Kansas basketball coach Bill Self reacts to John Calipari leaving Kentucky for Arkansas

Posted by Admin April 16, 2024 Basketball

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has coached against John Calipari a number of times over the years.

There was that national championship game Self won with the Jayhawks back in 2008, when Calipari led the way at Memphis. There have been the many matchups since, when Calipari has been the coach at Kentucky — where Calipari won a national championship in 2012 at the expense of KU. And their latest battle came this past season in Chicago, during the Champions Classic, when Kansas won 89-84 in a thriller.

But if Self and Calipari coach against each other again, the latter won’t be representing the Wildcats. Earlier this month, Calipari elected to leave Kentucky for another Southeastern Conference program — Arkansas. Although it seemed like Calipari’s time with the Wildcats was nearing its end, it’s still a move that’s seismic in the college basketball world.

“I actually think it was a — I’m happy for him,” Self said Thursday at his team’s end-of-season banquet. “The shelf life in coaches at one place isn’t 21 years, guys. It isn’t 15 years. It’s, most places, five, seven, eight years, and for him to be in a pressure cooker like that for 15 years — I’m actually happy for him. I hope he does well, just not at our expense, and I’m sure Kentucky will hire a great guy also.”

Self wouldn’t have to wait long to discover who Kentucky would hire as Calipari’s replacement, as Friday the Wildcats announced Mark Pope is taking over. Pope isn’t an unfamiliar name to Self, considering Pope just spent this past season coaching fellow Big 12 Conference-side BYU. Pope actually led the Cougars to a win against Kansas this past season in their lone matchup against the Jayhawks.

For Pope, Kentucky is his alma mater. He was also a captain on the Wildcats team that captured a national championship in 1996. Whenever Kansas and Kentucky meet up again, Self will have an idea for the style Pope’s side will play with.

“The University of Kentucky is the pinnacle of coaching in college basketball. It’s the definition of blueblood program where hanging a banner is the expectation ever year,” Pope said in a Kentucky release. “Equally as important, UK changed my life forever as a human being. The love and passion I have for this program, this University and the people of the Commonwealth goes to the depth of my soul. I’m thankful to Dr. (Eli) Capilouto and Mitch Barnhart for this opportunity. I’m proud to be your next head coach and I can’t wait to do this together!”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.