming to Lexington in DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, and Aaron Bradshaw. These 3 and Oscar Tshiebwe possibly returning for one more season could turn Kentucky back to their dominant ways.
So, to answer the question “Should John Calipari be on the hot seat?” No. Calipari is far too valuable of a recruiter and players coach to let go after a few mediocre seasons. Though, if he struggles with this upcoming class, the questions of him being on the hot seat would be more prominent.
