[ad_1]
Maybe Tuscaloosa’s rambunctious student section was on to something, after all.
Just two days after the Alabama Crimson Tide thrashed Kentucky in a 78-52 beatdown, the Coleman Coliseum chanted “Cal to Texas!” With Hall of Fame rumors swirling in one of his most disappointing losses during his John Calipari era in the UK, he may pack his bags and head south.
247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham posted on a Texas message board Monday afternoon that the Longhorns contacted Calipari “through back channels” regarding becoming the new head coach of Texas basketball.
Texas fired coach Chris Beard on Jan. 5 after he was arrested for domestic violence in December 2022. Beard entered his second season as head coach of the Longhorns. He previously served as head coach at Texas Tech University for his five seasons. Of course, his dismissal has resulted in a flurry of famous names flying over the list of upcoming skippers in Austin, with Calipari being one of them.
The Wildcats are struggling after losing to the 15th seed St. Peter’s Peacocks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It followed their worst season in British history with just nine wins.
Kentucky hasn’t won a single March Madness since 2019, and given their current trajectory in the 2022-23 season, there isn’t much hope that the streak will end this March.
Calipari signed a “lifetime contract” to stay at the University of Kentucky, making him the highest-paid coach in college basketball after the 2019 season. He is set to make $8.5 million this season, his 14th at Lexington.
Branham said in the post that he believed he would take the leap and leave the UK if Texas came to the table with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“If a competitive offer is made, I think Cal is likely to jump on it,” he wrote.
scroll to continue
“We’re all devastated, me and the team devastated,” Calipari said after the loss in Alabama. “There’s a lot to do, guys.”
Calipari has previously said he would fulfill his British contract, but the difficult road he and his program are currently on seems to be pointing in a different direction. Kentucky will be welcomed into the nation’s No. 1 class in 2023, and it will be his seventh time Calipari has accomplished the feat during his tenure in England.
It’s all speculation, and everyone involved is sure to deny it, but the rumor mill is turning. The end of Lexington’s era may be a lot closer than anyone expected.
COLUMN: Kentucky basketball feels irreparably broken.
Read more about Kentucky’s loss to the Crimson Tide here.
Read more about Oscar Tshiebwe’s lackluster performance here.
Watch: Calipari, Wheeler’s Postgame
Want the latest on soccer and basketball national recruits, including Cats Target? SI All American For the latest news, blogs and updates on the country’s best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also provides insights, information and the latest details. gambler. check it out here.
[ad_2]
Source link
