It’s an easy time to accumulate reviews Arkansas basketball and head coach John Calipari. The Razorbacks (11-7, 0-5 SEC) are still winless in conference play and look like a shell of the program Calipari left at Kentucky.
National college basketball writer Jeff Goodman interviewed anonymous SEC coaches last week and published an article sharing their opinions on the Arkansas program under Calipari. The title of the story – Opposing coaches on John Calipari and Arkansas: “Overwhelmed.” “None of their pieces are suitable.” – covers the theme.
Arkansas assistant coach Chin Coleman came to Calipari’s defense Tuesday during a news conference previewing Wednesday night’s game between the Hogs and Georgia. He was specifically asked about an SEC head coach saying Hoops HQ that Calipari is “becoming archaic.”
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“That’s absolutely not true. He’s one of the most innovative coaches of all time,” Coleman said. “To say that it is archaic is to be misleading, in my opinion, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
Coleman also praised Calipari’s work with the players and called him “the best coach in the business.”
Arkansas hired Calipari in April to replace Eric Musselman, who led the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight twice in four years, but Musselman missed the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and left for Southern California.
After 18 games, it appears Arkansas will miss March Madness for a second straight season. The Hogs have just one Quad-1 win and are not included in recent Bracketology projections from ESPN and CBS Sports.
“I know we’re in a tough spot right now, but we’re going to do our best to get through this,” Coleman said. “We have the best man for the job.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball assistant rejects John Calipari’s ‘archaic’ label
