Arkansas Offers Job To Memphis' Calipari

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles offered the Razorbacks men's basketball job to Memphis coach John Calipari on Friday in Atlanta, sources close to both basketball programs said Saturday.

The sources said Calipari can now be considered Arkansas' top target for the position that opened when Stan Heath was fired Monday. The source in Arkansas said Calipari was interested in the position and would mull over the offer.

The source in Tennessee, who works inside the Tigers program and is close with Calipari, told The Memphis Commercial Appeal that Calipari wasn't very interested in the job.

Broyles returned from Atlanta just before 5 p.m. Saturday on a jet registered to The Razorback Foundation, after meeting with several candidates on Friday. Arkansas sports information director Kevin Trainor and ESPN college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes joined Broyles on the flight back to Fayetteville.

Through Trainor, Broyles released a brief statement about his two-day trip to Georgia.

"We had a productive trip to Atlanta," Broyles said. "It is clear that many talented and proven head coaches are intrigued by our coaching vacancy. We are continuing along in the process, and we are hopeful to fill the position soon."

Calipari hadn't been mentioned, or even whispered about, much for the Arkansas job before Friday. But his credentials are worthy of the offer.

He has a 181-63 record in seven seasons at Memphis. Calipari is 374-134 in 15 years as a college coach at Memphis and Massachusetts, and he coached the New Jersey Nets for two-plus seasons in the NBA.

His Tigers went 33-4 this season and had their 25-game winning streak snapped when they lost to Ohio State in the South Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament.