Kentucky receives permission to talk to Calipari
March 31st 2009 08:29
John Calipari has spent the last nine years helping Memphis elbow its away into college basketball's elite, turning away other opportunities to build the Tigers into a national power.
This time, Kentucky hopes the temptation proves to be too much.
The Wildcats received permission to talk to the highly successful Memphis coach on Monday, though the school Calipari has made a fixture in March vowed to do everything it could to keep him.
Kentucky has made Calipari the focus of their search to replace Billy Gillispie, who was dismissed last week after two years on the job.
Athletic director Mitch Barnhart, hoping to hit a home run after Gillispie's turbulent tenure, said it was important to find someone who could embrace all the things that come with coaching college basketball's winningest program.
Calipari has never been one to shy away from the spotlight, though he kept a decidedly low profile late Monday after reports surfaced that Kentucky had made its pitch.
The Tigers were expected to make a counteroffer, but one booster expects Calipari to head to the Bluegrass. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing negotiations, acknowledged the coach was torn between the two great opportunities.
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