Basketball coach John Calipari thanked the fans for their support over the years in his first speech since it was announced that he was leaving the University of Kentucky.
It was announced early on Monday morning that Calipari had agreed to take over as Arkansas’ next head coach. The 65-year-old led Kentucky to six SEC tournament victories and a 2021 national championship during his 16 seasons as head coach.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the most recent team’s season ended with an unexpected 80-76 loss to Oakland, ranked 14th.
Calipari shared a video from his personal accounts on social media on Tuesday. He announced that his time at Kentucky had ended in the almost four-minute video.
With reference to his wife, Calipari remarked, “Since our season ended, Ellen and I have spent a lot of time thinking about our time here at Kentucky.” “What the friends we’ve made mean to us. There were regional titles, conference titles, Final Fours, and the 2012 national championship won on that court. For us, this has been a wonderful time. This job is truly ideal. It was the job of my dreams. “That is the bluest of blue,” says anyone in our profession when they see the basketball team at the University of Kentucky.
We’ve realized over the past few weeks that this program probably needs to hear from another voice, that the university as a whole needs to hear from another voice in order to receive guidance regarding this program, and that the fans themselves need to hear from another voice. Although we have enjoyed our time here, we believe it is time for us to move on and discontinue our involvement with the program.
Calipari then expressed gratitude to the families, supporters, and players for their support over his tenure.
