Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari expects to be booed in Rupp Arena reunion

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Two hours of anxious energy await Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari on Saturday.

When the Razorbacks (12-8, 1-6 SEC) face Kentucky (14-5, 3-3) that night, Calipari will embark on a two-hour reunion with a Wildcats’ program he led for 15 years. Speaking to the media after Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma, Calipari admitted there will be plenty of emotion inside Rupp Arena.

On his weekly radio show Monday night, Calipari expanded on what he expects to feel using the visitor’s locker room and trying to come away with a road win against his former fans. When asked by Chuck Barrett, host of the Live With Coach Cal Radio Show, about the weekend, Calipari spoke uninterrupted for nearly nine minutes.

“Can’t say I’m looking forward to it,” Calipari said. “I’m looking forward to coaching, but to walk in, and the vibe, I don’t know how I’m going to take it, to be honest with you. That was a special time in my life, and Ellen’s (Calipari) life.”

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Calipari said he expects to meet with friends for dinner Friday night and for breakfast Saturday, which will be a hard-boiled egg. He’s excited to visit his go-to Dunkin’ Donuts, but all basketball-related activities will elicit unfamiliar feelings.

He expects to be booed on Saturday night, which drew a laugh from the listeners in attendance at Sassy’s Barbeque and Grille. He also expects Arkansas’ trio of former Wildcats — Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner and Zvonimir Ivisic — to receive frosty welcomes from the Kentucky faithful.

“That’s all part of it. You get booed. I’ve done this so long, I tell you, I’ve got bazooka holes in my body. When you shoot arrows, it doesn’t even hit skin. It goes through one of those bazooka holes,” Calipari said.

Jan 14, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts to a play against the LSU Tigers…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/arkansas-basketball-coach-john-calipari-020514843.html

Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record

Publish date : 2025-01-28 02:05:00

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