Kentucky coach John Calipari accomplished his offseason workers shake-up on Thursday as Orlando Antigua and Ron Coleman joined John Calipari’s teaching workers to fill the roles left by Joel Justus, who left for Arizona State and Tony Barbee, who was lately named Central Michigan’s head coach, this system introduced. Antigua joins this system as affiliate coach and Coleman as an assistant. 

Each Antigua and Coleman come to the Wildcats through Illinois after spending time on the teaching workers below Brad Underwood, with Antigua’s rent reuniting him after spending time on Calipari’s workers first at Memphis and later at Kentucky. The hires comply with a 9-16 season in Lexington, which marked the bottom win complete for Calipari in a season as a head coach throughout his profession. 

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“I’m actually excited to have Orlando again,” Calipari mentioned. “I feel everybody is aware of what we have been capable of do with Orlando as part of our workers going to the Candy Sixteen in our remaining season at Memphis and making three Remaining Fours with a nationwide title at Kentucky in his 5 seasons. However apart from our group success, he brings an uplifting spirit and a piece ethic that helps create relationships which can be so wanted in school basketball inside your individual group and on the recruiting path. All of that begins inside our workers, and I’m excited that he needed to be again right here with us to get our program again to the place we all know it must be.”

Kentucky additionally introduced that Bruiser Flint can be moved to affiliate to the top coach whereas Jai Lucas will stay in his function within the different assistant teaching place. Lucas, Coleman and Antigua will comprise the three on-court assistant teaching positions for the upcoming seasons.

“Ron ‘Chin’ Coleman is in the identical mildew as Orlando,” Calipari mentioned. “You might be speaking about one other upbeat, constructive coach who’s going to carry the spirit that has at all times been part of our tradition. He has earned his stripes by way of onerous work and constructing relationships across the nation. Chin is a grinder, somebody who relishes that point within the health club with the children to assist add worth to your present gamers, but he by no means takes his eyes off the lifeline of our program, which is recruiting.”

The information of Coleman and Antigua’s hiring had been anticipated for weeks as CBS Sports activities’ Matt Norlander reported on April 22, however the formal introduction got here on Thursday. It coincided — maybe coincidentally, maybe not — with the Wildcats selecting up a ton of momentum on the recruiting path of their pursuit of five-star TyTy Washington. Washington is anticipated to make his dedication subsequent week with Kentucky more and more trying just like the more than likely vacation spot.

Antigua and Coleman be a part of the UK program after its first sub-.500 season in additional than three a long time however Calipari has quietly put collectively a pleasant roster this offseason for Coleman and Antigua to work with due to latest switch additions CJ Fredrick, Kellan Grady and Oscar Tshiebwe. The switch trio ties collectively a strong incoming recruiting class that might make a serious leap within the rankings if Washington joins the fold.