John Calipari has closed the Kentucky Wildcats door behind him, leaving the window open for others. There has since been extensive speculation about the next Wildcats coach. One, rather intriguing, possibility is Billy Donovan. In a mixing pot of opinions regarding the appropriate choice, former Houston Rockets star Chandler Parsons voiced his issues with the potential appointment of Donovan.

Appearing on ‘Run It Back’, Parsons was asked if he wanted Billy Donovan to be the coach at Kentucky. “No. F*ck no… No way. I’ll never speak to him again if he takes that job. But it’d be a great job,” he replied. Notably, this reaction could stem from his time with Florida Gators in college, who have an age-old rivalry with Kentucky. Even Lou Williams hinted towards Parsons’ Gators roots behind the reason for his answer, which, according to him, is an understandable situation.

Parsons explained his answer, stating, “You don’t go [from] Florida to Kentucky, you don’t go from Florida to Florida State.” Billy Donovan was the Florida Gators’ coach from 1996 to 2015 and has multiple accolades to his name, including 2 NCAA championships, 4 Final Four appearances in the NCAA tournament, and 4 SEC tournament championships.

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However, it will not be easy for Kentucky to get Donovan onboard, as he is still under contract for two more years with the Chicago Bulls. And although Billy was an assistant coach for Kentucky from 1989 to 1994, his ties run way deeper at Florida. So he may also consider the pre-existing rivalry that Chandler Parsons mentioned. But, undoubtedly, Kentucky will look for all options to get a name on board who can continue further the success that John Calipari achieved with the team.

John Calipari’s achievements with Kentucky and what lies next

The University of Kentucky appointed Cal as the head coach back in 2009. Since then, John has received multiple accolades to his name as the Kentucky Wildcats’ coach. Some of these include the 2012 NCAA Division I tournament championship, 4 appearances in the NCAA Final Four stage, 6 SEC tournament championships, and multiple others.

But the time has probably come for John Calipari to move on to the next chapter of his life. And it seems this new chapter could very well be the Arkansas Razorbacks. ESPN’s Pete Thamel has already hinted towards the possibility in a post on X. “Sources: John Calipari is finalizing a five-year deal to become the next coach at Arkansas. The deal is expected to be completed in the next 24 hours,” read the post.

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However, neither the school nor Calipari has made any official comment about the rumors. What is your take on the whole scenario? Do you think Billy Donovan will move to Kentucky? And what is the next best possible option for John Calipari? Let us know your views in the comments.

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