Evaluating John Calipari's future at Kentucky and the top 5 candidates to one day replace Coach Cal
Who's Next: What will happen when the Wildcats have to replace John Calipari?
by Gary Parrish
Kentucky is one of the best, if not the best, college basketball jobs in the country -- the type of job almost anybody would have to consider when approached about it. The fact that five different men have won national championships while guiding the Wildcats, combined with the school's ability to pay a successful coach more than $8 million per year, suggests it's a place where you can both flourish at the highest level of the sport and get super-wealthy while doing it.
What's not to like?
For the past nine years, John Calipari has been Kentucky's coach. He's recruited like crazy, made four Final Fours, won the 2012 national championship, been elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and positioned himself well to add a second title this season given that UK is No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). At this point, odds are Calipari will coach in Lexington until he's done coaching -- and I'd be shocked if that's anytime soon. So it's extremely difficult, bordering on impossible, to project who will succeed him. But, someday, the Kentucky job will open again. And, when it does, it'll be highly sought after.
CBS Sports is running a six-part series on the half-dozen men's college basketball teams that have active Hall of Fame coaches leading their respective programs. We're examining each coach and school's situation, how and when they might leave their posts, and reasonable candidates who could succeed them. This is more than a guessing game on who's next; the series is taking a big-picture look at the unique challenge facing each of the six schools. Next up is an exploration of what awaits at Kentucky.
Timeline for Coach Cal leaving Kentucky
Calipari is only 59 years old and has previously suggested he could see himself, like fellow Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim, coaching into his 70s. So, again, more than likely, the UK job isn't opening for a while, perhaps even for another decade -- unless, of course, Calipari bounces to the NBA.
Once upon a time, I thought such was probable because getting fired 20 games into his third season with what was then the New Jersey Nets is Calipari's only professional failure, and I spent years assuming he'd eventually return to the NBA in an attempt to prove that, yes, he could be successful at that level too. But, more recently, I've flipped that opinion -- mostly because Calipari has basically priced himself out of the majority of NBA jobs. This season, and every season through 2024, he's scheduled to make at least $8 million annually, which is more than almost every NBA franchise pays its coach. Combine that reality with the idea that Calipari would only ever leave Kentucky for a built-to-win situation in the NBA, and the odds of him getting an offer featuring the type of job and salary that would make him jump seem low. Consequently, I think he'll ultimately retire at Kentucky.
Calipari is under contract for six more seasons.
So it's totally reasonable to assume he'll still be the Kentucky coach through 2024. After that, who knows? But, like Calipari, I could absolutely see him coaching through 2029. He will turn 70 that year. And, in this era, there's nothing unusual about Hall of Fame coaches working into their 70s.
Kentucky’s John Calipari
Age 59
Seasons Entering 10th season at Kentucky, 27th season overall
Career record 275-64 at Kentucky, 678-202 overall (does not include 44 games at UMass and Memphis vacated by the NCAA)
NCAA Tournaments 19
Final Fours 6
NCAA titles 1
Hall of Fame induction 2015
Top candidates to replace Coach Cal
The idea that the Kentucky job really might not open for another decade is the toughest part of trying to identify candidates to be the school's next coach. For instance, 10 years ago, Archie Miller was a 29-year-old assistant at Ohio State, Shaka Smart was a 31-year-old assistant at Florida and Brad Stevens was a 31-year-old coach at Butler still two years away from making the first of two Final Fours. My point: We don't even know who will be the stars of the coaching profession 10 years from now. Some of the names will be the same. But, undeniably, there are at least a few young assistants who are going to spend the next decade becoming successful head coaches, and perhaps they'll be reasonable candidates for big jobs by the time the Kentucky job opens. As always, we'll see. But, for now, here are some names that could make sense.
1. Billy Donovan
Currently: Coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder
Résumé: Donovan, 53, is a sure-bet future Hall of Famer thanks to a remarkable career featuring back-to-back national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2007. In 18 seasons, he guided the Gators to four Final Fours and won SEC Coach of the Year honors three different times. He's now about to start his fourth season with the Thunder. He's made the NBA Playoffs each of the past three seasons.
Why it could be him: Donovan is a former UK assistant who has been pursued by Kentucky previously -- initially when Tubby Smith left Kentucky for Minnesota in March 2007. Ultimately, he decided to stay at Florida back then. But if the timing worked, and his NBA career stalled or slipped, it's not hard to envision Donovan returning to college. And keep this in mind: Kentucky is one of the few places that could give Donovan a pay raise to leave the NBA.
Why it wouldn't be him: The truth about being an NBA coach is that, if you're in a good situation, it's much easier than being a college coach. There's no recruiting, no taking calls from grassroots coaches, no worrying about academics, no catering to boosters. An NBA coach can disappear for weeks at a time in the off-season; a college coach can't. So if Donovan continues to win enough to remain in the NBA, it's possible he might just prefer the quality of life professional basketball provides.
Who's Next: What will happen when the Wildcats have to replace John Calipari?
by Gary Parrish
Kentucky is one of the best, if not the best, college basketball jobs in the country -- the type of job almost anybody would have to consider when approached about it. The fact that five different men have won national championships while guiding the Wildcats, combined with the school's ability to pay a successful coach more than $8 million per year, suggests it's a place where you can both flourish at the highest level of the sport and get super-wealthy while doing it.
What's not to like?
For the past nine years, John Calipari has been Kentucky's coach. He's recruited like crazy, made four Final Fours, won the 2012 national championship, been elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and positioned himself well to add a second title this season given that UK is No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). At this point, odds are Calipari will coach in Lexington until he's done coaching -- and I'd be shocked if that's anytime soon. So it's extremely difficult, bordering on impossible, to project who will succeed him. But, someday, the Kentucky job will open again. And, when it does, it'll be highly sought after.
CBS Sports is running a six-part series on the half-dozen men's college basketball teams that have active Hall of Fame coaches leading their respective programs. We're examining each coach and school's situation, how and when they might leave their posts, and reasonable candidates who could succeed them. This is more than a guessing game on who's next; the series is taking a big-picture look at the unique challenge facing each of the six schools. Next up is an exploration of what awaits at Kentucky.
Timeline for Coach Cal leaving Kentucky
Calipari is only 59 years old and has previously suggested he could see himself, like fellow Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim, coaching into his 70s. So, again, more than likely, the UK job isn't opening for a while, perhaps even for another decade -- unless, of course, Calipari bounces to the NBA.
Once upon a time, I thought such was probable because getting fired 20 games into his third season with what was then the New Jersey Nets is Calipari's only professional failure, and I spent years assuming he'd eventually return to the NBA in an attempt to prove that, yes, he could be successful at that level too. But, more recently, I've flipped that opinion -- mostly because Calipari has basically priced himself out of the majority of NBA jobs. This season, and every season through 2024, he's scheduled to make at least $8 million annually, which is more than almost every NBA franchise pays its coach. Combine that reality with the idea that Calipari would only ever leave Kentucky for a built-to-win situation in the NBA, and the odds of him getting an offer featuring the type of job and salary that would make him jump seem low. Consequently, I think he'll ultimately retire at Kentucky.
Calipari is under contract for six more seasons.
So it's totally reasonable to assume he'll still be the Kentucky coach through 2024. After that, who knows? But, like Calipari, I could absolutely see him coaching through 2029. He will turn 70 that year. And, in this era, there's nothing unusual about Hall of Fame coaches working into their 70s.
Age 59
Seasons Entering 10th season at Kentucky, 27th season overall
Career record 275-64 at Kentucky, 678-202 overall (does not include 44 games at UMass and Memphis vacated by the NCAA)
NCAA Tournaments 19
Final Fours 6
NCAA titles 1
Hall of Fame induction 2015
Top candidates to replace Coach Cal
The idea that the Kentucky job really might not open for another decade is the toughest part of trying to identify candidates to be the school's next coach. For instance, 10 years ago, Archie Miller was a 29-year-old assistant at Ohio State, Shaka Smart was a 31-year-old assistant at Florida and Brad Stevens was a 31-year-old coach at Butler still two years away from making the first of two Final Fours. My point: We don't even know who will be the stars of the coaching profession 10 years from now. Some of the names will be the same. But, undeniably, there are at least a few young assistants who are going to spend the next decade becoming successful head coaches, and perhaps they'll be reasonable candidates for big jobs by the time the Kentucky job opens. As always, we'll see. But, for now, here are some names that could make sense.
1. Billy Donovan
Currently: Coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder
Résumé: Donovan, 53, is a sure-bet future Hall of Famer thanks to a remarkable career featuring back-to-back national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2007. In 18 seasons, he guided the Gators to four Final Fours and won SEC Coach of the Year honors three different times. He's now about to start his fourth season with the Thunder. He's made the NBA Playoffs each of the past three seasons.
Why it could be him: Donovan is a former UK assistant who has been pursued by Kentucky previously -- initially when Tubby Smith left Kentucky for Minnesota in March 2007. Ultimately, he decided to stay at Florida back then. But if the timing worked, and his NBA career stalled or slipped, it's not hard to envision Donovan returning to college. And keep this in mind: Kentucky is one of the few places that could give Donovan a pay raise to leave the NBA.
Why it wouldn't be him: The truth about being an NBA coach is that, if you're in a good situation, it's much easier than being a college coach. There's no recruiting, no taking calls from grassroots coaches, no worrying about academics, no catering to boosters. An NBA coach can disappear for weeks at a time in the off-season; a college coach can't. So if Donovan continues to win enough to remain in the NBA, it's possible he might just prefer the quality of life professional basketball provides.
