Eleven days ago, John Calipari and Mitch Barnhart sat side-by-side in the Kentucky basketball office conducting a painfully awkward TV interview.
Barnhart had just publicly confirmed the previous day that Calipari would return to lead the school’s storied men’s basketball program for a 16th season. Now it was time for the embattled coach and his longtime athletic director to set aside any lingering tension and put on a united front while discussing the future of Kentucky basketball.
Insisting the notion that he and Calipari had no relationship was “garbage” and “misinformation,” Barnhart likened their partnership to that of a “semi-married” couple.