Coach Cal coming to UK

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4031573

After over a day of deliberation, John Calipari is headed to Kentucky.

The coach sent a text message to ESPN.com's Andy Katz on Tuesday evening saying, "I am accepting the UK job! Go Big Blue, coach Cal."

Kentucky officials told Katz that Calipari will receive an eight-year contract for $31.65 million plus incentives. Kentucky paid Memphis a $200,000 buyout. The exact details of the contract will be revealed at Wednesday's news conference introducing the coach.

Earlier Tuesday, Calipari told a confidante that he was also receiving a $2.5 million signing bonus.


The contract is the richest in college basketball. Two sources told ESPN.com's Pat Forde that Calipari signed the Kentucky contract before he boarded a private plane to head to Lexington Tuesday evening.

"Why did he wait so long?" said former Calipari assistant Bruiser Flint, the head coach at Drexel. "He said he didn't have to take the job. He's 50 years old. He felt good at Memphis. It was a good place for him. But at the end of the day, it's Kentucky."

The school has scheduled a Wednesday news conference at 9:30 a.m. ET on campus to announce its new basketball coach (live on ESPN, ESPNEWS).


The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, Tenn., first reported the hiring, and ESPN's Dick Vitale confirmed it.

"It was a wild and hectic day and I really and truly believe that John didn't decide until right at the end, late this afternoon," Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson told Katz Tuesday night. "We talked throughout the day. We've got a great thing going here. So I'm disappointed."


Johnson said he and Calipari had an emotional meeting. Johnson said he asked Calipari how much money he wanted to stay at Memphis and his reply was, "You don't have to give me anymore. It's Kentucky."


Johnson said that Calipari was wrestling with the idea that "we have a spectacular team coming in here next season."


According to Johnson, Calipari told the team that the returning players need to stay at Memphis. Johnson said he would advice them to do the same, but he knows they will wait for the next head coach to be named. Players likely wouldn't leave school until after the spring semester anyway, so they could be eligible.



"They're young and they can be very emotional," Johnson said. "They'll calm down."


Tyreke Evans' older brother and guardian, Reggie Evans, told Katz on Tuesday night that the Memphis freshman point guard hasn't declared for the NBA draft and won't make up his mind for weeks. The deadline to declare is April 30.


"He hasn't declared," Reggie Evans said. "Everyone assumed because Cal [Calipari] is leaving that he's going. He's going to finish the semester in May and we're going to decide this as a family before the deadline."

Foxsports.com reported on Tuesday that Tyreke Evans was indeed going to leave Memphis and head to the draft.

Reggie Evans said his "job" is to make sure Tyreke is a top-10 pick before advising him to declare for the draft.

"Once I get some positive feedback to my liking, then if he has a chance to be a lottery pick from one to 10 then we can decide," Reggie Evans said. "We're going to sit down in a week or two with 'Reke. If he's not top 10 then the coach doesn't mean a thing."