How Yurachek Didn't Sell Calipari, but Simply Stayed Out of Way When It Counted

Arkansas AD let Kentucky Wildcats coach sell himself on Arkansas job

New Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari at press conference after introduction Wednesday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — At some point in any negotiation, there's a time to just shut up. That sounds like what happened when Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek spoke with John Calipari about other coaches to replace Eric Musselman.

Calipari went on and on about what a great job it is, and like a good fisherman waiting for the right time to set the hook, Yurachek stayed patient until the Wildcats coach talked himself into it. Keep all that in context because he probably just got bored at Kentucky more than anything.

Once the first championship ring is slipped on, the hard part becomes continuing to win them. Calipari couldn't have talked himself into it if something wasn't missing in Lexington. What that was will come out at some point in the future, just not likely any time soon.

That happens. No matter who someone is as a coach, every year they don't win the ultimate championship, a small percentage of support slips away. Like it or not, that's human nature.

It's all about timing. That's everything. Pick a bad time to give your significant other a little kiss, and you might have well walked over and smooched the refrigerator. Asking Calipari about his level of interest probably wasn't the first objective of Yurachek's conversation with him, but he figured it out pretty quickly.

"He spent 15-20 minutes bragging about how great of a job this was," Yurachek said. "'If it’s so great of a job, why don’t you want it?' He kind of sat back in his chair a little bit and started to think about that. I’m sitting in the presence of a Hall of Fame coach talking about other coaches for my job and he’s telling me how great a job this is. I’m not doing my job if I don’t ask him if he’s interested, right?"

It's going to be one of the great storylines either way this goes over the next few years. For now there's going to be enough entertainment seeing how this roster falls together since there is not one scholarship player still on the roster and it's a dead period.

"You can say rebuild, there may not be a roster," Calipari said. "I’ve got to put a roster together. No, you laugh, but that’s not funny. I just met with the team. There were three guys in there and they were in the portal. We’ve got work to do and the only thing that I want to tell you is I’m not that guy that has a magic wand. That’s not who I am. I’m the grinder that comes everyday. When you watch my team from the beginning to the end of the year, you say ‘Wow, they got better.’ Individual players got better. They become a better team to put them in the best position."

Some combination of Tramon Mark, Khalif Battle, Davonte Davis and Layden Blocker would be the three guys still in town to meet with Calipari because most of the others are out of eligibility or going through the NBA draft evaluation process.

In the end, Calipari probably enjoys the challenge, but knows he can win a championship with the Razorbacks because it's been done before. They've played in Elite 8s recently. The potential is there and he feels like he could use a new challenge. That happens when people get into their mid-60's.

Fans just hope he gets them back there.

HOGS FEED:

• Roles boosters, athletic director played luring John Calipari to Razorbacks

• Calipari managed to make himself relatable to Arkansas fans in a single press conference

• Razorbacks baseball completes yet another sweep

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