The Athletic takes a deep dive into John Calipari and Kentucky Basketball

The Kentucky Wildcats Basketball season is here.

As the Cats prepare to kick off the season against New Mexico State next week, it’s no secret that there is a lot of weight on John Calipari and his staff to finally get back on the mountain-top of college basketball. After a successful run until the last few seasons, many across the media and fanbase want to see Kentucky get back to seeing what the program was before.

Kyle Tucker of The Athletic took some time to break down the behind-the-scenes of the program over the last few years.

With quotes from former staff members, NBA Front Office staff, and Agents, Tucker brought to light some of the moments that might have led to the decline in play over the last few seasons.

One of the moments that many point to is the loss to Wisconsin during the 2014-15 season.

“I really believe that game broke him,” said one former support staff member.

“That year took a lot out of him,” said another former staffer. “It was such a unique opportunity to do something that had never been done, and to lose it all in the national semifinals … The next year, the vibes were entirely different.”

He followed that up by pointing out several themes that seemed to follow after that moment. Those included Cal’s patience shrinking, losing some innovation, and doubling down on the system he has run for years.

Obviously looking back, it has been a struggle since the 2021 season. Especially when it comes to postseason success. Coach Cal and his staff have consistently proved their ability to be able to make it work in the regular season. Now it’s time to get back to being the feared leader on the opposing sideline come March.

A great article that really speaks a lot to the talk of the BBN over the last few seasons. Be sure to check it out here.