John Calipari Makes a Firm Remark to Only Recruits John Calipari, the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, made a forceful statement expressing interest in NIL.
John Calipari, the former head men’s basketball coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks and former Kentucky Wildcat, is the best in recruiting in various eras of collegiate basketball.
Since he was mainly responsible for the emergence of the one-and-done era in college basketball, Calipari has had a lengthy history of working with the sport’s most gifted young players. However, it’s no secret that the game has changed significantly in the last few years, and that recruiting in college basketball has shifted from Calipari’s old ace in the hole, “how quickly can I get to the NBA?” to “how much can you pay me now?”
However, Calipari’s position on prospects requesting money before they even step foot on campus may surprise some, especially since he has already completed one offseason in Fayetteville and is only a few weeks away from starting his first season as head coach of Arkansas.
“If I hear a child ask me, ‘Well, what’s the number?’ On his Sirius XM radio show, Calipari said to former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, “Well, I’m probably not taking that kid.” “If that’s all it’s about – NIL – there are other places they can go.”
Calipari continued by criticizing the NCAA, as many coaches have done in recent years, and claiming that every regulation change implemented in this new era of collegiate athletics has not at all been with the benefit of the athlete in mind.
“I’ve tried to tell the NCAA, they’ve obviously never listened to me, but if they made decisions all based on the kids, they’ll all be right decisions,” he stated. However, they don’t. Decisions on power, control, sports, and other things are made by them. … We are taking this action for their benefit. This has to be improved for them, but it isn’t. And it’s ruining the sport in addition to being better for them.”
In terms of coaching, Calipari will remain a prominent figure in the sport, and his opinions are undoubtedly very significant. He and many others’ voices are needed to elevate collegiate athletics to a position where, for the first time, in a long time, things feel healthy and moving in the right direction.