Vandy hiring Calipari’s son to Stackhouse’s staff

Next season’s SEC schedule will feature a Calipari vs. Calipari sideline battle.

Vanderbilt announced Monday it was hiring Brad Calipari as the men’s basketball program’s director of on-court player development. Calipari, of course, is the son of John Calipari, head men’s basketball coach at Kentucky.

“Brad is a talented, young coach who has worked hard to prepare himself for this opportunity,” Commodores coach Jerry Stackhouse said. “He is knowledgeable, high energy, and a strong communicator. We are very excited about his ability to add value with our student-athletes and within our coaching staff.”

Calipari spent last season as the director of player development at Long Island University under head coach Rod Strickland, his first coaching stop after being a graduate assistant at Kentucky during the 2021-22 campaign.

Calipari played two seasons under his father in Lexington, appearing in 27 games as a freshman and sophomore. He then transferred to Detroit, where he played 33 games — starting six — for Mike Davis in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The 6-foot guard averaged a career-high 6.1 points and shot 38% from 3-point range as a junior.

Vanderbilt and Kentucky will play twice next season. Dates will be announced later this summer.