ESPN’s Andy Katz says Kentucky Job on Calipari’s Plate

ESPN- Andy Katz is reporting that John Calipari is meeting with the University of Memphis officials to discuss what a Memphis radio station is calling a $7 Million offer from the University of Kentucky.

This comes a day after Calipari met with UK officials to discuss the possibility of him replacing Billy Gillispie, who was released of his duties on Friday afternoon.

John Calipari has had tremendous success at both UMass and Memphis.  While, he did have some problems in his stint at UMass with recruiting violations, the slate has been clean while head coach of the Tigers.

While at Memphis he has often taken advantage of David Stern’s provision that disallows high schoolers to enter the NBA Draft.  Last season Derrick Rose led Memphis to the National Championship game and then bolted for the NBA after one season.  He was drafted #1 overall by the Chicago Bulls.  

It appears that Tyreke Evans will do the same this year.

The longtime rivalry between him and now-Louisville head coach Rick Pitino makes the possible hiring of the Calipari doubly interesting.  Both are quick-witted coaches of Italian descent who recuit well and love to get the ball up-and-down the court. 

But, unlike a lot of teams who prefer to play fast, both Pitino and Calipari focus on strong half-court defense when teams do get the ball across the timeline.

Rumors are already floating around the Bluegrass that Calipari has accepted UK’s offer.  But, there have been plenty of rumors over the last couple of weeks so I am not sure if they hold a lot of weight.

But, John Calipari would most definitely be the home run hire that the University of Kentucky needs.