It seems assistant basketball coach Barry Rohrssen has been the rumored target to replace Orlando Antigua on John Calipari’s Kentucky bench. Granted it has been a slow week-long rumble, but everyone is presuming it will happen (and thank you KSR comment kids for demonstrating that Kentucky fans have little basketball knowledge outside their own team).
For Rohrssen it is almost a no-brainer. Kentucky is a blue-blood job with huge exposure. No, John Calipari assistants haven’t had the greatest success rates, but they get opportunities. Rohrssen obviously wants another crack at being a head coach. His odds increase being on a staff like Kentucky This may shock some, but the money may have very little to do with it.
There’s no doubt it would be a tough loss if Rohrssen goes. The immediate fallout would likely be the loss of 2016 commit Mustapha Heron.
That said, it is hardly a body blow to the program. There are lots of very good coaches out there looking for work *cough*Tom Herrion*cough* who could be brought in to replace Rohrssen.
One other stay or go guys now appears to be St. John’s transfer Chris Opekpa. The 6-9 center/shot eraser sought and received permission to transfer from St. John’s. Pitt has been one of several teams actively pursuing him. Yet it now seems that he is having some second thoughts about leaving.
According to a source at one of the potential destination schools “every day that Obekpa hasn’t transferred leads me to believe that he’s going to stay with St. John’s.”
The source added “I don’t know if the problem is sitting out a season, getting away from New York or (something) else.”
Part of that “something else” might have to do with his NBA Draft status. Opekpa is eligible for the 2015 draft if he stays with the Red Storm. Heading somewhere else and sitting a year delays his eligibility until 2016