NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — "When you can bring in a guy like that who has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, who has won, who has went to the Final Four at every program he's touched, that's a very unique situation. That doesn't really come around this late in his career."
Woodside head coach Stef Welsh says his group chat of former Arkansas basketball alumni has not stopped buzzing since the news.
After a string of disappointing tournament exits at Kentucky, Coach John Calipari is leaving the school where he won a national championship. That's a stark change from the post-tourney tune in Lexington, which was one of continued, albeit increasingly turbulent, harmony between the head coach and school.
The reported reason for his departure is the same reason Stef Welsh's phone hasn't stopped buzzing. Calipari is reportedly in negotiations to take the vacant head coaching job at Arkansas.
After leading Woodside to back to back state championships as a player in 2004 and 2005, Welsh played four years for the Razorbacks. His senior season coincided with Calipari's first at Kentucky. Arkansas played Kentucky once that season, Welsh remembers the day vividly.
"They were so talented man, you talk about having Demarcus Cousins, John Wall, Daniel Orton, Eric Bledsoe, 5 guys that were first round picks after that season. Obviously he coached 'em hard and they were responsive. I'll never forget we played them at Kentucky. Kansas was number one, they had lost. They (Kentucky) was number two in the country. The fire they came out and played with to get to number one in the country was unbelievable. All I could think about was "man, I wonder what it's like to play for that guy."
Wall and Cousins were the spark of the "one and done" era in college basketball, an era jumpstarted and defined by Kentucky. Calipari's attention to his players future, even beyond their time on his teams, stuck with Welsh throughout his own coaching career.
"The number one thing I like about Cal that separates him from all the coaches in the country is that he really puts his players first," says Welsh. "His goal is to get those guys in there, mature them, help them grow so that they can get to the NBA as fast as possible so they can take care of their families." Welsh brings similar goals to the high school level at Woodside. "My only goal in coaching these guys is to push them to their limits so that they can get scholarships. His players first approach is something that I model myself after," says Welsh.
Now Welsh will see that approach up close at his alma mater. He believes between boosters, resources and facilities, Arkansas has what it takes to win a national championship. He also feels that Calipari is a coach who can get them there.