Photo: Tim Nwachukwu
Dan Beyer and Aaron Torres -- sitting in for Covino & Rich -- react to an update on John Calipari, from John Calipari himself. 'Coach Cal' officially confirmed that he will not be returning as the head basketball coach at Kentucky, and that both sides will be moving on, citing the program's need for a fresh new voice at the helm going forward. Beyer and Torres are in agreement that Calipari has handled the situation flawlessly, but are skeptical as to whether he would be acting the same if he didn't have the Arkansas job waiting for him.
Aaron Torres: "[Calipari's] statement to me, changes my entire perspective on this story... Hearing his words, I hear a guy who understands that he's come full circle with Kentucky... but also a guy who wants to keep coaching basketball... If the guy has been doing something for 40 years, and he's passionate about it, and someone wants to pay him to do it, he should be allowed to keep doing it!"
Dan Beyer: "I think it was a great message, but I am skeptical on if the message would have been the same if Arkansas wasn't there... He said all the right things, and I think he believes everything that he said, but it does really help to have the Arkansas job [waiting for you], where you're wanted and where you're going to be paid handsomely... If you're getting dumped by someone, it's a lot easier to take if you were kind of interested in someone else anyway."