Men's Basketball

Takeaways From John Calipari’s Offseason Interview

Published

4 years ago

April 23, 2022

Photos by Chet White | UK Athletics

On Friday, John Calipari talked to the media for just the second time since the upset loss to Saint Peter’s, this team with Mike Pratt and Dan Issel on ESPN 680.

Let’s take a look at what he had to say.

Oscar Tshiebwe

Oscar Tshiebwe announced his return to Kentucky on Wednesday, making him the first National Player of the Year to return to college since Tyler Hansborough in 2008. Calipari talked about Tshiebwe’s decision-making process and just how close he was to leaving.

Calipari noted that Tshiebwe had prayed and asked God, “Why did I win every award and did all that I did and not be a lottery pick?”, with God answering, ” you have unfinished business”.

Now, with that said, “there were people in his ear trying to get him to leave until the very end, up until he sat in that chair [on SportsCenter]”. At one point, Tshiebwe even recorded two videos for both a return and a departure to the NBA.

With Tshiebwe assured to be on the next season’s roster, Calipari said “you have a building block with Oscar” and that he feels “really good” about the way the next season’s roster is shaping up.

Oscar returns with two goals in mind, to win an NCAA championship and be a lottery pick.

Sahvir Wheeler and the Rest of the Current Roster

“He had a hell of a year until he got injured. Then he gained some weight and didn’t play as well, BUT, he is still that guy,” said Calipari about his SEC assist leading guard, Sahvir Wheeler.

Calipari noted that Wheeler is “the difference” and will work to get him steady and to keep improving.

As for the rest of the current roster, “with Sahvir, CJ, Cason, Chris, Damion, Lance, and Oscar. WOW,” Calipari said.

One notable exclusion from that list is Keion Brooks, who has put his name into the NBA Draft while retaining his college eligibility. If Brooks were to return, he would become just the second out-of-state player to stay four years in the Calipari era.

Finding Players “That Fit”

Since taking the position at Kentucky, Calipari has always said, “Kentucky isn’t for everybody.” He has proved that, being very selective in the players they go after, from high school and the transfer portal.

When asked about finding guys that fit the Kentucky culture, Calipari said “What these kids are hearing [from other schools] is, ‘you’re coming here to score 25 a game’, ‘you’re going to play every minute’, ‘I’m starting you from day one’, ‘you don’t worry, we will build around you’. You come here, and it is all of us together… so that’s not what they hear [from Kentucky].”

Calipari when on to specifically talk about finding guys from the transfer portal, saying, “It can’t be ‘I,m just worried about what happens for me’. It’s gotta be like Kellan, It’s gotta be like Oscar… They fit what we’re about”

Shaedon Sharpe

“I don’t want to start a relationship on a lie,” Calipari said when talking about recruiting and not promising anything to players. Calipari has never called out a player or those surrounding them, but this quote seemed to correlate to the Shaedon Sharpe situation.

When asked about Sharpe, Cal noted that he is still consulting with him and his family, “He was in class today. Nothing has changed in the last two months in how we go about this. I’m talking to his mother and father, and we’re talking once a week. THEY will play a part in this.”

When Calipari said “they”, he was seemingly referring to Sharpe and his family having a say in the decision, making it seem like Dwayne Washington, Sharpe’s advisor, wants to control the situation.

After his camp saying for months that he would play next season, what changed? “What changed is, he was coming back, that was the plan. But all of a sudden some circumstances change and maybe he can be picked in those early, early picks, maybe he can’t,” Calipari said.

Despite all the controversy, Calipari iterated this is not done, “He signed up for classes, both summer and fall. He put his stuff from his room in the basement of the lodge, Kids that are coming back put they’re stuff down there. We don’t know… He may do this, but it’s not done.”

“Shaedon knows I want to coach him. Shaedon knows that Oscar is coming back. Don’t let all the negative stuff affect your decision”, Calipari also said.

Acknowledging Fan Frustration

Calipari acknowledged the fan frustration from losing to Saint Peter’s and the Sharpe situation saying, “We have unbelievably strong fanbase that’s everywhere in this country, but when things don’t go right, sometimes they get mad.”

Specifically on the Saint Peter’s game, “Did I grieve? Did I take it hard? What?1? I have never had a team do that in my career… But I’m done with it. It’s next.”

Calipari understands the frustration and takes it, “I get it and I know when people are mad they say stuff. That’s fine. Part of the tax you pay to be the Kentucky coach is that

With that said, Calipari doesn’t want that frustration to hinder the program going forward, saying “let’s not hurt recruiting.”

Calipari ended the interview talking about the team’s visit to Dawson Springs, and talked about wanting to be remembered for more than basketball. “I’m hoping when my time has gone people can look back and not just be about all the winning and all the Final Fours and hopefully more than one national title and all the other stuff that they say more than that, that program helped everybody within the Commonwealth,” Calipari said.

Listen to the entirety of the interview on most podcast platforms or by using the link below.

Related Topics:Cason Wallace Chris Livingston CJ Frederick Damion Collins Keion Brooks Jr Lance Ware Oscar Tshiebwe Sahvir Wheeler Shaedon Sharpe

Men's Basketball

No. 18 Kentucky Suffers Second Straight Loss to Top Ten Opponent

Published

1 hour ago

February 10, 2026

AJ Nava

Morgan Simmons | UK Athletics

The No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats (18-7, 5-6 SEC) are off to a rough start in the month of February, losing on Monday, Feb. 9 against No. 4 Texas (23-2, 8-2 SEC) by a score of 64-53.

Kentucky has now lost five of its last six games, including three ranked losses against No. 17 Tennessee, No. 7 Vanderbilt and now No. 4 Texas.

Loss in Austin

Yet again, the Wildcats had a night where nobody could successfully play their role.

Tonie Morgan finished with 12 points and four assists, yet tied Teonni Key for a team-high six turnovers.

Morgan would go the entire second half without an assist, a feat she has only done a handful of times throughout her college career. However, the blame in basketball never falls on just one person alone

Jordan Obi had zero points on Monday, and in her 28 minutes of play, her biggest contribution to the team was four rebounds. Obi has been in a slump for a few nights now, only recording seven points in the last three games combined.

When looking at the front court, Key recorded an eight-point and three-rebound game and star Clara Strack only had 14 points and seven rebounds on the night. All of these numbers are well below both their averages.

To round out the subpar team performance, Amelia Hassett got her only three points from a made three in the first quarter, not scoring again in Austin.

The only bright spot for the Wildcats was Asia Boone, who shot 4-6 from three-point territory, finishing with a team-high 16 points. Boone was the Cats’ save and grace as she was the only one in blue and white to record any points in the second quarter.

Moving Forward

Kentucky can likely kiss any chance at a double-bye goodbye after this performance. For both the SEC Tournament and March Madness, the Wildcats have very little room for error if they want favorable seeding.

To get those seeds, they will have to have dominant wins in these last five games of the season, with matchups against No. 14 Ole Miss, No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 3 South Carolina coming up.

Now, the Big Blue Nation will watch as the countdown to tournament time inches clo

The Wildcats next matchup is against Texas A&M on Thursday Feb. 12th at 6:30 p.m. inside Historic Memorial Coliseum streaming on SEC Network

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Overcomes No. 25 Tennessee in Retro Homecoming

The Kentucky Wildcats, with a set of fan-favorite threads, prevailed where it mattered against Tennessee at home.

Published

3 days ago

February 7, 2026

Lane Mills

Sydney Yonker | UK Athletics

A packed blue and white crowd, throwback denim jerseys, and a tribute to the “Untouchable” 1996 championship team. What more could you ask for in a weekend game at Rupp Arena?

A win. And the Wildcats delivered just that.

After a rocky start at home, the Kentucky Wildcats ultimately pulled away from the Tennessee Volunteers, 74-71, to sweep the season series.

Recovering From Early Hits

In the first half, the Wildcats shot just 3-9 from the free throw nine and 2-9 from long range. When that’s juxtaposed with Tennessee’s own 53% from both the field and from deep at the midway point, it isn’t hard to see how the Cats got down 47-33.

Coming out of the break, though, Kentucky turned the matchup on its head. The Cats ended up pulling their percentage from the strike up to 59% and, despite struggles from three, Collin Chandler hit another one when it mattered most.

A Guy for Everything

Much of Kentucky’s season thus far has been predicated on the lack of “a guy;” someone that can do it all when his number is called.

Yet, as the team turns their final stretch, it seems their success is based on strength in numbers. The aforementioned Chandler has been a “big shot” maker, while Oweh (who had a team-leading 21 tonight) almost always comes out on top in the overall scoring margin.

Denzel Aberdeen is ever-reliable at the line, and Malachi Moreno and Brandon Garrison have formed a formidable, reliable rotation in the paint. It’s pure “team ball,” and it’s working for Coach Pope and his staff.

Now at 17-7 (8-3) the Wildcats have risen further into immediate contention for the SEC regular season title. In spite of a schedule only getting more difficult, Kentucky continues to prove themselves against that steep competition.

Riding the Wave

With the Georgia Bulldogs (17-6) set to travel to Rupp early next week, the Wildcats won’t have much time to celebrate this win over the Vols.

Still, they should try and find it. No matter where things go from here, this blue and white bunch – with eight wins in their last nine games – have done the dirty work in trying to turn things around, in spite of injuries.

It’s a hard road from here, but it’s been a hard road up to now, too. Pope and his team have, at least, earned a portion of trust in their ongoing process.

Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Leads Kentucky to Home Win Against Oklahoma

Published

5 days ago

February 5, 2026

Kai McClelland

Elliott Hess | UK Athletics

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, Kentucky (16-7, 7-3 SEC) defended home court against the Oklahoma Sooners (11-12, 1-9 SEC), winning by a score of 94-78.

Was it Otega Oweh and Collin Chandler who once again led the Wildcats to a win?

Well, sure, they had great performances, with Oweh dropping his eighth 20-point game of conference play and Chandler sparking threes like prime Klay Thompson, but the unsung hero was a player you’d least expect to dominate another team.

If you somehow got your hands on a time machine, went back to the morning of the game, and told ANYONE that Brandon Garrison (BG) would have his first double-double of his Kentucky career, you’d probably get laughed at in a disgusting manner.

That’s not a discredit, we all love Garrison, but his production has been unpredictable as of late and his season has had its fair shares of ups and downs.

Finally, the Oklahoma City native who transferred to the Wildcats after the 2023-24 season, easily had the best game of his tenure.

Playing the most minutes of his career with 29, Garrison totaled 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, only missing one shot on the night between his attempts from the field and the foul line.

Picking up a technical with seconds left in the game and flexing after every dunk and bullying rebound, Garrison showed a side of himself that many fans hope can be unlocked for the remainder of the season. We’ve always seen the technicals, to be fair, with some added expletives.

Garrison took his mouth guard out and said "Wassup bitch?!"

I LOVE HIM. pic.twitter.com/VYDSPp2Nx6— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) February 5, 2026

After the game, assistant coach Jason Hart commented on BG’s huge game as Mark Pope rushed to the airport. Pope had to pick up his daughter Avery after an 18-month mission trip to El Salvador.

Mark Pope turned the press conference over to assistant Jason Hart as he went to go pick up his daughter Avery from the airport close to midnight.

She has been serving an 18-month mission trip in El Salvador.

You can tell how excited he is. 💙

🎥: UK Athletics | #BBN pic.twitter.com/vaqbTWS1o8— KY Insider (@KyInsider) February 5, 2026

“He’s a young professional in terms of coming to work every day and doing his job,” said Hart. “When you do that, the basketball gods will bless you.”

The Big Blue Nation will call for another career performance from Garrison as the Wildcats host the Tennessee Volunteers (16-6, 6-3 SEC) on Saturday, Feb. 7.

Maybe the denim jerseys will have some sort of attribute boost…