John Calipari a finalist for Coach of the Year award

John Calipari is once again up for a Coach of the Year award.

On Friday, Calipari was named a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award. He is one of 25 coaches on the list and previously won the award in 2009 at Memphis.

Earlier this week Calipari was named a semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year award. He’s looking to become the first four-time winner of that award. He previously won the Naismith award in 1989, 1992 and 1999.

Kentucky entered the year with lofty expectations, and while there were some bumps in the road, Calipari still guided Kentucky to a 26-5 record that has them in contention for a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They also finished 15-3 in an SEC that could produce eight NCAA Tournament teams this year.

In addition, Calipari helped lead Kentucky to wins over North Carolina and Louisville away from Rupp Arena. It turned out to be one of the toughest schedules any college team faced this season, but Kentucky did a great job of navigating it and finishing with a 10-4 record vs. Quadrant I teams.

The recipient of the 2019 Jim Phelan award will be announced on April 5 at the College Insider Awards Event in Minneapolis, where the Final Four will take place.