Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Dick Vitale makes bold statement about John Calipari leaving Kentucky for Arkansas

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated 4/8/24

Once things become finalized, the Kentucky Men’s Basketball program will be hiring a new head coach before long. News broke on Sunday evening that John Calipari would be departing Lexington to take over at Arkansas.

Kentucky athletic Director Mitch Barnhart released a statement following the NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland that Calipari would be back in 2024 and that no longer appears to be the case. Though Dick Vitale hasn’t been in the booth recently dealing with his health, there was no doubt that he would have a comment on the situation.

Thoughts on @UKCoachCalipari heading to @RazorbackMBB : BBN & all of Kentucky’s passionate fans will realize how really good JOHN CALIPARI was for KENTUCKY BASKETBALL . ( check out his entire resume )Also ARKANSAS made a SLAM DUNK CHOICE! @ESPNPR @PeteThamel @HoopsWeiss
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) April 8, 2024

Hearing Vitale’s voice during Kentucky basketball games has sort of become a staple in a way. He’s covered countless games over the years and has always been a fan of the freshman-loaded rosters that Calipari trots out there.

Now with Calipari on his way out, Vitale believes that Kentucky will soon realize what they once had. Since another early tournament exit happened, fans have been loud in wanting Calipari to be gone and now it’s trending that way.

Kentucky has not made it past the first weekend since 2019 and the welcome was wearing thin for Calipari. A fresh start looks best for all sides with how things have gone recently. Calipari has put dozens of players into the NBA and has won one national title in the past 15 seasons.

The Wildcats will likely lose some recruits and have some transfers happen with the coaching move. Still, Kentucky is a premier basketball program and always has been. It’s bigger than one individual and will be again soon with whoever is coaching the team.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: