By Kyle Golik
Last week, men’s basketball coach John Calipari and Kentucky decided it was best for both parties to split after 15 seasons. At many schools, Calipari’s achievements would secure a lifetime contract; six SEC regular and tournament championships, four Final Fours, and 2012 National Championship, but in college basketball, Kentucky is the bluest of blue bloods and the results over the last four seasons showed Calipari’s one and down method was done in Lexington.
During Calipari’s time, he wasn’t a stranger to exchange barbs with the football coach.
Calipari should feel fortunate Mark Stoops wasn’t brazen enough like former Temple men’s basketball coach John Chaney, but Stoops did not back down.
https://twitter.com/UKCoachStoops/status/1557808704480808961
In an interview with The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker, Calipari, who was lobbying for a new practice facility for basketball had a slight dig at the up and coming football program, “And the reason is, this is a basketball school. It’s always been that. Alabama is a football school. So is Georgia. I mean, they are. No disrespect to our football team. I hope they win 10 games and go to bowls. At the end of the day, that makes my job easier and it makes the job of all of us easier. But this is a basketball school. And so we need to keep moving in that direction and keep doing what we’re doing.”
Stoops proceeded to tweet about Kentucky’s then four straight postseason wins, and then added further comment, “I don’t care about anyone’s program, I stay in my lane,” Stoops said. “But when you start talking about mine, and people I compete against, I’m going to defend my players. … Don’t demean and distract from what we’ve done to get to this point.”
More Sports News
Eventually athletic director Mitch Barnhart ironed things out and when news broke of Calipari’s departure, Stoops took to Twitter and said, “I will like to wish [John Calipari] and his family well in their new endeavor. We spent 11 years working together and I really appreciate all they did for UK and the Commonwealth.”
Kentucky isn’t a stranger to conflicts between the football and basketball coach, arguably the greatest clash came in the late 1940’s/early 1950’s when football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and men’s basketball coach Adolph Rupp collided.
As Bryant guided Kentucky to its greatest gridiron success, it became evident to Bryant where Kentucky’s priorities were and that was with Rupp’s basketball program.
Bryant felt after a point shaving scandal rocked Rupp’s program, Bryant felt Kentucky might begin to focus on the football program. When the school poured tremendous effort into keeping the basketball program afloat, Bryant departed and Kentucky would “rue the day” they let Bryant go when he returned to his alma mater, Alabama, and won six national championships.
Sometimes there is no beef to be had between the coaches but a school has to make a point.
Former Arizona football coach Jedd Fisch left the program after a slurry of coaching moves rocked the sport in January between Jim Harbaugh going to the NFL, Nick Saban retiring, and Kalen DeBoer leaving Washington for Alabama, Fisch knew he was a hot commodity and with Arizona’s financial situation, it only left Fisch even more vulnerable to be poached.
“But my assistant coach pool would still have been $3.5 million less than what it is now. And some of the things I could have done for all our support staff would not have been able to get done,” Fisch said to The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman back in February.
Arizona’s financial situation is one of dire needs as university president Robert Robbins announced the school had a $177 million budget shortfall.
This is why Arizona could not counter when Washington approached Fisch and the $7.75 million because they did not have it.
Arizona prioritized securing men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd to keep their men’s basketball program among one of the elite schools in the country, at $5.25 million per season and a contract through 2029.
One situation that has the potential to be volatile could be with North Carolina.
Many analysts point to North Carolina as the most coveted asset if the ACC were to collapse and the biggest question here is if it comes down to the Big Ten or SEC who will have the bigger voice in the room?
Football is the cash cow, but North Carolina basketball has been the engine for years for North Carolina athletics.
Ultimately, athletic directors hope for harmony amongst all the program leaders especially football and basketball, but football doesn’t always win or get what it wants. With the consolidation of brands on the horizon, those looking for a seat at the tables of the Big Ten and SEC these collisions will flare up because someone will have to make a sacrifice for their program.
