Report: Arkansas finalizing deal with John Calipari to be next head coach
Less than a week after Eric Musselman left Arkansas for USC, a huge name is close to filling the position of head basketball coach.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, John Calipari is finalizing a five-year deal to be the next head basketball coach at the University of Arkansas.
The move is a shocking one for both Arkansas and Calipari, as Calipari was expected to stay at Kentucky despite another first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.
Despite Kentucky's recent struggles in the tournament, he is more than a viable replacement for Musselman and brings a championship pedigree to Fayetteville.
After a disappointing season on the hardwood, Eric Musselman left Arkansas to go back to the west coast. Arkansas went after both Chris Beard and Jerome Tang to potentially be the next coach of the Razorbacks, but both coaches declined, leaving Arkansas fans nervous about the future of the program.
Without a doubt, those nerves has been quelled.
Calipari has been at Kentucky since 2009, and his resume with the Wildcats includes 12 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including six trips to the Elite Eight, three trips to the Final Four and national championship.
Calipari will have plenty of resources, both talent and otherwise, to compete for national championships at Arkansas. His time in Fayetteville is the perfect opportunity for him to reinvigorate his career following a less than ceremonious exit from Kentucky.
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