John Calipari from Arkansas discloses a significant family hiring that Kentucky refused to permit.
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“I’ve brought my son onto my staff here at Arkansas, which I couldn’t do at Kentucky,” Calipari explained. “I’m supporting all these coaches and players—why not support my son too?”
In an earlier interview with Dan Patrick, Calipari also mentioned hiring his son as one of the top three reasons for taking the head coaching position at Arkansas.
“Being able to hire my son is a big deal for me. He’s not one of my top three guys, but he’s on the court and can help with recruiting.”
Brad Calipari, John Calipari’s son, will serve as an assistant coach and director of on-court player development for Arkansas basketball this upcoming season. He previously worked as a player development coach at Long Island under Rod Strickland in 2022-23 and at Vanderbilt in 2023-24, following a stint as a graduate assistant under his father at Kentucky in 2022.
Brad played three seasons for his father at Kentucky, contributing to two Elite Eight runs and a Sweet 16 appearance before transferring to Detroit-Mercy for two seasons. During his junior year at Detroit-Mercy in 2019-20, he averaged 6.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game, shooting 38.0% from three-point range in 20.1 minutes per game.
Calipari’s repeated emphasis on being able to hire his son suggests that this was a significant consideration that Kentucky’s administration did not accommodate. Despite potential accusations of nepotism, Brad brings substantial basketball experience with five years of Division I playing experience, one year as a graduate assistant, and two years in player development, including a season in the SEC at Vanderbilt.
Arkansas is expected to be a formidable team in the upcoming season, led by DJ Wagner and Johnell Davis, making them one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country among SEC teams.
