April 8, 2024 • 13 mins
Matt Jones on Kentucky Sports Radio joined us to talk about John Calipari's departure from the University of Kentucky, and what's next for the Wildcats.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
You're home for UK basketball ESPN fifteenthirty. Kentucky basketball lives here, tarn
with the timely liner. There yougo, it's three minutes after four ESPN
fifteen thirty. Moeggar, thank youso much for joining us. We're at
Twin Peaks in Westchester, hanging outtill six o'clock. Great place to post
(00:20):
up for happy hour, Red's gametonight. National Title game tonight as well.
The National Title game in this areahas taken a back seat to the
story unfolding at the University of Kentucky, where it looks like John Caliperi is
on his way out taking the gigat the University of Arkansas. Since I
spent about twenty minutes listening to hisTwitter space last night, I cannot imagine
(00:44):
how busy Matt Jones from Kentucky SportsRadio has been. So we reached out
nice enough to join us. I'msure he has been swamped. It is
always good to have you, Mat. It has been a while. How
are you anything for you? Myfriend? And you know, anyone and
I heart media in UH in Cincinnatiwill get my visit except Bill Cunningham.
(01:06):
Everybody else though I me in youjust let me know when you need me.
Well, it has. It hasfelt over it the last week and
a half. It's been like,you know, watching parents fight, You
and Willie at each other's throat,so you know, I don't know whose
side to take. Oh. Ididn't know who he was until I heard
him on the h on the openingday and he was like hey Jack Bolly,
(01:30):
and I just loved it. Iwas like, who is that guy?
This was awesome. So I guessI made him mad. But that's
okay, You'll be fine. Ihear he does a good job. So
he does. And I've made himmad before as well, so for most
of the last fifteen years. Atany point, if I look at my
phone and I see John Calipari isleaving the University of Kentucky to take a
(01:51):
job in the SEC, well that'sjarring shocking news. Last night though,
when I saw this, I wassurprised, But I wasn't stunned. I
have been. I'm only surprised thathe's going to Fayetteville, Arkansas, right
Like, I'm not surprised he's leavingKentucky. I think he was kind of
looking and there are some reports nowthat he was looking Ohio State being one
(02:15):
of the schools he looked at.But I'm surprised he's going to Fayetteville,
Arkansas. I'm surprised he's gonna haveto walk into Rupperena next year. That's
surprising to me. I mean that, like, like that's gonna be wild.
But the relationship had essentially reached aconclusion where I think it was best
(02:35):
for all parties to separate. Soin that respect, I'm not shocked and
think it was probably the right call. And it feels like that's that's the
consensus, right, like it wastime and Okay, So where he goes
is maybe interesting and maybe surprising,and we can debate how well he's gonna
do there, and it's certainly gonnabe gonna be an interesting dynamic when he
when he walks into Upperna. Butjust as an outsider, I look to
(03:00):
this when they lost to Oakland andsaid, this is about as gone,
is about as far as it cango. It's time for all parties involved.
I feel like I feel like that'sthe consensus, and it seems like
you would agree. Well, let'sjust let's just do some facts. Let's
start the year after COVID twenty twentytwenty one, Kentucky is nine and sixteen,
(03:22):
worst record in school history. Nextyear they end up losing in the
first round to Saint Peter's. Nextyear they lose ten games and end up
losing in the second round to KansasState, and then this year losing the
first round to Oakland. So inthe last four years, he said,
the worst regular season ever and probablythe two worst NCAA tournament loss is ever.
(03:45):
And then throw in mough. Inthose four seasons he had not one,
not to but twelve NBA players onthe roster and still made that happen.
At some point you just have tosay, we can't keep doing this
right, Like, I mean,this is an amazing accomplishment. But he
has had literally Assuming reed Shepherd,Rob Dellingham and Antonio Reeves playing the NBA,
(04:09):
which I do. He has hadfifty NBA players in fourteen years,
fifty and they've had one title infifty NBA players. It's crazy. So
when you look at the overall run. I said this on social media last
night. If if the night theybeat Kansas twelve years ago, you would
(04:30):
have told me he'd be leaving theUniversity of Kentucky in a dozen years and
that would be the most recent title. I would have said, there's no
way, there's no way that's thecase. And so how do you summarize
the era where you know, thefirst seven or eight years, it was
a juggernaut. It was awesome,It was awesome to watch Kentucky basketball was
cool again. Around every corner,there was something cool happening. They play
(04:53):
for national titles, they're in thefinal four, they have these extraordinarily fun,
engaging players that realize a huge amountof teams sess. And then the
last seven or eight years, withthe exception of twenty one, they haven't
been awful, but they haven't beenanywhere close to what they were the first
half of that run. So howdo you encapsulate the last fifteen years twenty
ten to twenty seventeen an A toan A plus, twenty eighteen to twenty
(05:17):
twenty four A C to a Cminus. So I think the Caliperi years
are a solid D. Like youwant a title. You went to four
final flours. But to be quitefrank with you, if you look at
Kentucky history, the average is winninga title, all right. They've had
five different coaches win a title,So that's what you do here if you're
(05:42):
a good coach. So I thinkI think his first eight years here amazing
as good a run as we've seenin college basketball, even tho it was
just one title. When you justconsider the consistency, it was US A
to an A plus. But theback half was bad, and the problem
was I'm not sure it was gonnaget better. That was the thing that
(06:03):
I think made people believe this neededto be a change. There was no
notion of how this was gonna getbetter. He was bringing the exact same
staff back. He was gonna hehad seven freshmen coming in yet next year,
so he's gonna try to win withfreshman again. And this year's class
was not as good as last year'sclass. So why in the world would
(06:24):
you have been excited that it wasgonna work. It's probably best for all
parties. Yeah, felt that way. Matt Jones, Kentucky Sports Radio.
I watched the sit down the interviewhe did sitting next to Mitch Bartenhurt,
and somebody it might have been youon your show, made the comparison to
two people who are sitting in couple'stherapy who look like they just don't want
to be with each other. Whydid things turn so sour in the relationship
(06:48):
between those two, Well, I'mnot sure they ever got along really well,
but basically Cal became, in myopinion, sort of too stuck in
his way, a little too bigfor his breeches, and just kind of
like he decided he didn't need anybody. And when he did that, he
turned a lot of folks off,including the administration. But I here's what
(07:10):
I harken it to, and thisis I think the analogy. This is
a couple, the UK fan base, administration, just UK basketball and Cal
are like a married couple who's setfirst seven or eight years was like the
hottest marriage in the world. Andthen you have kids and you love each
other and everything's going great, andthen you wake up after fifteen years and
(07:31):
you go, this isn't work itanymore. We don't really love each other
anymore. And then you think,all right, well, let's try to
stay together for the kids, andthen you just realize you can. So
now they both will go on theirown, and I think what will happen
is, just like in a couple, both of them will go get in
the best chair of their lives.Both of them will go try to meet
somebody else and we'll see, like, we'll see who wins. But it
(07:57):
wasn't gonna work together. It justwasn't. And I think a lot of
the doom and gloom around here wasthere was a sense of inevitability. This
isn't gonna work, and yet we'restill stuck in it. And now Arkansas
kind of throws a life wrapped outand actually gives Kentucky and cal a chance
to have a second life, whereasbefore I'm not sure it looked like they
(08:20):
could. Yeah. Oh, butso everybody's thrown out ideas for who should
replace him on the list of realisticcandidates, who makes the most sense.
So let's just assume that I thinkthe two guys that Mitch would be the
most interested in won't come, whichis Jay Wright and Billy Donne. Okay,
so let's assume they don't come.Then I think there are three guys.
(08:43):
One is Danny Hurley. I thinkit's awful hard to get him the
league, but he makes half whathe makes at Kentucky, so I think
they'll at least talk to it.And then I think the most likely scenario
is one of these two people becomesKentucky's coach at Alabama or Scott Drew at
Baylor. I think one of thosetwo guys probably becomes Kentucky's coach if you
(09:05):
made me best, if you couldpick, who do you want it to
be? I think Scott Drew isthe safer choice in the sense of I
don't think he would fail. Heis a great recruiter, a good coach.
I don't know that there's ever beena human being who did a better
rebuilding job than what he did inBaylor. They were the worst team in
(09:26):
the country coming off a murder investigation, and he took them to a national
championship. But I actually might stillpick Natoates because I think he's upside.
I mean, Natos Mo, you'vebeen around Natos has the personality of it
right, there's a way you haveto be here. Rick Patino was like
that, John calf here he waslike that, And Natoates has that same
(09:50):
sort of cocky thing that I thinkKentucky basketball works. I think either of
those guys would do well. Ithink either of those guys would be better.
BET's long term than cal Is becauseCal's older. But I would pick
natos, but I think either ofthem. Mark all right, I know
you're swamped. Cannot thank you enough. We'll do it again, man,
(10:11):
I appreciate it. Yeah, it'sgood to talk to you. Very very
That's it's our guy. Matt Jones, Kentucky Sports Radio, the absolute best.
Listen to those guys this this morningwas a three hour show and I
went, I had never been intoTwitter space before and I listened to to
MATC do one last night, Ithink in the middle of while he was
watching WrestleMania or something, so awesomestuff and perspective and it did it just
(10:37):
it felt like it was his time. But man, it's really hard to
say that a guy who you knowtook his team to a national championship,
another national championship game had him inthe final four. That run of twenty
ten through twenty fifteen was incredible.But if you look at the fifteen year
stretch, three programs won national titles. Meanwhile, he's accumulating all this NBA
(10:58):
talent And like we were doing theOhio State thing when Chris Holtman got let
go and folks were wondering about SeanMiller, and my take at the time
was like dude, I'd throw it, as we say, a Brins truck
at Natos. I would still dothat. I do believe Dan Hurley is
the most interesting because of where he'scoming from, his personality, how much
(11:22):
he's won, But Natos is froma personality perspective. I agree with what
Matt said very similar in that regardbig time, edgy, polarizing can move
the meter, cocky like all thosethings have applied to other head coaches that
have connected immensely well with the fanbase and have obviously won a fair amount
(11:43):
as well. Quarter after four.Meanwhile, unfortunately the news involving tj Antone
not great. I will admit,like there's a baseball part of this.
You know, you were hoping tjant and we were all hoping tj and
to and could add to the Redsbullpen and maybe he's the eighth inning guy
or I just I'm crushed for him, and I there are certain athletes who
(12:09):
just I don't know, man.I've met tj Antone twice in my life
and we've had him on the show. Just struck has always struck me as
a really easy guy to root for, and for him to have to go
through this again another surgery. Uhis it hurts? And I had a
(12:30):
really bad feeling. I was atthe ballpark yesterday. He throws one pitch,
he comes off the mound, Herecomes David Bell, here comes the
training staff, and you just fearedthe worst. And I'm I'm gutted for
TJ and Tone And you look,there are a lot of folks for whom
these guys, you know, wedon't want to humanize them, and they
make a lot of money. Whocares it? You want to give people
(12:54):
a chance to be everything they canand TJ's body has just not let him
do that on a consistent base.And to put it in very blunt terms,
it sucks. It is sixteen minutesafter four o'clock. Our phone numbers
are five one, three, seven, four nine, fifteen thirty and eight
six six seven zero two three,seven seven six. We'll hear from David
Bell, the Reds manager, onTJ. Anton as we get said for
(13:16):
tonight's game, Reds and Brewers comingup at GABP. We're broadcasting this afternoon
from Twin Peaks in Westchester. Bythe way, Now that the eclipse is
coming gone, it is gorgeous outside. Uh, and we're we're pseudo outside.
We're well, we're not really outside, but we can look outside.
It is spectacular outside, spectacular insidehere at Twin Peaks. We're here till
(13:39):
six on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati SportsStation, Cincinnati
You're home for UK basketball ESPN fifteenthirty. Kentucky basketball lives here, tarn
with the timely liner. There yougo, it's three minutes after four ESPN
fifteen thirty. Moeggar, thank youso much for joining us. We're at
Twin Peaks in Westchester, hanging outtill six o'clock. Great place to post
(00:20):
up for happy hour, Red's gametonight. National Title game tonight as well.
The National Title game in this areahas taken a back seat to the
story unfolding at the University of Kentucky, where it looks like John Caliperi is
on his way out taking the gigat the University of Arkansas. Since I
spent about twenty minutes listening to hisTwitter space last night, I cannot imagine
(00:44):
how busy Matt Jones from Kentucky SportsRadio has been. So we reached out
nice enough to join us. I'msure he has been swamped. It is
always good to have you, Mat. It has been a while. How
are you anything for you? Myfriend? And you know, anyone and
I heart media in UH in Cincinnatiwill get my visit except Bill Cunningham.
(01:06):
Everybody else though I me in youjust let me know when you need me.
Well, it has. It hasfelt over it the last week and
a half. It's been like,you know, watching parents fight, You
and Willie at each other's throat,so you know, I don't know whose
side to take. Oh. Ididn't know who he was until I heard
him on the h on the openingday and he was like hey Jack Bolly,
(01:30):
and I just loved it. Iwas like, who is that guy?
This was awesome. So I guessI made him mad. But that's
okay, You'll be fine. Ihear he does a good job. So
he does. And I've made himmad before as well, so for most
of the last fifteen years. Atany point, if I look at my
phone and I see John Calipari isleaving the University of Kentucky to take a
(01:51):
job in the SEC, well that'sjarring shocking news. Last night though,
when I saw this, I wassurprised, But I wasn't stunned. I
have been. I'm only surprised thathe's going to Fayetteville, Arkansas, right
Like, I'm not surprised he's leavingKentucky. I think he was kind of
looking and there are some reports nowthat he was looking Ohio State being one
(02:15):
of the schools he looked at.But I'm surprised he's going to Fayetteville,
Arkansas. I'm surprised he's gonna haveto walk into Rupperena next year. That's
surprising to me. I mean that, like, like that's gonna be wild.
But the relationship had essentially reached aconclusion where I think it was best
(02:35):
for all parties to separate. Soin that respect, I'm not shocked and
think it was probably the right call. And it feels like that's that's the
consensus, right, like it wastime and Okay, So where he goes
is maybe interesting and maybe surprising,and we can debate how well he's gonna
do there, and it's certainly gonnabe gonna be an interesting dynamic when he
when he walks into Upperna. Butjust as an outsider, I look to
(03:00):
this when they lost to Oakland andsaid, this is about as gone,
is about as far as it cango. It's time for all parties involved.
I feel like I feel like that'sthe consensus, and it seems like
you would agree. Well, let'sjust let's just do some facts. Let's
start the year after COVID twenty twentytwenty one, Kentucky is nine and sixteen,
(03:22):
worst record in school history. Nextyear they end up losing in the
first round to Saint Peter's. Nextyear they lose ten games and end up
losing in the second round to KansasState, and then this year losing the
first round to Oakland. So inthe last four years, he said,
the worst regular season ever and probablythe two worst NCAA tournament loss is ever.
(03:45):
And then throw in mough. Inthose four seasons he had not one,
not to but twelve NBA players onthe roster and still made that happen.
At some point you just have tosay, we can't keep doing this
right, Like, I mean,this is an amazing accomplishment. But he
has had literally Assuming reed Shepherd,Rob Dellingham and Antonio Reeves playing the NBA,
(04:09):
which I do. He has hadfifty NBA players in fourteen years,
fifty and they've had one title infifty NBA players. It's crazy. So
when you look at the overall run. I said this on social media last
night. If if the night theybeat Kansas twelve years ago, you would
(04:30):
have told me he'd be leaving theUniversity of Kentucky in a dozen years and
that would be the most recent title. I would have said, there's no
way, there's no way that's thecase. And so how do you summarize
the era where you know, thefirst seven or eight years, it was
a juggernaut. It was awesome,It was awesome to watch Kentucky basketball was
cool again. Around every corner,there was something cool happening. They play
(04:53):
for national titles, they're in thefinal four, they have these extraordinarily fun,
engaging players that realize a huge amountof teams sess. And then the
last seven or eight years, withthe exception of twenty one, they haven't
been awful, but they haven't beenanywhere close to what they were the first
half of that run. So howdo you encapsulate the last fifteen years twenty
ten to twenty seventeen an A toan A plus, twenty eighteen to twenty
(05:17):
twenty four A C to a Cminus. So I think the Caliperi years
are a solid D. Like youwant a title. You went to four
final flours. But to be quitefrank with you, if you look at
Kentucky history, the average is winninga title, all right. They've had
five different coaches win a title,So that's what you do here if you're
(05:42):
a good coach. So I thinkI think his first eight years here amazing
as good a run as we've seenin college basketball, even tho it was
just one title. When you justconsider the consistency, it was US A
to an A plus. But theback half was bad, and the problem
was I'm not sure it was gonnaget better. That was the thing that
(06:03):
I think made people believe this neededto be a change. There was no
notion of how this was gonna getbetter. He was bringing the exact same
staff back. He was gonna hehad seven freshmen coming in yet next year,
so he's gonna try to win withfreshman again. And this year's class
was not as good as last year'sclass. So why in the world would
(06:24):
you have been excited that it wasgonna work. It's probably best for all
parties. Yeah, felt that way. Matt Jones, Kentucky Sports Radio.
I watched the sit down the interviewhe did sitting next to Mitch Bartenhurt,
and somebody it might have been youon your show, made the comparison to
two people who are sitting in couple'stherapy who look like they just don't want
to be with each other. Whydid things turn so sour in the relationship
(06:48):
between those two, Well, I'mnot sure they ever got along really well,
but basically Cal became, in myopinion, sort of too stuck in
his way, a little too bigfor his breeches, and just kind of
like he decided he didn't need anybody. And when he did that, he
turned a lot of folks off,including the administration. But I here's what
(07:10):
I harken it to, and thisis I think the analogy. This is
a couple, the UK fan base, administration, just UK basketball and Cal
are like a married couple who's setfirst seven or eight years was like the
hottest marriage in the world. Andthen you have kids and you love each
other and everything's going great, andthen you wake up after fifteen years and
(07:31):
you go, this isn't work itanymore. We don't really love each other
anymore. And then you think,all right, well, let's try to
stay together for the kids, andthen you just realize you can. So
now they both will go on theirown, and I think what will happen
is, just like in a couple, both of them will go get in
the best chair of their lives.Both of them will go try to meet
somebody else and we'll see, like, we'll see who wins. But it
(07:57):
wasn't gonna work together. It justwasn't. And I think a lot of
the doom and gloom around here wasthere was a sense of inevitability. This
isn't gonna work, and yet we'restill stuck in it. And now Arkansas
kind of throws a life wrapped outand actually gives Kentucky and cal a chance
to have a second life, whereasbefore I'm not sure it looked like they
(08:20):
could. Yeah. Oh, butso everybody's thrown out ideas for who should
replace him on the list of realisticcandidates, who makes the most sense.
So let's just assume that I thinkthe two guys that Mitch would be the
most interested in won't come, whichis Jay Wright and Billy Donne. Okay,
so let's assume they don't come.Then I think there are three guys.
(08:43):
One is Danny Hurley. I thinkit's awful hard to get him the
league, but he makes half whathe makes at Kentucky, so I think
they'll at least talk to it.And then I think the most likely scenario
is one of these two people becomesKentucky's coach at Alabama or Scott Drew at
Baylor. I think one of thosetwo guys probably becomes Kentucky's coach if you
(09:05):
made me best, if you couldpick, who do you want it to
be? I think Scott Drew isthe safer choice in the sense of I
don't think he would fail. Heis a great recruiter, a good coach.
I don't know that there's ever beena human being who did a better
rebuilding job than what he did inBaylor. They were the worst team in
(09:26):
the country coming off a murder investigation, and he took them to a national
championship. But I actually might stillpick Natoates because I think he's upside.
I mean, Natos Mo, you'vebeen around Natos has the personality of it
right, there's a way you haveto be here. Rick Patino was like
that, John calf here he waslike that, And Natoates has that same
(09:50):
sort of cocky thing that I thinkKentucky basketball works. I think either of
those guys would do well. Ithink either of those guys would be better.
BET's long term than cal Is becauseCal's older. But I would pick
natos, but I think either ofthem. Mark all right, I know
you're swamped. Cannot thank you enough. We'll do it again, man,
(10:11):
I appreciate it. Yeah, it'sgood to talk to you. Very very
That's it's our guy. Matt Jones, Kentucky Sports Radio, the absolute best.
Listen to those guys this this morningwas a three hour show and I
went, I had never been intoTwitter space before and I listened to to
MATC do one last night, Ithink in the middle of while he was
watching WrestleMania or something, so awesomestuff and perspective and it did it just
(10:37):
it felt like it was his time. But man, it's really hard to
say that a guy who you knowtook his team to a national championship,
another national championship game had him inthe final four. That run of twenty
ten through twenty fifteen was incredible.But if you look at the fifteen year
stretch, three programs won national titles. Meanwhile, he's accumulating all this NBA
(10:58):
talent And like we were doing theOhio State thing when Chris Holtman got let
go and folks were wondering about SeanMiller, and my take at the time
was like dude, I'd throw it, as we say, a Brins truck
at Natos. I would still dothat. I do believe Dan Hurley is
the most interesting because of where he'scoming from, his personality, how much
(11:22):
he's won, But Natos is froma personality perspective. I agree with what
Matt said very similar in that regardbig time, edgy, polarizing can move
the meter, cocky like all thosethings have applied to other head coaches that
have connected immensely well with the fanbase and have obviously won a fair amount
(11:43):
as well. Quarter after four.Meanwhile, unfortunately the news involving tj Antone
not great. I will admit,like there's a baseball part of this.
You know, you were hoping tjant and we were all hoping tj and
to and could add to the Redsbullpen and maybe he's the eighth inning guy
or I just I'm crushed for him, and I there are certain athletes who
(12:09):
just I don't know, man.I've met tj Antone twice in my life
and we've had him on the show. Just struck has always struck me as
a really easy guy to root for, and for him to have to go
through this again another surgery. Uhis it hurts? And I had a
(12:30):
really bad feeling. I was atthe ballpark yesterday. He throws one pitch,
he comes off the mound, Herecomes David Bell, here comes the
training staff, and you just fearedthe worst. And I'm I'm gutted for
TJ and Tone And you look,there are a lot of folks for whom
these guys, you know, wedon't want to humanize them, and they
make a lot of money. Whocares it? You want to give people
(12:54):
a chance to be everything they canand TJ's body has just not let him
do that on a consistent base.And to put it in very blunt terms,
it sucks. It is sixteen minutesafter four o'clock. Our phone numbers
are five one, three, seven, four nine, fifteen thirty and eight
six six seven zero two three,seven seven six. We'll hear from David
Bell, the Reds manager, onTJ. Anton as we get said for
(13:16):
tonight's game, Reds and Brewers comingup at GABP. We're broadcasting this afternoon
from Twin Peaks in Westchester. Bythe way, Now that the eclipse is
coming gone, it is gorgeous outside. Uh, and we're we're pseudo outside.
We're well, we're not really outside, but we can look outside.
It is spectacular outside, spectacular insidehere at Twin Peaks. We're here till
(13:39):
six on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati SportsStation, Cincinnati
Mo Egger News
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.