DONE DEAL

Kentucky's basketball program has always been rich in tradition. Now the all-time winningest program is making John Calipari the wealthiest coach college basketball has ever seen.The Cats' Pause has learned Calipari has signed an 8-year contract that will pay him $31.65 million over the life of the deal, a stunning total to lead the storied program back to prominence. Calipari inked the deal just before 9 p.m. and faxed it to his new employer before boarding a chartered jet to Lexington. UK will also pay the University of Memphis $200,000 as part of a buyout stipulation in Calipari's current contract with the school.In a sure sign of the magnitude of Calipari's presence at UK his average annual salary of $3.96 million will exceed that of Florida coach Billy Donovan, who according to a March 2009 story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution made $3.3 million this with the Gators this season. The contract is a departure from the predicament UK found itself in with former coach Billy Gillispie, who never signed an official pact and instead operated under a Memorandum of Understanding each of his two years at UK. Gillispie was making approximately $2.6 million in total compensation this season. As Calipari traveled to Lexington's Bluegrass Airport late Tuesday evening a throng of adoring Big Blue fans, a testament to the excitement created by hiring one of college basketball's most successful head coaches. After two days of holding their collective breath UK fans were finally able to exhale.UK is expected to officially introduce Calipari at a 9:30 a.m. news conference on Wednesday at the Joe Craft Center, the school's sparking practice facility attached to the back of venerable Memorial Coliseum. The proceedings could have a much different feel than the two years ago when Gillispie was similarly introduced, as fans have jammed message boards and talk radio shows in support of Calipari since the school's administration decided to part ways with Gillispie last Friday.Calipari brings an immediate 'name' back to the program, a coach who has a personality similar to former UK coach Rick Pitino in terms of his ability to handle the press and all the public responsibilities that come with the high-profile job. He built the Massachusetts program into a consistent winner in the early 1990's and breathed life into a moribund Memphis upon returning from a brief stop in the National Basketball Association.There is no questioning Calipari's credentials. He has a 445-140 record in 17 years as a collegiate head coach, good for a .761 winning percentage, and has been even better at Memphis. The Tigers have posted four consecutive 30-win seasons (they are 137-14 over that span) and have been a No. 1 or 2 seed in each of the past four NCAA Tournaments.