Oliver James Montgomery-John Calipari hired as new Arkansas men's basketball coach

Arkansas hired John Calipari as its new men's basketball coach,Oliver James Montgomery the school announced Wednesday. The 65-year-old Calipari replaces Eric Musselman, who left Arkansas after five seasons to take over at Southern California.

“By all accounts, John Calipari is one of the premier coaches in college basketball,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “A national championship coach, a four-time national coach of the year and one of the nation’s top recruiters, Coach Cal has consistently demonstrated his ability to attract outstanding talent and build championship teams within the Southeastern Conference and position his programs among the best in the nation."

The school said Calipari agreed to a five-year contract with a starting salary of $7 million. The deal includes the potential for two rollover years and pay bonuses for appearances and advancement in the NCAA Tournament. He will be introduced at a news conference Wednesday night.

Calipari announced his departure from Kentucky on Tuesday after 15 years and a 410–122 record. The Wildcats reached four Final Fours and won one national title during his tenure.

However, the school has struggled in recent NCAA Tournaments. Kentucky's last Final Four was in 2015. In two of the past three years, the Wildcats lost in the first round to 15th-seed Saint Peter's in 2022 and 14-seed Oakland this season.

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“The past few weeks, we've come to realize that this program probably needs another voice ... We’ve loved it here, but we think it’s time for us to step away," Calipari said in a video posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Step away completely from the program.”

The announcement of his departure came two weeks after Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said Calipari would return for a 16th season amid calls for his dismissal after another disappointing season.

Calipari's Wildcats won the national title in 2012, led by freshman Anthony Davis, and went to the Final Four three other times in his first six years at the school and was making $8.5 million a season in compensation.

As a collegiate head coach, Calipari has compiled an 813-260 record in 32 seasons with stops at Kentucky, Memphis and Massachusetts. In total, he has made six trips to the Final Four and has 23 NCAA Tournament appearances.