"I was like KFC... I did chicken": When John Calipari reflected on his razor-sharp focus during early coaching days

John Calipari etched his name as one of the greatest coaches for Kentucky men's basketball. In an interview with Graham Basinger posted on YouTube in May 2016, he recalled his early years with the Wildcats when he seemed to come off as brash and arrogant.

Asked what it was like starting out as a young coach, Calipari said:

"Driven, into basketball, curious about everything to do with the game. Probably didn't have a whole lot of time for stuff around me that was moving too slow or people who weren't into it as much as I was and they were into everything else.

"I was like Kentucky Fried Chicken. I did chicken. That's all I did, and I wasn't into everything else. So, I could see myself coming off that way."

Calipari joined Kentucky in 2009 and led the Wildcats to a national championship in 2012 and four Final Fours (in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015). He was named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2008 and 2015) and became a Basketball Hall of Famer in 2015.

Calipari joined Arkansas after the 2023-24 season, leading the Razorbacks to a 20-13 overall mark, finishing ninth in the SEC at 8-10 this season.

John Calipari on Arkansas' chances of making the NCAA Tournament

John Calipari's ninth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks defeated 16th-seeded South Carolina 72-68 on Wednesday despite blowing a 20-point lead.

Calipari made it clear that the March Madness is a period where the team has to fight for their basketball lives.

“We have a bunch of guys that compete and did what they had to to win the game, so I’m happy,” Calipari said after the game. "Would you like to have it a big score? Yeah. But at this time of the year, everybody’s fighting for their lives.”

Arkansas advanced to play eighth-seeded Ole Miss in the second round on Thursday where the Razorbacks fell 83-80.

After the game, Calipari talked about Arkansas' chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

“Hopefully, we've done enough,” Calipari said. “But I'm not in the (selection) room. And I don't know what else is happening around the country because I haven't watched.”

The Arkansas coach is a regular at NCAA championships, having led Kentucky, UMass and Memphis to the Final Four.