Calipari Recharging Batteries Turns Spotlight Back to Pittman

Arkansas coach departs for Jersey Shore just in time for Hogs football to take stage

Former Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There have been a lot of pop culture summers everyone will remember over the years. The Summer of Punk, Hot Boy Summer, Barben-Heimer Summer and now the Summer of Coach Cal. At least it will be remembered that way in Arkansas.

Hog fans have been nuts over John Calipari. Even after a full day that included the opening press conference to the Razorbacks' football season, the top five stories on "Hogs on SI" by a mile Tuesday night were five basketball stories written before or immediately after Calipari's summer wrap-up press conference the morning before.

It's become abundantly clear all summer that Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman could have won Mr. America and landed a 5-star quarterback, linebacker and receiver as his prize, but if a video of Calipari walking out of What-a-burger with a cheeseburger in hand had surfaced in the day or two before, it would have blown Pittman's big day right off the internet.

But, like a lot of good things, it has to end. After recruiting an entire team, landing the top point guard in the next class, hiring an entire coaching staff, building 90% of the upcoming schedule and appearing everywhere from ESPN to Europe, it's time for the man who put a charge in Arkansas basketball to recharge himself.

"I'm going to catch a breath," Calipari said. "I'm going to the Jersey Shore for a while. The players leave here in two days, three days, and I'm going to catch my breath."

After running so hard, the need to get away to a region where the Calipari name first became known is imperative. It's nice to choose to rest rather than having his wife prescribe it at the end of long days.

"This has been, it's exciting now," Calipari said. "I go to bed early as it's, you wake up and you're going until you sit in the chair at home, and my wife said, 'You think you ought to go to bed,' so. But it's been, it's been great that way. Moving around the state been great."

While the timing seems natural by giving the players a break before school starts back up again, it's also strategic. The timeline is too clean for it not to be with Calipari officially closing his summer workouts the day before Pittman officially opens his.

He has cleared the way for the football coach, who benefited from Calipari blocking out the spotlight for the past few months, to regain the attention of Hogs fans following a true buffer that provided a break from the constant negative string of conversation that plagued the program late last year.

Pittman now gets to address a fan base that is riding a high from the endless string of huge wins provided by Calipari in everything from landing elite prospects to filling the schedule with big national games. Fans are mentally ready to accept the Bobby Petrino bounce, endless talk of positive relationships and chemistry, and the tripling of team speed through recruiting and hard work.

Of course, the other side of the coin is if all these positive vibes surrounding the football program don't translate to wins, the attention Calipari draws will leave the back half of the schedule a desert of interest. This basketball program is going to be a hurricane and the only way to avoid it soaking up all the moisture in the athletics program is for Pittman to make the football team its own force before the balls start bouncing on the hardwood once again.

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs hoping speed, measurables count for wins

• Pittman should be excused for continuing to learn as head coach

• Junior quarterback high on Arkansas after weekend visit

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