As Arkansas hires John Calipari, I rank top 5 SEC basketball jobs | Toppmeyer

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On the day Kentucky basketball fans celebrated John Calipari’s exit, Arkansas fans felt inspired by his hire.

Not often does a coach’s departure for a conference rival go down as a win for all parties, but that’s the case here.

Arkansas nabbed an accomplished coach and a great recruiter. Kentucky gets a clean break from a coach whom fans had grown tired of, and now its gets to try to hire a premier coach who will keep the talent flowing into UK. And Calipari turned down the heat on himself while navigating to another good job.

Win-win-win.

“It’s been a dream,” Calipari said Tuesday of his 15-year Kentucky tenure in a video confirming his departure. He added that he’s departing because Kentucky “probably needs to hear another voice.”

Calipari was the perfect coach for Kentucky, until he wasn’t. It’s time for something different, for everyone.

Calipari to Arkansas, and Insert (Big-Name) Coach Here to Kentucky will be some kind of fun.

The best part for Calipari? Although he took a step down on the career ladder, he’ll still be at a really good job. Calipari can win big at Arkansas – if he’s willing to modernize. (That’s a big if, I’ll admit.)

Kentucky stands above all other SEC basketball jobs. Were does Arkansas’ job rank?

I started musing that around the time I began envisioning the image of Calipari calling the hogs. (An amusing thought.)

Here’s how I rank the top five SEC men’s basketball jobs, with the caveat that Nos. 2 through 5 fluctuate based on the momentum a particular coach generates. The No. 1 job will always be No. 1.

1. Kentucky

Calipari said it correctly in his farewell. Kentucky is “the bluest of the blue” of college basketball jobs. Consider, UK is the SEC’s only basketball-first school. Big Blue Nation’s demands are unrelenting, but so is fan and booster support. Superstars want to wear the Kentucky uniform, and never will money or loyalty be lacking for UK basketball. Three of Kentucky’s last four coaches won a national…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/arkansas-hires-john-calipari-rank-174942855.html

Author : The Tennessean

Publish date : 2024-04-10 17:49:42

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