Coach Cal Admits His Arkansas Players Were ‘Worried’ About Him

The tone was set from the moment John Calipari arrived at Rupp Arena for the first time since taking the Arkansas job.

After 15 years on the sideline at Kentucky, Coach Cal was once again a visitor in Lexington on Saturday night — and he definitely got visitor’s treatment when he and his team took the floor.

Following the game, Calipari admitted he was worried about how the players that followed him to the Razorbacks would handle the tough environment. But it turns out his kids were the ones worried about him.

“I called them in together,” Calipari recalled. “And I said, ‘Are you guys okay going back here? Are you going to be OK?’ And they all said, ‘We’re fine, coach. We’re worried about you.’ That’s the kind of team I have. That’s the kind of players they are. They were worried about me. I said, ‘I’m fine.’ No, they were good.”

Cal’s Arkansas squad ended up upsetting the No. 12 Wildcats 89-79, thanks to a total team effort from the school’s starting-five.

Adou Thiero led the way with 21 points but everyone in the Razorbacks’ starting lineup contributed greatly to the win — with a couple of nice efforts off the bench from Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond III.

“They were good, and they played well today. All three [transfers] played well. D.J. played, and so did Z, and so did Adou. Adou played — that’s how we want him to play every game. Hard to play that way every game,” Calipari explained.

“But, we put it in his hands in spots where he could drive the ball. But we also ran. A bunch of points in transition. [Johnell Davis] was playing like we’ve all expected him to play.”

Arkansas improved to 13-8 (2-6) with the road victory. And who knows, maybe if the team can keep this kind of offensive stride going they can make things interesting down the stretch.