Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Kentucky announces hiring of assistant coach Barry Rohrssen

kentucky_wildcats-logo-520x320

With Oliver Antigua leaving to take over the South Florida program, Kentucky head coach John Calipari had a vacancy to fill on his coaching staff. And on Thursday the school announced the news that surprised few, with Barry Rohrssen making the move from Pittsburgh to Lexington.

Lauded for his ability on the recruiting trail, Rohrssen joins John Robic and Kenny Panye on Calipari’s coaching staff. And in making the move to Kentucky, Rohrssen reconnects with a head coach he’s known for more than three decades.

“Barry has been part of my coaching family for the past 30-some years. We roomed together at Five Star as counselors, still in college, and have followed each others’ careers on the court closely,” Calipari said in the school release. “I’m thrilled with what he brings to our staff, both on court and off, in terms of coaching, recruiting and mentoring these young men.”

Rohrssen has nearly two decades of coaching experience at the college level, including two separate stints as an assistant at Pittsburgh and five seasons as the head coach at Manhattan. And while the news of Rohrssen’s hire was just announced, he was with his new boss in Sacramento last weekend watching Nike EYBL games during the lone open period of the spring.

With Rohrssen making the move from Pittsburgh to Kentucky, some have wondered what the impact will be on five-star 2016 guard Mustapha Heron. Heron is verbally committed to attend Pittsburgh, and the relationship between his family and Rohrssen did help the Panthers. However in a story written by Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette a couple days ago, Heron stated that he remains committed to Pittsburgh.

The addition of Rohrssen fills out the Kentucky coaching staff, but there’s still the question of whether or not NBA franchises will look to speak with Calipari despite his statement that he has no interest in leaving the program. With Calipari making that statement, the Wildcats can seemingly move into their offseason preparations with an eye towards their summer trip to a location that has yet to be announced.

Follow @raphiellej