You could say that John Calipari stepping away from Kentucky was the rare case of a win-win as it relates to a head-coaching change.
Calipari had been in Lexington for 15 seasons and he brought a championship home for the Wildcats. That’s not to mention multiple SEC championships.
His time had run out with the administration, though, after a few disappointing seasons and perhaps Calipari’s voice in the locker room had gone stale.
So off to Arkansas he went to give it another try, and in came Mark Pope to Kentucky, fresh off a successful stint at BYU.
Now, almost a year later, both Arkansas and Kentucky find themselves in the Sweet 16 and Calipari couldn’t sound more content with the way everything played out.
“It was great for me and great for Kentucky. They’re doing great,” Calipari said recently on “The Pat McAfee Show” (h/t On3). “You see my daughter, my wife, they’re into this just like I am, and we gave everything we had, but it was time. It was time. Now, someone could go in and match what we did over that period of time. I wish them well. I’m in another situation, and I’m at peace.”
