John Calipari's 'Let's Come Together' Speech Shouldn't Excite Kentucky Fans After Another NCAA Tourney Exit

Three years ago, the conversation surrounding John Calipari and the future of Kentucky basketball started to heat up after a loss to Saint Peter's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Three seasons later, fans and donors have had enough of the excuses, this time after another first round loss in the month of March. 

It's obvious the Kentucky basketball program is at a crossroads with John Calipari. If you wanted a glimpse into the frustration, just go back and listen to their postgame call-in shows around the state. But we've reached a point where the noise is not only coming from the fans, but now we're hearing it from the folks who used to defend Calipari after flaming out in the biggest tournament in sports. 

It's gotten to a point where fans and donors are waiting for Calipari and athletic director Mitch Barnhart to hash out the details of what it would look like next season in Lexington. After losing to Oakland last Thursday, Calipari decided to seclude himself from the outside world for a few day, taking a deep breath before returning to Lexington to make his case as to how he can start producing in March once again. 

John Calipari Familiar With This Dilemma

If it sounds like we've been here before, it's because this has turned into what seems like a yearly tradition. The loss to Saint Peter's in Indianapolis three years ago was the start, with whispers starting to get louder around the athletic department. Then it was Greensboro last season where Kansas State took down Kentucky in the second round, sending the Wildcats home once again on the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. 

But things took a drastic turn this season. What was once just chatter around the different sports-talk stations in Kentucky and us in the national media wondering how things had gotten so bad for a coach that loves to discuss how nothing else matters but the tournament in March.  Now has risen to the point of whether Calipari should return as the head coach next season. 

The fans are tired of spending their money on a team that is not showing-up in the one part of the year that truly matters for John Calipari. The ‘Built For March’ slogan that Calipari loves to use on a yearly basis has now turned into ‘We’re usually done in March' campaign. And for that reason alone, the Kentucky fan base has reached the point that not having Calipari on the sidelines next season is the right move for the program moving forward. 

Was John Calipari on the Kentucky sideline for the last time in the loss to Oakland?  Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

To be honest, I don't disagree. I've heard, along with the rest of college basketball, the same excuses from Calipari when his team flounders out of the tournament to a team they had no business losing to. It's gotten to a point that we all know what he's going to say, and it usually starts with how young his team is compared to others in the tournament. 

The schtick is getting old, and now Kentucky fans are calling him to the table for his logic. But as we've seen with John Calipari over the past three seasons, he's once again trying to rally the fan base, when in reality they're probably ready for something new. 

One SEC Tournament win in the past five seasons, along with only one NCAA Tournament win in the past three years is not going to cut it at Kentucky, and the fans are fed-up.

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Calipari Pleaded With Kentucky Fans To ‘Come Together’ During Radio Show

Before even meeting with his athletic director about the future of Kentucky's basketball program, John Calipari came out of seclusion for his radio show to wrap-up the 2023-2024 season. In what turned into a state of the program type address, while answering questions from ‘social media’ and not callers, Calipari made it clear that his intentions were to stay in Lexington and try to right the ship. 

He certainly did not sound like a coach worried about his job status. 

"My commitment is, I am going to work. I am not changing. I am going 24-7 and I am not going to change," Calipari said during his radio show. "This is what I wanted and this is why I never left. Let's come together and let's do something special. We have done it before, so let’s do it again."

But when pressed on what a conversation regarding the future might entail, Calipari once again dug his heels into the sand regarding the age of his players compared to others in the tournament. 

"Having this program in today’s environment? It’s a little different now. I mean kids are 25, 26, 27. Now, how do you continue to do it with freshman? What do they have to look like physically? And do you bring in some transfers out of that portal to make up for your team? Some people are not taking any freshmen. They’re just going in the portal with 12 new guys and hope it works out," Calipari said. "I would just tell you I like the combination of both. We just got to get the right transfer who understands what this is. We got to keep coaching these young kids."

When Calipari discusses having such a young team, he seems to forget he started two seniors this season, with Tre Mitchell and Antonio Reeves. So the argument of not having older leadership on the team is almost a half-truth that has been the catalyst of his postseason excuses for the past number of years. 

Calipari continues to say that he might need to bring in older players, but then brings up the same topic when pressed on what has gone wrong. Sometime soon, whether it's this week, or after next season, folks around Lexington are going to actually have to call him on his bluff, but that will cost them around $33 million to pull off immediately. 

The good news is that the buyout drops to $27 million after next season, so congratulations to the Kentucky donors and athletic department for that price reduction in the near future. The problem is that folks around the Bluegrass state know that there is money to be spent on a buyout if need be, so John Calipari had better have a rock-solid plan to make sure his team actually has a chance to make the final four next season. 

I don't know if all of this will convince fans to jump back in for another season, but it's still Kentucky basketball, and they will always be loyal to the brand. But being loyal to John Calipari isn't part of the club membership.