FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas hired John Calipari as men’s basketball coach on Wednesday, a day after the Hall of Fame coach stepped down from the Kentucky program he led to the 2012 NCAA championship.
aCalipari, 65, signed a five-year contract with a yearly base compensation of $7 million until April 2029, with a maximum of twoutomatic rollover years for NCAA Tournament appearances, which would prolong the contract until 2031.
The contract includes a $1 million signing bonus and $500,000 retention bonuses per year, as well as one-time bonuses for making the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round, Sweet 16, Final Four, and winning a national title.
Hunter Yurachek, Arkansas’ vice chancellor and director of athletics, announced Calipari’s employment in a news release.An introductory press conference is set for Wednesday evening in Fayetteville.
Calipari succeeds Eric Musselman, who left for the job at Southern California. He takes over a school that finished 16-17 last season following three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Sweet 16 a year ago.
Calipari announced his resignation as Kentucky coach on Tuesday, stating in a video that the team “needs to hear another voice.”
He left the Wildcats after going 410-123 in 15 seasons, including 23-10 this season. However, Kentucky’s recent seasons have been disappointing, with a 1-3 record in its last three NCAA appearances, including first-round defeats to No. 14 seed Oakland last month and No. 15 seed Saint Peters two years ago. The
