Kentucky men’s basketball fans have a difficult decision ahead of them on Saturday evening when former coach John Calipari makes his grand return to Rupp Arena with Arkansas.
To boo or not to boo, that is the question.
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to cheer the Wildcat years of Cal’s outrageous fortune or to take arms against the sea of troubles of his departure and by opposing jeer him. To boo—to root, no more.
Calipari’s anticipated return to Lexington should bring plenty of mixed emotions for Kentucky fans, and the question of whether to ceremoniously boo Calipari or give him his flowers has been making the rounds in Big Blue Nation.
Calipari said he expects to get booed during his first game back as the coach of another team and doesn’t seem too bothered by it.
“You get booed,” Calipari said, via Hogs Plus. “I’ve done this so long… I tell you, I got bazooka holes in my body. So when you shoot arrows, it doesn’t even hit skin. It just goes through one of those bazooka holes.”
John Calipari doesn’t care if he gets booed by #BBN, but he’s still not sure how he will feel when he returns to Rupp Arena.
(🎥 @HogsPlus) MORE: https://t.co/3XQCp62x99 pic.twitter.com/aUQKkCrFI6
— KSR (@KSRonX) January 29, 2025
New Kentucky coach Mark Pope gave Calipari plenty of love on his radio show but also left the door open for all kinds of Kentucky feelings at Calipari’s return.
“It’s a little bit of a complicated relationship right now because he’s coaching the other team,” Pope said, adding that he knows Rupp Arena will be an emotional place to be on Saturday.
“It’s also a competition, right? So it’s just going to be what it is. But I have a ton of love for Cal, and I’m grateful for what he did here at Kentucky.”
Tonight Mark Pope was asked about John Calipari’s return to Lexington and his opinion on the reaction he will receive from the BBN this Saturday evening.
Mark Pope gives the most gracious answer, then acknowledges this is competition.
Full answer ⬇️
🎥:@UKSportsNetwork pic.twitter.com/qxhlYsmcRD
— Dylan Ballard (@DylanBallard_UK) January 30, 2025
There seems to be a very clear answer to this question. Like that kid in the Ovaltine commercial said, why can’t it be both?
Calipari is probably going to have a moment during the game where attention is brought to him on the jumbotron, and Kentucky fans will give him a standing ovation. That’s just common practice when a former player or coach returns to the arena they once occupied. Calipari will most likely get that.
On the other end, Calipari seems very prepared for the boos that he’ll get when he arrives. And he should be! Booing your old coach is just part of the territory, particularly when you’re such a big personality as Calipari is. He’s going to take those boos in stride; Wildcat fans should go wild with them.
At the end of the day, both Kentucky and Arkansas will want to leave the arena that night with a win. That’s the main concern for both of these programs. Whether or not Calipari gets booed shouldn’t really matter, but … c’mon now, he absolutely should… but he should also get cheers!
Pope is right; it’s just complicated right now. However, Kentucky fans shouldn’t have to necessarily choose what emotion they show. Booing and cheering will rightfully mix in the air at Rupp on Saturday, but getting one over on the old coach on the basketball court should be the main priority.
As long as somebody buys Coach Cal one of those famous ice cream cones for old time’s sake, all will be well.
