LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After 15 seasons, coach John Calipari said goodbye to Big Blue Nation.
"I can't believe he's gone, I can't," fan Kevin Rickman said.
Fans at Hoops Bar and Grill on Strawberry Lane were talking about the farewell from the University of Kentucky coach.
Calipari posted a goodbye video on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the video, he said it's "time for another voice, and you know I'm always going to be a fan."
The Wildcats haven't made any Final Four appearances since 2015, but some fans like Rickman are devastated about the loss.
"He's always brought in new people that just wanted to hang out for a year and go straight to pro and all that good stuff; I was really shocked," he said.
Coach Scotty Davenport at Bellarmine University and Calipari agreed to have the Wildcats and the Knights play each other in 2022.
Davenport commended Coach Cal for helping players succeed.
"He was a trailblazer, the one and done, he was preparing kids, preparing players far beyond just college athletics," he said.
He understands that coaching is a 24-7 job and the man to come behind Calipari will have big shoes to fill.
"He will think he will know, he won't know until that Big Blue Nation gets ahold of him," Davenport said.
UK has not been past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019.
Fans like James Riley said it's a new era for Kentucky basketball teams, while others like Tim Duncan fear for the future of Big Blue Nation.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.