John Calipari Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari decided to leave the program this offseason, deciding to become the next head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. And as he now moves on from the program, it sounds like he is supportive of Mark Pope, who the team brought in to replace him.

During the annual SEC Spring Meetings in Florida this week, John Calipari expressed his approval of the new Kentucky hire.

“I thought it was a terrific hire,” Calipari said on Wednesday in Destin. “Mark [Pope] and I have spent time together. He’s a good man. He and I talked on the Friday morning when I was at the Final Four. He couldn’t have been more — you know, he’s a former player. Proud of what Kentucky was doing. Didn’t know he would be the coach at that point, but I think it’s a terrific hire.

“There are things they gotta do that they know they gotta do now. No options. You either do them or — you know. They’re doing them from what I understand.”

Calipari may be competing against Kentucky now, but it’s clear that he is still pleased with the direction of the Kentucky program now that he has left.

[On3]