Calipari May Need to Take Little Ride 'On the Bus'

After just one game, it's clear Hall of Famer has lesson to learn from unexpected source

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari in an exhibition game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach John Calipari is a Hall of Famer and regarded as a legend in the game. However, that doesn't mean there's not lessons to be learned during what is expected to be his final stop in the basketball coaching world.

However, what might be unexpected is from where one of those much needed lessons must come — former Arkansas coach Eric Musselman. Sure, there are plenty of things Musselman did that Calipari should definitely steer clear of, including ripping off his shirt after games and shaping his fingers into an L on his forehead to call opposing fans losers.

However, Musselman excelled in engaging the students an making them feel valued. It's not that Calipari is bad in this area.

When Kansas came to down, he was out among the students who were camping out talking with them and bringing them food. That's pretty standard for college coaches when students start pitching tents on the arena lawn.

Where Musselman took it up a notch was his ceaseless efforts to get season ticket holders who weren't going to show up to the game to donate their tickets to be given to students. It's a move that was noticeably absent Wednesday night.

Help us pack Bud Walton Arena! Not going to the game? Send us your tickets and we will make sure they get used! Transfer the tickets you aren’t using to musstix@uark.edu at least 48 hours before the game #PackThePalace pic.twitter.com/97LO3bhb2P

— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) January 25, 2022

Hardly a game passed without Musselman posting a video of him asking fans to take advantage of his ticket program. While the season always sold out quickly, there were plenty of games those who spent money on season tickets either couldn't or wouldn't attend, so he wanted his most enthusiastic potential fans filling those empty seats instead.

"To donate your tickets via the MussTix transfer program: Simply log in to your online ticket account and transfer your tickets to musstix@uark.edu. Coach Musselman and our staff will ensure that your tickets are put in the hands of someone who can attend the game!"

With that program shelved after Musselman decided his love of the West Coast was too much to stick around in Middle America any longer, it became immediately apparent a vital aspect of the program was missing. Roughly half, if not more, of Bud Walton Arena was empty despite it being the opening night of the Calipari era in Fayetteville.

It was such a stark scene that it literally warranted a check of the weather app to see if tornadoes or an early season snow shower had people cowering in their homes at last minute. Alas, it was 59 degrees with clear star-filled skies.

In other words, perfect basketball weather. Unfortunately, unlike Musselman, Calipari was as in tune with how a big chunk of the older, season ticket holding crowd works.

If there's not a name brand on the shirt, they've got better things to do. So, without the ticket donation program, there were no options to lure more students into the building to liven things up and manage the optics a bit better.

Truth be told, it was a bit embarrassing for a program that prides itself in annually being either No. 1 or No. 2 in home attendance each year to welcome its new coach to the storied Razorback world that awaits him by having half the building not bother showing up despite spending the money. It's a bad first impression to make on a man who left a program like Kentucky to come to Arkansas.

Still, there's a lesson to be learned. It's not that there aren't people who want to be in the building.

There's just not a way to get in the building because the most ravenous are often the most poor, and those with the funds and access to buy season tickets are often the most apathetic. That's why it's time for Calipari to bring just the tiniest hint of Musselman back into the building.

The ticket donation program has to come back and it needs to happen soon. If Calipari doesn't want to fool with making the social media videos asking fans who aren't coming to donate their tickets, then have each of the players film a quick video to go out the day before a game.

If run properly, every player on the team could have their video knocked out in less than five minutes, and that includes uploading the videos so they're available for audio adjustments and color correction. It's not much of an investment, but it makes a world of difference.

Otherwise, Bud Walton is going to spend much of the late fall and early winter looking sad and lifeless. With recruits watching pretty much every game on television or streaming, that's not something anyone with the program is going to want them seeing again.

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