A.D., Calipari agree Memphis set to keep winning

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) " Fans of the Memphis Tigers are devastated: John Calipari's gone, along with their program's winning ways, the returning talent and the top-ranked recruiting class.

Hold up, all is not lost. Far from it, Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson and even Calipari himself said Wednesday.

"The program's been elevated to an unbelievable level, and that's the kind of response I'm getting from people now. Wow," Johnson said of the coaches already ringing his phone off the hook interested in replacing Calipari. "I know there's a little bit of (concern) following John, but that's because it's a good job. Any good job you're going to get that."

Calipari echoed his former boss in a news conference in front of his house hours after he was introduced as Kentucky's new coach and the highest paid in college basketball.

"This program will go on. It'll stay at that level. They're going to hire a great coach," Calipari said.

He even stands ready to help recruit his replacement, willing to answer any questions a coach might have about the program.

"Obviously, this is one of the great situations right now in college basketball," Calipari said of what he's left behind.

Memphis first must hold on to those recruits and current players while hiring a new coach.

Two of the recruits, DeMarcus Cousins and Xavier Henry, were playing at the McDonald's All-America game Wednesday night in Coral Gables.

Henry told The Associated Press he was definitely not going to Memphis but would be talking to his family about what he would do next.

Cousins said he was not sure he would still go to Memphis and to check with him later this week.

Memphis already is busy trying to re-recruit them, though they all have clauses allowing them to leave now that Calipari has left. Johnson promised he will get the right coach.

"The cupboard's a little bare, but it's not empty and we're going to get it replenished. So yeah, we might have a down year or two. ... It won't last," he said.

Calipari insists he told his now ex-team to stick with Memphis, not to waste a year sitting out. Johnson met with those Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. Freshman Tyreke Evans likely is gone to the NBA " especially if he's a lottery pick. Junior Shawn Taggart also will test his draft status.

Junior guard Willie Kemp said he doesn't know who will stay. He does expect his teammates not to make a quick decision.

"Basically, everybody's saying they've just got to wait and see who's going to get in and who the coach is going to be," Kemp said.

Money is not a problem at Memphis.

The Tigers have built new basketball offices and a practice facility outfitted with all the gadgets a coach could want since Calipari was hired in 2000. They also play in the FedExForum with the NBA's Grizzlies " one of the newest and poshest arenas in the country.

Boosters also are willing to pay. Calipari said they would've paid him anything he asked. Memphis had tapped those supporters for more money, but Johnson wouldn't say how much they offered him to stay. Calipari's deal at Kentucky is an eight-year, $31.65 million contract. He was paid $2.35 million a year at Memphis.

Alan Graf, chief financial officer of FedEx and president of the Tigers Scholarship Fund, said Calipari went to Kentucky for the brand name.

"Everybody who helped pay Cal's salary is ready to step up and do the same thing again. So we're going to be extremely competitive," Graf said of the next coach.

Memphis' challenge now is finding a coach to pick up where Calipari left off.

Johnson said he keeps an updated list of up to five names, especially with a coach in demand as much as Calipari. He nearly went to N.C. State in recent years and was linked to several other jobs while at Memphis, including positions at Arizona, Indiana, St. John's, Pittsburgh and South Carolina.

The athletic director said he doesn't have a timetable or deadline to hire Calipari's replacement. He will conduct the search himself with help of university staff and pointed out the signing day for recruits on the second Wednesday in April is looming.

Graf said many calls already had been made by midday Wednesday but wouldn't give up any names. Tim Floyd of USC, Xavier's Sean Miller, Andy Kennedy of Mississippi and ex-Calipari assistants Derek Kellogg of Massachusetts and UTEP's Tony Barbee already have been mentioned as possible candidates.

The ability to recruit top talent will be key because of what Memphis expects of Calipari's replacement.

And Calipari set the bar high: The most wins over the past four seasons in NCAA Division I history, a 137-14 record, the only program in the country with either a No. 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, four straight regional semifinals, a Final Four and national runner-up in 2008.

Calipari did it in a weakened Conference USA after Louisville, Cincinnati and Marquette bolted for the Big East.

The Tigers have a proud but spotty history. They have been coached by Gene Bartow, who took them to the 1973 national championship game. There was a 1985 Final Four berth later vacated under NCAA sanctions incurred under Dana Kirk. Memphis ran off Larry Finch, a former Tigers standout and the program's winningest coach until Calilpari, after he went 16-15 in 1996-97.

Then came Tic Price from New Orleans. He lasted two seasons before being fired in November 1999 for an affair with a female student. His assistant, Johnny Jones, took over on an interim basis and led the Tigers to a 15-16 record.

But Memphis brought in Calipari in March 2000, introducing him as their new coach only a couple hours after the Conference USA tournament had ended and a couple days after Jones coached his last game for the program.

Calipari went 252-69 in nine seasons. In the previous nine seasons, Memphis went 163-115.

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Associated Press writers Beth Rucker and Woody Baird contributed to this report.