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At some point in the next few days, John Calipari and Kentucky officials will have to go into a room, lock the door, and agree not to come out until they reach a number that will end this suffering. .
it's over.
It needs to end.
It's time for the best program in college basketball and the worst-performing coach in the sport to go their separate ways and do something different.
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If Calipari returns to Kentucky next year after suffering another disaster in March (this time losing to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Thursday), he no longer wants him there. He would be the most miserable millionaire in the state. He dreams of being resurrected with all the magical abilities he once had.
So what does it mean?
It was a good run for Calipari at Kentucky. It wasn't a great result, but it was a good one. In 15 years, he made it to the Final Four four times and won the national title once. not bad. Also, the wickets of the five-star prospects he brought in and propelled to NBA stardom were not what was expected or deserved.
But even missing out on a national championship, which was Calipari's way a decade ago, feels like a long way from Kentucky's current reality. At this point, just getting out of the first round seems tough.
Kentucky could not play No. 15 seed St. Peter's in 2022.
And they won't be able to do that Thursday against the No. 14 seed Oakland Grizzlies and Jack Goelke, a 24-year-old graduate student who spent most of his college basketball career at Hillsdale College. Ta.
Calipari gets John Walls and Devin Bueckers, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis. Oakland coach Greg Kampe transferred from Division II and received a lottery ticket with 10 3-pointers.
It's the NCAA Tournament.
It's also very crispy.
“Our team shouldn't be defined by that game, but it will be,” Coach Calipari said in a postgame interview on CBS. “This is the profession we chose. But, you know, we had some guys that didn't play as well as they did all year.”
That's true. Kentucky had a terrible game, especially Reed Shepard, who hasn't played all year but looked like a freshman on the big stage.
But who couldn't get his team into a relaxed, confident frame of mind, ready to dominate a significantly less talented team? Goelke's shot set the tone and gave Oakland confidence. On the other hand, who are the players for whom Goalke was too slow to adjust? Who would have watched helplessly as the team fell apart with four minutes remaining, making mistake after mistake?
It's Calipari. It's always crispy.
And Kentucky fans who take great pride in this program know deep down that this marriage ended on its own terms. Since COVID-19, they haven't been a real factor in the national championship discussion and haven't come close to that level. In fact, Kentucky's postseason record since 2019 (including the SEC Tournament) is a dismal 2-6.
Four years of mediocre basketball is a long time for Kentucky. He usually gets fired at Kentucky.
So what's happening now?
If Kentucky wants to waive him, it will owe about $35 million. This is a huge amount of money that the school would be reluctant to pay even if they knew how toxic the environment would be if he returned.
And while Calipari likes money, perhaps more than anyone in the history of college athletics, it's great to see him walk away without getting what he believes he deserves. difficult.
The best course of action is to come together, admit this isn't working anymore, and find a settlement that satisfies Calipari's ego and says he's done all he can in Kentucky and it's time to move on. right.
Calipari has dealt with a lot of negativity throughout his career. But what awaits him at Kentucky next season will be on a completely different level, one that will impact everyone's quality of life.
It's not worth it.
Calipari is 65 years old, and if he wanted, he could walk away from college basketball as a Hall of Famer, a national champion and richer than he ever imagined. If he wants to coach again somewhere, and there are some good jobs available or coming in the next few days, he needs to make that move now. be.
It doesn't matter which path he chooses.
Unless he returns to Kentucky, it's not just for the school, but for himself.
