Bruce Pearl Backs John Calipari’s Proposal for Big Change in College Basketball originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
One of the toughest things about being a college basketball fan isn’t just living and dying with every win and loss, it’s surviving those painfully long months without any hoops action. From April all the way to November, fans are left twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the game to come back around.
Over the years, plenty of ideas have been thrown out there to bridge that gap, but none have really stuck. Now, though, Bruce Pearl thinks John Calipari’s proposal might finally be the one worth backing and he’s not shy about saying it’s time to shake things up.
Pearl reacted to a tweet on X suggesting that there should be a summer league for college basketball just as there is in the NBA. He replied saying, “Love the idea Dan. Coach Calipari has been talking about this for years. And once every four years when teams can make a foreign trip, let’s get the leagues networks to televise those experiences!”
Love the idea Dan. Coach Calipari has been talking about this for years. And once every four years when teams can make a foreign trip, let’s get the leagues networks to televise those experiences! @SECNetwork@BigTenNetworkhttps://t.co/mgIwsTzSqJ
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) July 9, 2025
Back in 2022, John Calipari’s big idea for summer college basketball actually took a solid step forward.
The NCAA put together working groups to look into ways teams could play real games in the summer. They planned to pitch their ideas by June 2023 and maybe roll things out by summer 2024. Calipari was right there in the mix, along with Ed Cooley and a bunch of other coaches and players.
After Kentucky’s Bahamas trip, Calipari pushed hard for a couple of exhibition games in July and August to boost revenue and NIL deals. Unfortunately, that summer league never materialized.
Related: Arkansas Reacts to John Calipari’s Transfer Portal Addition
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.