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Mark Stoops and Mitch Barnhart Voice Frustration at Calipari’s Comments

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2 years ago

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UK Athletics

On Thursday, an interview with John Calipari caused quite a stir.

In the interview, Cal mentioned two things: One, that Kentucky is a “basketball school”, which Mark Stoops and Co took offense to; Second, that he is willing to go over Mitch Barnhart and raise the money himself to build a new practice facility.

Most of us expected a de-escalation in today’s press conference, but that was not the case. Stoops noted that he and Calipari have yet to talk since Calipari’s original comments and had some strong words to say.

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To follow, Barnhart expressed his frustration at the situation as well, seemingly taking some shots at Calipari and said that the practice facility is not on the agenda. However, he seemed even more frustrated at other schools in the SEC taking shots at Kentucky.

Let’s take a look at some of the quotes from today’s press conference.

“I don’t care about anyone’s program or other’s that we compete against, I stay in my lane. But when you start talking about mine, and people I compete against, I’m going to defend my players… Don’t demean or distract from what we’ve done to get to this point. I don’t need to apologize for that and I won’t.”
– Mark Stoops

“No disrespect, I’m not concerned about anybody’s feelings outside of that building.”
– Mark Stoops

“Some may, but this program didn’t wake up on third base.”
– Mark Stoops

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“That’s in defense of my players, in defense of the work that we’ve done.”
– Mark Stoops on why he tweeted a response to Calipari’s quote.

“I’m done. I’ve addressed it. I will defend my players.”
– Mark Stoops on not talking to Calipari yet.

“This is my norm. I will keep the details of the family business and private conversations within the family. Comments in a new interview, created in my judgement an unproductive and unfortunate situation.”
– Mitch Barnhart

“I have talked to both coaches and they’re extremely competitive and that’s what I want them to be. I’m glad they’re competitive”
– Mitch Barnhart

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“Adults are supposed to teach the children”.
– Mitch Barnhart

“We are not a basketball school. We are not a football school… We are a school with an outstanding athletic department. We are an “all everything” school.”
– Mitch Barnhart

“The desire for more should be met with a sense of gratitude.”
– Mitch Barnhart

“The Craft Center continues to be a state of the art facility. There’s a process and we will work through that process… It’s not a project in our strategic plan.”
– Mitch Barnhart

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“They will talk at the appropriate time when Calipari gets back from the Bahamas… They are both iconic people at at our program and I will anticpate them to handle that like pros.”
– Mitch Barnhart

“We will be a grateful (athletic) department. We will not be entitled.”
– Mitch Barnhart seemingly directed at John Calipari

“I’m not real thrilled at where we are. Grown ups are going to have to figure this out and be a little better. Sometimes when you get a little bit of success, you get a little entitled. We will be a grateful (athletic) department. We will not be entitled… I will teach it that way in my end.
– Mitch Barnhart

“I hear a lot of our ‘friends’ in the conference talking about how “the Cats are fighting”. Awesome, thats really good. How many coaches have your turned over in your group? Let’s check their rosters. I will put our longevity and sucess against just about anybody’s.”
– Mitch Barnhart

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In the end, I am not sure today’s press conference was a net positive.

  • The Calipari – Stoops tension is very much still there.
  • Barnhart angered and put blame on the media for this situation by saying, “You look to create stories, and it becomes the fact.”
  • Barnhart indirectly calls Cal “entitled” and says a new practice facility is not on the agenda.
  • Takes shots at other schools in the SEC.

For what it’s worth, here’s Calipari’s response to what happened today.

Also published by Tristan Pharis on A Sea of Blue.

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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4 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

Published

6 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

Published

2 weeks ago

on

November 11, 2024

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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