University of Memphis men’s basketball coach John Calipari will acccept the head coaching job at the University of Kentucky, according to a WMC-TV report.
Calipari officially began discussions for the open coaching job at the University of Kentucky Monday in what proved to be a full day of fast-paced speculation.
Kentucky is reportedly offering Calipari $35 million for an eight-year contract, acccording to ESPN.com. That package would make him the sport's highest paid coach. He currently earns $2.5 million a year in Memphis.
University of Memphis athletic director R. C. Johnson officially granted permission for discussions Monday.
Several University of Memphis boosters, including FedEx Corp. executives, had been working to put together a package that would keep Calipari in Memphis. Some reports have valued the package at $7 million per year.
Calipari met with his players Monday morning and again Monday afternoon, but his assistant coaches Rod Strickland and Orlando Antigua had no comment on the meeting, sources said.
Calipari posted a record of 252-69 in nine seasons at Memphis, leading the Tigers to three consecutive Elite 8 appearances in the NCAA tournament in 2006-2008. He led the Tigers to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game in 2008, where the team lost to The University of Kansas Jayhawks.
The Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 this year, but were defeated by the University of Missouri Tigers. Calipari was named Sports Illustrated coach of the year before the start of the NCAA tournament, the first time he received the award.
