NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
[ad_1]
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — John Calipari wants everyone in Northwest Arkansas to know he’s not a magician. It might seem like his excellence out of a top hat, but he stressed that all of his Final Fours, NBA Draft picks and on-court success came from grit and hard work.
Calipari might not be a magician, but he conjured a spell over the Arkansas basketball faithful in his first act as head coach.
Calipari was officially presented to the Razorbacks fans Wednesday evening in a surreal scene. Bud Walton Arena felt like it was about to host a key game in the SEC title race, not an introductory press conference. Fans waited in line in the pouring rain to secure their spot inside the arena, where they would cheer a man they spent more than a decade hollering insults toward and booing.
“I have never gotten that kind of greeting in this building,” Calipari joked to a feverish crowd.
More: Why hiring John Calipari elevates Arkansas basketball in national pecking order | Fuller
More: ‘It’s another level’: What impact will John Calipari have on Arkansas basketball recruiting?
Bud Walton Arena reached a depressing state toward the end of the most recent basketball season. Home games against LSU and Vanderbilt to close the year featured plenty of empty seats. The fans turned the page toward baseball season. Their apathy toward basketball online only grew with the departure of Eric Musselman after below .500 season.
But now, the Hogs are re-energized, and it’s all because of Calipari. Hiring a hall of famer with six Final Four appearances and one national championship will do that to a fan base. There’s optimism that Calipari will elevate Arkansas into the highest tier of college basketball. Calipari said as much throughout Wednesday’s coronation.
Fortunately, Calipari’s hiring seems to have also reignited a flame in the head coach.
Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari takes the stage during his introduction to the Razorbacks’ faithful Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
“To do what I was able to do at…
[ad_2]Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/john-calipari-casts-spell-arkansas-014733280.html
Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record
Publish date : 2024-04-11 01:47:33
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
