John Calipari recently capped off his first season with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

After making a name for himself as one of the best college basketball coaches in the country with the Kentucky Wildcats, Calipari embarked on a new adventure.

He helped Arkansas reach the Sweet 16 after defeating St. John’s and Kansas. Arkansas eventually lost to Texas Tech, 85-83, in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

After Arkansas’ NCAA Tournament loss, the team posted a historic note about Calipari.

Calipari is now the only first-year head coach in Arkansas Razorbacks history to win two NCAA Tournament games and finish the season with a Top 25 ranking.

“One of one,” posted the official social media account of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Calipari started his coaching career at Kansas. He worked as an associate assistant coach for the Jayhawks from 1982 to 1985. Calipari also spent time with Pittsburgh and UMass before embarking on a coaching journey in the NBA.

In 1996, Calipari served as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets. He held the role until 1999 and wound up moving to the Philadelphia 76ers organization, where he served as an assistant coach from 1999 to 2000.

Calipari then took his talents back to the collegiate level. He coached the Memphis Tigers from 2000 to 2009 before having an even longer stint, from 2009 to 2024, with the Kentucky Wildcats.

This season, Arkansas was led by Adou Thiero, who posted 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Thiero, who started his career with Calipari at Kentucky, recently announced his intention to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft.