It’s official.  John Calipari, the former Memphis coach, will replace Billy Gillespie at Kentucky. Early reports state that Calipari will be the highest paid coach in the nation.  Kentucky moved fast after firing the Billy Gillespie last week. Gillespie only lasted two rocky years with the Wildcats as he was not comfortable having to deal with the celebrity of being the head coach of a team with such a rabid fan base.

While this deals a heavy blow to the Memphis program, Calipari could give Kentucky that edge it needs to return to the top of the college basketball world.  He has been successful at every stop in his coaching career, especially with Memphis.  His recent teams have dominated Conference USA and he played for the national title last April.  He should be able to have that type of impact at Kentucky almost immediately.  With a roster that may already feature two future NBA players, Coach Cal could be bringing in a couple mega-recruits that would strike fear in most of the average rosters in the SEC.