Kentucky Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart refused Monday to answer questions about the on-going process of giving basketball coach John Calipari a new contract.
“This is a softball press conference,” Barnhart said at a news conference called to announce a new contract for softball coach Rachel Lawson. “We’re not talking about anything else.”
To which, Lawson quipped, “Unless you can attach me to it.”
Barnhart tweeted last week that he wanted to give Calipari a contract extension. He did not tweet any details.
Barnhart also refused to talk about the request from the NCAA Committee on Infractions for UK to publicly acknowledge its mistake in honoring Calipari for his supposed 500th victory this past season. Because of vacated victories while he coached at Massachusetts and Memphis, Calipari’s career victory total is 467, according to official NCAA records.
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald- Leader has covered Kentucky basketball since the 1981-82 season. That time includes five coaches, five Final Fours, four athletic directors, two interim athletic directors and many memories. Before coming to Lexington, Tipton worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. He covered Marshall’s basketball team for two seasons before coming to the Herald-Leader.
