ALL THINGS BASKETBALL ... ONE NOTABLE EXCEPTION

 So much going on … so little time until last sun-out of the memory man’s octogenarian life …

JOHN CALIPARI to Arkansas? He’s 410-122 in 15 years at 

Kentucky, and that wasn’t good enough … not when you have 

ONLY one national championship (2012), haven’t been to the 

Final Four since 2015 and, most recently, were eliminated in 

the first round by a No. 14 … A $33 million buyout apparently 

kept athletic director MITCH BARNHARTfrom pulling the 

trigger, much to the dismay of the Wildcat faithful. Now, 

according to several reports, that will not be in play when 

Calipari moves to Arkansas ...

… which lost ERIC MUSSELMAN (5 years, 111-59) to 

Southern Cal … to replace ANDY ENFIELD (11 years, 220-

147) who moved to SMU … that fired ROB LANIER (2 years, 

30-35), former U.Va., assistant (2005-07) hired by Rice … 

which dumped SCOTT PERA (7 years, 96-127) … who 

succeeded MIKE RHOADES … Surely, you remember 

Rhoades, former boss at Randolph-Macon where he succeeded 

the late, great HAL NUNNALLY, member of the Virginia 

Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2024 … After six years at VCU 

(129-61), Rhoades left for the big bucks (7 years, $35.9 

million) at Penn State … where the Nittany Lions were 16-17 

overall and tied for ninth (9-11) in the Purdue-dominated 14-

team Big 10 this season, his first in Happy Valley … “The 

coaches’ transfer portal is always open,” said ESPN’s JAY 

BILAS.

So, tell us … who will be the next coach at Kentucky? 

Alabama’s NATE OATS and UConn’s DAN HURLEY, fresh 

off another championship, have gone on record they aren’t 

interested … which means nothing. ESPN has the NBA Bulls

 BILLY DONOVAN, who took Florida to back to back titles 

(2006-07), most likely … in the absence of Hurley … Baylor’s

 SCOTT DREW is a possibility. Former Villanova coach JAY 

WRIGHT is not. He’s too good … and having too much fun … 

as CBS analyst to get back in the NIL, transfer portal nonsense 

he left behind. 

Meanwhile … Calipari, who left UMass and Memphis in 

trouble with the NCAA before coming (with much fanfare) to 

the Blue Grass, reportedly was interested in the Ohio State job 

in February when CHRIS HOLTMANN was fired. Whether 

the Buckeyes considered Calipari, 65, at season’s end, isn’t 

known – yet … JAKE DIEBLER, 37, got the nod after serving 

on an interim basis and going 8-3 including a win over NCAA 

finalist Purdue his first game in charge … Monday (April 8), he 

hired North Carolina State assistant JOEL JUSTUS as 

associate head coach. Among previous jobs … Justus worked 

for eight years on Calipari’s staff at Kentucky. He also served 

as head coach at Woodberry Forest.

Speaking of Fayetteville, Ark., home of the Razorbacks, long-

time NFL offensive line coach LARRY BEIGHTOL died 

there April 4. He was 81 … A native of Pittsburgh, Beightol, 

who played football at Catawba (N.C.) College, taught history 

and coached football at Richmond’s Lee-Davis High School for 

three years until MARV LEVY hired him at William & Mary 

in 1968 … to coach the defensive line. A year later, Levy left, 

replaced by LOU HOLTZ, who switched “Coach Beck” to 

assistant in charge of the offensive line … the first of 13 years 

he worked for Holtz … including W&M (1969-71), N.C. State 

(1972-75) and Arkansas (1977-78).

True confession: We came that close to anointing Beightol as 

James Madison University coach in 1985 before (thankfully) 

deciding to hold off for 24 hours … He was on the University 

of Missouri staff at the time and, while he was a candidate at 

JMU, I had not talked to him about it. I called, talked to his 

wife Marian … and she said he was on the way to somewhere 

she either didn’t know or didn’t want to say … Because JMU 

planned to make the big announcement the next day … well, I 

was sure we had the big scoop, wrote the story then waited and 

… the next morning Delaware State’s JOE PURZICKI was 

identified officially as the second football coach in school 

history … after CHALLACE McMILLIN was fired by 

president “UNCLE RON” CARRIER … According to his 

obituary, Beightol returned to Fayetteville to retire in 2006 … 

and died of heart failure brought on by complications from 

dementia and diabetes.

LeBRON JAMES got it right … this time … when he said, “If 

you don’t rock with CAITLIN CLARK, you’re just a flat out

HATER.” … The Iowa senior turned women’s hoops into must-

see TV … believe it or not. Her last three games did record 

average viewership of 12.3 million (vs LSU), 14.2 million 

(NCAA semifinals vs UConn) and finally 18.7 million for the 

championship loss to unbeaten South Carolina … You would 

think everyone connected with the sport, past and present, 

would celebrate what Clark has done to upgrade it. You would 

be wrong … Former Connecticut All-American DIANA 

TAURASI minimized Clark’s accomplishments with: … “You 

look superhuman playing against 18 year olds … but reality is 

coming when you have to play with grown women who have 

been playing a long time.” … The WNBA draft is Monday. The 

Indiana Fever have first choice … which undoubtedly will be 

Clark … who should create instant interest in an otherwise 

overlooked (with reason) pro league … ALIJAH BOSTON, 

who won an NCAA title at South Carolina two years ago … 

and was part of ESPN’s pro-Gamecocks coverage, interviewing 

coach DAWN STALEY when she wasn’t hugging her and 

acting all giddy and unprofessional at game’s end … plays for 

the Fever and made it clear she will welcome Clark as a 

teammate … Staley took the high road, praising Clark.

 LYNETTE WOODARD did not. Originally, she praised 

Clark for breaking her all-time points record … then did a 180, 

saying her record remained in tact because they use a smaller 

ball now … and didn’t have a three-point shot then. “You can’t 

duplicate what you’re not duplicating,” Woodard said … before

 yet another aboutface, saying perhaps she was wrong – or 

right? -- after all.

Finally, let’s hear it for PAIGE BUECKERS who refused to 

use a late call against teammate AAYLIAH EDWARDS as an 

excuse for losing to Iowa 81-79 in the NCAA semis. “Not one 

single play wins or loses a basketball game,” the UConn All-

American said. “I should have done a better job of making sure 

we didn’t leave the game up to a call like that.” … The Huskies 

were trailing by a point when, with 3.9 seconds remaining, 

Edwards was called for an illegal screen, trying to get Bueckers 

open for the potential game-winning shot … Frankly, from 

checking the replay, it was not the controversial call people like 

ESPN’s SCOTT VAN PELT would have us believe. Edwards 

slid both feet to her left then, before coming to a full stop,

 popped Iowa’s ABBIE MARSHALL with an elbow and 

forearm … “There were a lot of mistakes I made that could 

have prevented [the call] from being THAT big or causing us 

the game,” Bueckers said.

Good for her … Bad for coach GENO AURIEMMA, who 

could/should have taken the high road but, instead, told 

reporters, “… [it was] probably an illegal screen … that you 

could call on every possession. I know there were 3 or 4 called 

on us … and I don’t think there were any called on them.”

Good grief, CHARLIE BROWN. Good grief!