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NCAA Basketball: Top 10 impact head coaching hires from 2009 offseason

By Joey Loose

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after his teams 85-77 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after his teams 85-77 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

2. John Calipari (Kentucky)

Strangely, Kentucky was not exactly a premier program at this point in time. Billy Gillispie hadn’t been a great fit with the Wildcats and was fired after just two seasons. The Wildcats watched Florida win a pair of national titles in recent years and hadn’t exactly been a national power in recent years. They made a big splash with their next hire, guaranteeing that they’d get the program back on track.

John Calipari was already a big name in college basketball even before Kentucky came calling. He had already led UMass and Memphis to Final Four runs (though both were later vacated) and also spent time as head coach of the New Jersey Nets. Known as a hard recruiter and talented coach, he was the perfect big name to transition over to the Wildcats.

Calipari’s impact with the Wildcats was immediate, leading Kentucky to the Final Four again in his second season. He won a national championship in 2012 and led the Wildcats to two more Final Fours soon thereafter. Kentucky remains one of the best programs in all of college basketball, bringing elite talent to Lexington on a regular basis. Even with hiccups like last season’s struggle, Calipari will continue to bring highly-touted recruits and win a lot of games with the Wildcats.

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