John Calipari
John Calipari (born February 10, 1959)
Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: Arkansas Razorbacks
Current conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)
UMass record: 189-70 (.730) **
Memphis record: 214-68 (.759) **
Kentucky record: 410-123 (.769)
Arkansas record: 0-0 (.000)
Overall record^: 813-261 (.758) **
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 1 (2012)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 21 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024) **
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 13 (1992, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019) **
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 4 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) **
- NIT Championships: 1 (2002)
- NIT Appearances: 6 (1990, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2013)
- SEC Regular Season Champion: 6 (2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020)
- Conference USA Regular Season Champion: 6 (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009) **
- Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champion: 5 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
- SEC Tournament Champion: 6 (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
- Conference USA Tournament Champion: 3 (2006, 2007, 2009) **
- Atlantic 10 Tournament Champion: 5 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
Awards:
- AP Coach of the Year: 1 (2015)
- Naismith Coach of the Year: 3 (1996, 2008, 2015)
- NABC Coach of the Year: 3 (1996, 2009, 2015)
- Sporting News Coach of the Year: 2 (1996, 2015)
- Jim Phelan Award: 1 (2009)
- SEC Coach of the Year: 4 (2010, 2012, 2015, 2020)
- Conference USA Coach of the Year: 3 (2006, 2008, 2009)
- Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year: 3 (1993, 1994, 1996)
- John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award (2024)
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2015)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2024-present | Arkansas |
| 2009-2024 | Kentucky |
| 2000-2009 | Memphis |
| 1999-2000 | Philadelphia 76ers (asst) |
| 1996-1999 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1988-1996 | UMass |
| 1985-1988 | Pittsburgh (asst) |
| 1982-1985 | Kansas (asst) |
John Calipari Facts
- John Vincent Calipari
- Born February 10, 1959
- Hometown: Moon Township, Pennsylvania
- Alma Mater: Clarion University (PA) (BS, 1982)
- First coaching job was as an assistant at Kansas, first under Ted Owens then under Larry Brown
- Spent three years as an assistant at Pittsburgh under head coaches Roy Chipman and Paul Evans
- Head coach and EVP Basketball Ops for the New Jersey Nets for three seasons, compiling an overall record of 72-112 (.391)
- Made the playoffs in 1998, but was fired during the 1998-99 season following a 3-17 start
- Has had two separate Final Four appearances vacated by the NCAA – one at UMass in 1996 and one at Memphis is 2008
- UMass star Marcus Camby was found to have accepted cash/gifts from an agent, eventually leading to the Minutemen’s 4-1 NCAA Tournament record (and Final Four appearance) being vacated by the NCAA
- Memphis star Derrick Rose was later found to have been academically ineligible for the 2007-08 season after his SAT score had been voided; this resulted in the Tigers’ entire season being vacated, which included an overtime loss in the National Championship game to Kansas (Memphis’ 38-2 record is now officially 0-2)
- Took over as head coach at Kentucky in 2009, winning 25+ games in eleven of his fifteen seasons in Lexington
- Went to four Final Fours from 2011-2015, winning the NCAA Championship in 2012 with a 38-2 (16-0) overall record
- Compiled an overall record of 410-123 with the Wildcats, but won just one total NCAA Tournament game in his last five seasons
- From 2011-2012, Cal served as the head coach of the Dominican Republic national basketball team
- In April 2024, Calipari left Kentucky to become the new head coach at conference rival Arkansas
John Calipari Coaching Tree
- Orlando Antigua (South Florida)
- Tony Barbee (Central Michigan, Auburn, UTEP)
- Bill Bayno (Loyola Marymount, UNLV)
- Michael Byrnes (Rhode Island College)
- Don Casey (New Jersey Nets)
- Michael Connors (USciences)
- Bruiser Flint (Drexel, UMass)
- Derek Kellogg (LIU, UMass)
- Chuck Martin (Marist)
- Will Martin (Missouri Western)
- Scott Padgett (Samford)
- Josh Pastner (Georgia Tech, Memphis)
- Kenny Payne (Louisville)
- John Robic (Youngstown State)
- Steve Roccaforte (Lamar)
- Ed Schilling (Pepperdine, Wright State)
- Preston Spradlin (James Madison, Morehead State)
- Rod Strickland (LIU)
- KT Turner (UT Arlington)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only
** Listed accomplishments for this coach do not include wins or appearances later vacated by the NCAA