'Stay ahead of the posse,' advises Nolan Richardson, who led Arkansas to 1994 NCAA title

Legendary Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson has some advice for John Calipari, who is set to leave Kentucky to take over the Razorbacks’ program.

"You got to stay ahead of the posse now," said Richardson, who in 1994 led the Razorbacks to their only national championship in men’s basketball, "cause if you’re not saying ahead of the posse, they’re going to get you."

Calipari learned that firsthand at Kentucky, where he was all but driven out despite leading the Wildcats to the 2012 national championship and to three other Final Four appearances.

The fan base soured on Calipari after his teams suffered first-round losses in the NCAA Tournament to No. 15 seed Saint Peters in 2022 and to No. 14 seed Oakland this year.

"Now Kentucky has tremendous expectations," Richardson, who retired at Arkansas in 2002, told USA TODAY Sports. "But little do they know that Arkansas does, too."

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At the same time, Richardson cited Calipari’s success when saying, "He’s been wherever everybody wants to go, so he’s a proven basketball coach of his time."

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The 2014 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee also rejected the idea that Calipari, 65, has lost his touch. In fact, Richardson said coming to Arkansas could rejuvenate Calipari after a 15-year tenure at Kentucky.

“Absolutely,’’ Richardson said. “He doesn’t have that huge monkey on his back.’’