Mark Story: In the unending war between Calipari and Pitino, Ricky P. has won the latest battle

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Over the past 10 days, the coaching conflict that has defined Kentucky college hoops in the 21st century has flipped 180 degrees.

In what has essentially been an unending war between the “House of Calipari” and the “House of Pitino,” the forces of “Ricky P.” have secured a stunning victory.

On April 8, the embattled Calipari resigned after 15 seasons holding the head men’s basketball coaching job at the University of Kentucky to take the same position at Arkansas.

Three days later, in a surprise move, Kentucky hired BYU head man Mark Pope — the captain of Rick Pitino’s 1996 NCAA championship team at UK — as the Wildcats head man.

Just like that, control of one of college basketball’s most-coveted realms has passed from Calipari to the Pitino coaching line.

In a coaching rivalry long punctuated by enmity, one thing that longtime antagonists Calipari and Pitino have agreed upon is the appeal of being the UK men’s hoops head coach.

In the video announcing his departure as Wildcats coach, Calipari referred to UK as “my dream job.”

Pitino, meanwhile, often refers to coaching at Kentucky as “Camelot.” He has recently taken to admitting that departing UK as head coach to lead the Boston Celtics in 1997 is the great regret of his career.

“If I had it to do all over again, I’d probably never leave Kentucky,” Pitino told Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast last month.

In the 1990s, Pitino led UK from the depths of a crippling NCAA probation incurred due to violations in the Eddie Sutton coaching era to five NCAA Tournament Elite Eights, three Final Fours and the 1996 NCAA title.

After what proved to be an ill-fated run in Boston, Pitino subsequently angered many Kentucky backers by returning to the commonwealth in 2001 as head man at Louisville. Once the Big Blue Nation’s undisputed king, Pitino became public enemy number one.

When Kentucky proceeded to humble its former coach by going 12-6 vs. Pitino-coached U of L teams, Cats backers gloried in it.

For Pitino, the low point came when he appeared to “flip off” heckling Cats backers at Rupp Arena while exiting the court following a 75-73 loss to UK on Dec. 26, 2015.

That turned out to be the final time Pitino coached Louisville at Rupp, as the accumulation of a series of off-the-court scandals that engulfed the U of L program eventually led to a head coaching change.

Meanwhile, Calipari as UK coach thoroughly dominated Pitino. Cal went 8-2 vs. Ricky P.-coached U of L teams and twice beat Pitino’s Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament.

Alas, after leading Kentucky to four Final Fours — and the 2012 NCAA title — in his first six seasons (2009 through 2015) as UK head man, Calipari oversaw a protracted decline in results by Kentucky that eventually eroded fan support for the coach.

By this spring, UK had failed to advance out of the first weekend of the NCAA tourney since 2019. After losing in the round of 64 to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s three seasons ago, UK was bounced this year by No. 14 seed Oakland. With UK fan unrest percolating, Calipari found an exit ramp in the form of a chance to coach at Arkansas.

With Calipari banished to a life of “calling the Hogs” (Woo! Pig!), Pitino has been undergoing a Big Blue Nation rehabilitation.

When Kentucky whiffed on its apparent top choices to replace Calipari, it was floated in the media that UK might need to turn back to Pitino, 71, as its head man. That brought strong moral and ethical objections from some UK fans, but, overall, seemed a relatively popular idea among many Cats backers.

Instead of a Pitino restoration, UK instead ultimately landed on an ex-player from Ricky P.’s “blue period.”

When there was initially apparent fan consternation at Kentucky’s choice of Pope, Pitino tweeted out a video of robust support for Pope that seemed to help turn the tide of public opinion. The St. John’s head man then followed that up with equally supportive appearances backing UK’s choice of Pope in the Kentucky sports media.

Last Sunday, when the University of Kentucky formally introduced Pope in Rupp Arena before an exuberant crowd that filled the venue to the brim, the mention of Pitino’s name drew ovations.

Talk about the world turned upside down.

Standing in the arena where Pitino as Louisville coach drew derision and vilification, the new Kentucky basketball head man offered lavish praise.

“Coach Pitino changed me. And I will tell you, like he changed me to my soul, changed my DNA as a human being,” Pope said. “(Pitino) allowed me to be someone who feels they can walk into any room and take on any impossible task. And I will love him forever.”

Pope is proposing Wildcats games against Pitino and St. John’s.

That, too, suddenly seems a popular proposal.

Long-term, the next major battle in the 100 years war between the House of Pitino and the House of Calipari will be whether Pope is more successful at Kentucky than Cal is with the Razorbacks.

For now, after a wild 10 days that has totally uprooted the UK men’s hoops balance of power, the Pitino forces can relish an unlikely victory in “Camelot.”