John Calipari will return as the head coach of Kentucky in 2024-25, athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced Tuesday night.
Calipari met with Barnhart five days after the third-seeded Wildcats lost to 14th-seeded Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Barnhart posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach.”
As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach.
— Mitch Barnhart (@UKMitchBarnhart) March 27, 2024
Kentucky fans had grown impatient with Calipari after the team bowed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament twice in three years. The Wildcats wasted a No. 2 seed in 2022 when they fell to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s.
Kentucky, which has won one national title under Calipari (2012), has not reached a Sweet 16 since 2019 or a Final Four since 2015.
Calipari, 65, has gone 410-123 in 15 seasons at Kentucky after stints at UMass (1988-96) and Memphis (2000-09). He has a contract buyout reportedly upwards of $33 million.
–Field Level Media
