Kentucky Wildcats Coach John Calipari: ‘I Plan To Coach Here For The Rest Of My Career’

Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari, who has repeatedly denied interest in NBA coaching jobs, made very clear on Monday what his plan for his future with Kentucky is.

John Calipari: ‘I Plan To Coach Here For The Rest Of My Career’

“My plan is to coach here for the rest of my career,” he wrote in a post on his website. “I want this to be my final coaching position.”

“Kentucky is the gold standard in our sport,” he continued. “It’s been that way throughout the history of our game. It’s one of the reasons I dreamed of one day coaching here. The biggest goal I have — and we all should have — is to make sure Kentucky remains that way.”

Calipari, 57, has coached the Wildcats since 2009 after moving from Memphis, where he spent nine seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets (then New Jersey) from 1996-99, and an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers the season after his termination.

When the Nets and the Sacramento Kings both had coaching vacancies in January, rumors began naming Calipari as a possible replacement before he denied negotiating with them.

“You may have heard me say this before: I absolutely have the best coaching job in sports and I plan on being at Kentucky for a long time,” Calipari tweeted in January. “I am not negotiating with ANYBODY. My total focus is on this team and winning the next game.”

Calipari produced 19 first-round NBA draft selections during his tenure with Kentucky. Former Wildcats forward Karl-Anthony Towns was last year’s No. 1 draft pick and Monday was voted rookie of the year.