Credit: ESPN
College BasketballESPNBy Sean Keeley on

Whenever John Calipari has found himself in need of a narrative shift, Seth Greenberg has often been there to help try and make it happen.

The former college basketball coach and longtime ESPN college basketball analyst is well-known as a good friend to Calipari, often appearing at his summer camps.

That makes his role as a (presumably) impartial analyst on ESPN frustrating to many viewers. While Greenberg has sometimes offered up criticism of Calipari, it doesn’t happen nearly as often as you might expect given how his Kentucky teams have underperformed relative to the talent that Coach Cal has recruited.

On the heels of yet another early-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, Calipari was already facing a lot of scrutiny heading into this offseason. That scrutiny got ratcheted up to eleven Sunday evening when it was reported that he was leaving Kentucky after 15 seasons to become the new head coach of SEC rival Arkansas.

While Cal wasn’t ready to speak with the media just yet, Greenberg got the call to try and carry some water on ESPN Monday.

Greenberg’s first stop of the day was First Take and both Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe made it abundantly clear they weren’t going to let this be easy.

After host Molly Qerim asked Greenberg if Cal underachieved at Kentucky, where he won a national title and went to four Final Fours, but none since 2015, the former coach launched into his defense, debuting his line that Calipari “isn’t running from Kentucky…he’s running to Arkansas.”

By the time Greenberg was done with his defense, Sharpe could barely hold himself back, asking Smith for permission to launch into their guest first. Sharpe then tore that defense apart, noting that Calipari created the one-and-done model and should have way more championships to show for it. When Greenberg tried to infer that Cal didn’t have the support he needed to succeed, Sharpe and Smith both shot back, saying “That’s on him” and “He started the model!”

“How many [championships] was he supposed to win?” asked Greenberg.

“How many was he supposed to win? More than Tubby Smith. More than Joe B. Hall. How bout that? Is that asking too much?” shot back Sharpe.

Then, when Greenberg tried to dig himself out of the hole he’d created, Smith decided he’d had enough and it was time to call down the thunder. The deep sign at the start of the clip truly says it all.

“I love Cal too, I really, really do,” said Smith. “I know Cal is a good coach. I know he’s an exceptional recruiter. But we’re not gonna sit here and act like he has not underachieved. He has. You’re at Kentucky, bro. This is Kentucky.”

The barrage finally got Greenberg to admit that Cal’s Kentucky teams underachieved recently, but that was about as far as he was willing to bend.

Greenberg got a chance to fine-tune his messaging later in the day for a SportsCenter appearance, but we’re not sure it went over any better.

Credit due to Greenberg for trying, but trying to put a positive spin on John Calipari that anyone outside of Fayetteville, Arkansas would buy on Monday was too tall of a task.

[ESPN, AA on X]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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