It was a rather disappointing season and NCAA Tournament for the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team this year that culminated in a loss to Oakland in the first round. But the school will still be sticking with head coach John Calipari.
On Tuesday evening, Kentucky Wildcats athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced that after a meeting with John Calipari, he will be returning as the team’s head coach next season.
“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” Barnhart said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach.
— Mitch Barnhart (@UKMitchBarnhart) March 27, 2024
The early exit from the NCAA Tournament came despite an extremely talented Kentucky Wildcats roster that featured at least five players who are projected to be selected in the upcoming NBA Draft if they choose to leave Kentucky and declare for the draft.
The Wildcats have not made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since the 2018–19. The Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament entirely in 2021, then were eliminated in the first weekend in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
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