John Calipari unexpectedly blew his lid in a brief outburst during a press conference Saturday following Arkansas’ loss to Texas A&M.
He then called some of his players “fragile.” Picking the highlight, or lowlight, of his postgame remarks is a matter for debate.
The Razorbacks are now 15-10 and on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. They’ve suffered two close losses in the past week, to No. 3 Alabama last Saturday and the No. 8 Aggies. Winning one, or both, of those games against ranked teams would have provided a huge boost to Arkansas’ NCAA hopes.
Calipari could not hide his frustration in the press conference, but he was generally somber, until one question in particular. A reporter asked the veteran coach to evaluate “where your team is overall as you go into the last month of your first season here.”
“Normally, you are what your record says you are,” Calipari said. “But in this league [SEC] … you just got to get it going at the right time, and I thought we did. Alabama’s really good, too, this team (Texas A&M) is really good. Guess what? We had a chance to beat both of them, but we didn’t. And for us to bust through, we’re going to have to beat somebody.”
And then, Calipari vented.
“I wanted to make sure they weren’t happy we’re going to be OK. No. If we’d won that game, we’re in the tournament. … SO IT’S NOT OK TO SAY WE’LL BE ALL RIGHT! Now, we’re going to have to go get somebody else.
“But I didn’t wanna put that on them, because I’ve got some guys that are a little bit fragile … but when you’re losing some games, or you’re not playing well, that happens.”
“I still love coaching these guys,” Calipari continued.
Some fans questioned Calipari’s postgame comments.
It’s hard to blame Calipari for being emotional after a second close loss in a week. He’s no stranger to odd behavior during interviews. And while he’s been known to call out his players in these situations, labeling them “fragile” seemed a bit much.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.