John Calipari hits ground running in Arkansas after ugly final chapter at Kentucky that 'sucks'

Calipari has been welcomed by Razorback fans after perhaps staying too long in the Bluegrass State

By Dennis Dodd May 9, 2024 at 2:21 pm ET• 13 min read

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The new guy in town regrets the optics. A sterile corner office overlooking Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena is, for now, a muted tribute to what is about to take place. 

"They've got this a little bit like a dentist's office, so I apologize,"  John Calipari says, stepping out from behind an empty desk. 

Things will soon be cluttered, complicated and all-consuming for the Hogs' new basketball coach — just not today. Coach Cal has his first new job in 15 years. He must meet people, reveal the personality that comes up on you like a three-quarter court press. Not all of those people are the much-scrutinized recruits who are populating that empty roster Calipari referred to in his introductory press conference. 

Some of them are holy. 

"We sleep pig and wake pig," said Father Jason Sharbaugh, who has already spotted Cal on campus at mass. "It's all the more sweet having Coach in."