"It was time": John Calipari on his move to Arkansas after sustained success at Kentucky

John Calipari dedicated 15 years of his coaching career to the Kentucky Wildcats, leading them to a national championship victory in 2012. However, he knew it had to come to an end, which came in 2024.

Calipari finished with a 410-123 overall record at Kentucky from 2009 to 2024. This featured two national championship appearances, six NCAA Final Four appearances, six SEC Tournament championships, and six SEC regular season titles.

He was interviewed by ESPN's Jimmy Dykes before Arkansas' matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night. It marked his return to Rupp Arena after leaving in the offseason to go to Arkansas, but he still cherishes the memories he made with the Wildcats community.

“I will cherish this 15 years, but it was time. I’ve said it before, until that [opportunity at Arkansas] was presented, it didn’t really enter my mind. When that opportunity was presented, then it’s like, ‘Wait a minute,’ and it ends up being good for me, and my family. I want this to — over a five-year period, let’s see where this goes,' Calipari said.

“I’m hoping this year we get it going. And it’s good. Mark Pope’s doing a great job. Like, a great job. So, it’s a win-win.”

How John Calipari's doing in first season with Arkansas

John Calipari's first season with the Arkansas Razorbacks has been a roller coaster, to say the least.

Having started 11-2, they lost six of their last seven games heading into Saturday's game as their NCAA Tournament hopes suffered critical blows with the defeats. In SEC play, they are only putting up 64.3 points on 36.8% shooting from the field and 24.8% from beyond the arc, losing games by a margin of 8.7 points per game.

They need the likes of Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner, and Johnell Davis to step up as potential leaders in the offense. There is putting up 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds, Wagner is producing 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds, and Davis is providing 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds.

Following the matchup against No. 12 Kentucky, John Calipari and the Razorbacks will prepare for their next matchup against the Texas Longhorns at the Moody Center on Feb. 5 at 9 p.m. ET.