Mitch Barnhart put in two decades of good work as a college administrator working as a near-hermit. He is the director of Southeastern Conference athletic directors, he was the chairman of the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee, he built a top-10 all-sports department at Kentucky-more on his CV to get fame. However, he never warmed to the position of a spokesperson in the industry.
Go to the SEC meetings in the spring and he runs past the press conference waiting for the ADs to come out. Eyes down, the opposite of the catch-and-grin nature of the scene. He has had a knack for boring characters since 2002, saying something important at least once a decade.
That made for a great Saturday.
Calipari and Stoops’s back-and-forth has been noted around the SEC.
Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal/USA TODAY Network; Jordan Prather/USA TODAY Sports
Barnhart piggybacked the press conference after football coach Mark Stoops spoke about his team’s morning scrimmage. It was AD’s chance to do some damage control—so everyone thought—after the chaos that Stoops and men’s basketball coach John Calipari created. Cal led his team’s trip to the Bahamas by searching (again) for another training facility. In doing so, he declared Kentucky a “basketball school” — he wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t political — and he added with a condescension, “No disrespect to our football team. I hope they win 10 games and go to the bowls. But this is a basketball school.” Stoops responded by putting Cal on blast through Twitter, saying, “Basketball school? I thought we competed in the SEC? #4straightpostseasonwins.” He then tweeted another person saying what Cal was saying was “insulting.”
The game’s public humiliation and suspension was so eye-opening that it had other SEC schools — Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee — mocking Kentucky publicly on social media. The assumption was that Barnhart would extinguish this heat from the home and the nearby teams with a show of solidarity.
That’s not what happened. Barnhart did nothing to hide his disdain. “I’m hot right now,” he said at one point in a half-hour press conference. He was not there to lead the chorus of “Kumbaya.”
“I’ve had two coaches that have been with me—one 13 years [Calipari], one 10 years [Stoops],” Barnhart said. “I hired two of them. I gave them opportunities to train here, their families to come here, to win local competitions, to go and play games here. I have walked with them both through good and bad. … And they’ve been given every opportunity to do the exact things they want to do to be successful. That is not changing. As long as I am in office, we will have that support. If that’s not good enough, you know, coaches change a lot in today’s world. “
Whew. Barnhart put his Hall of Fame basketball coach and high school football coach Bear Bryant on the clock and told them to behave like adults. What his word said to each man deserves to be examined.
The guess here is that Barnhart isn’t just set on Calipari for fixing a rising football program, but in repeatedly taking his coaching requests to the public—and doing so at a time when Cal’s popularity at Kentucky is low. From a 9-16 season in 2020–21 and a gruesome NCAA tournament first loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in ’22 makes this powerhouse’s top-ranked franchise a curse. Maybe win some games in March and get back up the table?
Calipari has brought a piece of infrastructure several times in the five months since the most embarrassing loss in Kentucky men’s basketball history, to a program with many infrastructures that high schools can sympathize with. This seems like an attempt to deflect blame, but Cal has some supporters. His spokesman, Seth Greenberg, even took to Twitter last week to say that the Wildcats’ practice facility is not in the top 50 in the country. (Go ahead and write 50 better ones, Seth.)
If the Joe Craft Center, all 15 years old and once considered the best in the country, is really serious about accumulating damage, why Kentucky accrued No. 3 class in the world so far 2023? And what if the Wildcats add another two-star prospect, as many expect, in New Jersey product D.J. Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw? That would probably be the No. 1 class.
This may be what Barnhart was getting at Saturday when he said this: “We’re going to make sure we don’t have rights.” I wrote it down as one of my cover articles. We will not be an entitled department. We will be thankful for what we have. “
With Mike Krzyzewski retired, Calipari and Kansas Bill Self are likely the two highest-paid coaches in college basketball. Cal was given a so-called “lifetime contract” by Barnhart three years ago, a 10-year deal worth $86 million. Listening to that guy gives reasons for not reaching the Final Four since 2015 or winning an NCAA title since ’12 is more than a little-putting. Go prove yourself on the court (something that will likely happen in ’22–23, with Kentucky looking to have a loaded roster).
All that said: Calipari’s first point is true. There are, by my count, seven “basketball schools” in Power 5 conferences: Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Syracuse and Maryland. They are historically better at basketball, and their fans care more about the round ball than the pointed ball. Stoops’ reaction to the quote helped fuel the controversy.
However, Kentucky probably has the best football fans out of that group. They’ve been tough for decades, continuing to showcase and support teams that were consistently advancing in the SEC. Now that times have changed a bit, Kentucky football fans are legitimately excited about their path—including a rare preseason top 25 ranking.
In recent years, the football program has expanded, while men’s basketball has not. That seems to have given Stoops the power to push back like he did to Calipari, including saying Saturday that “I stay in my own way. So that’s to protect my players, to protect the work we’ve done. And believe me, we want to keep pushing. But don’t discount the mistakes from the hard work and dedication and sacrifices that have been made and people to get to this point. I don’t have to apologize for that, and I don’t.”
There was a time at Kentucky—specifically from 2009 to ’15—when John Calipari could rock like the undisputed top dog he’s always dreamed of being. These are no longer those times, and the blowback from Stoops and Barnhart confirms that. Football is king in college sports, and soccer is on the rise, while men’s basketball is just staying in Kentucky. For once, Cal doesn’t have all the juice on campus.
Calipari and Barnhart have never been a natural combination—someone who craves attention; the other turns away. Barnhart passed on hiring Cal the first time he filled the men’s basketball job, making the terrible choice of Billy Gillispie instead, so he had no choice but to bring in the guy who took Memphis to the brink of the 2008 title. For years, assistant AD DeWayne Peevy served as something of an intermediary between Cal and Barnhart, but now he’s the head coach at DePaul. His presence can be missed.
Here’s what we know: The athletic director who usually conducts his business behind closed doors has gone public with his displeasure about this football-basketball Cats fight. Mitch Barnhart’s amazing message: If internal collaboration isn’t your thing, there’s a door.
• Sankey Wants to Take a ‘Fresh Look’ on March Madness • How ESPN–Big Ten Splits Affect College Sports • Top 10 SEC Story Lines This Season
Why did Clay Moser leave Arkansas?
Moser joined the Razorbacks staff in 2019 after nearly eight years as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. In Moser’s three years at Arkansas, the Razorbacks reached the Elite 8 in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. Moser said he will take his time thinking about his next job opportunity.
Who are the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball coaches? Eric Musselman was named Arkansas’ 13th head men’s basketball coach on April 7, 2019. To see also : ‘He’s the whole job’: Aidan Hutchinson impresses Detroit Lions teammates, but coaches – Detroit Lions Blog. He has more than 30 years of coaching experience, including four as the head coach at Nevada and 14 as the head coach.
Where is Clay Moser going?
Clay Moser, who has three decades of experience in professional basketball, is in his third year as an assistant coach with the Razorbacks for the 2021-22 season.
Who is the assistant coach of the Arkansas Razorback basketball team?
FAYETTEVILLE â After serving three years as Razorback men’s basketball director of operations, Anthony Ruta has been promoted to assistant coach, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman announced today. To see also : MBB will face Ohio State in NYC in the CBS Sports Classic.
Does tacko fall have siblings?
Fall is a Muslim, and chose jersey number 99 with the Celtics as a reference to the 99 Names of Allah. He is not the only tall member of his family; his younger brother is said to have been 5 ft 9 in (1. This may interest you : The transfer window is about to get even tighter as the NCAA allows players to transfer multiple times..75 m) at age 7, while his two cousins are 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), but his height varies even between them.
Which team Tacko Fall on 2022? The 2021-22 NBA season saw the reunion of the Boston Celtics, and the 2022 offseason will see one more. That won’t, however, be happening at a Celtics game. Per Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, former big man Tacko Fall will be joining the Utah Jazz’ Las Vegas Summer League.
What is Tacko Fall doing now?
Former UCF Knight Tacko Fall joined the Utah Jazz for the Spring League. The former UCF big man will be joining his third NBA team since leaving Orlando to play professional basketball. Fall played three seasons in the NBA, two with the Boston Celtics and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Does Tacko Fall have gigantism?
Tacko Fall does not have a problem with his pituitary gland and his height should not be surprising since his ancestors were some of the tallest people to ever walk the face of the earth. His grandmother used to tell him that his grandfather was tall — just like him. Other tribes from his region have an average height of 6’6″.
What school does Baye Fall go to?
Baye Modou Fall (born December 21, 2003) is a Senegalese high school basketball player who attends Denver Prep Academy in Denver, Colorado.
Who is bay fall? Baye Fall, Lutheran’s 6-foot-11 center, is Colorado’s most exciting basketball prospect.
What high school does Baye Fall go to?
Baye Fall | Lutheran HS, Parker, CO | MaxPreps.
Where is Baye Fall From?
Home of Denver, Colo.
How much did Zion Williamson get paid?
Zion Williamson signed a five-year rookie contract with the New Orleans Pelicans worth $193 million. The cornerstone’s contract could reach $231,000, CAA Sports’ Director of Basketball Austin Brown told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
How much was Zion Williamson signed for? Williamson is “locked in” and the Pelicans are satisfied with a five-year deal worth up to $231,000.
How much was Zion Williamson rookie contract?
Zion Williamson has not played for the Pelicans since the 2020-21 season. Zion Williamson will remain in New Orleans after signing a five-year, $193-million rookie extension with the Pelicans, agent Austin Brown told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pelicans officially announced the move on July 6.
