University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari agreed to a contract extension worth $36.5 million over the next eight years, the school announced Monday Morning.

“What John Calipari has done on and off the court in the past two years to reunite and rejuvenate this fan base has been magical,” said UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart in a statement. “He understands the responsibility that goes along with this position and there is no other coach out there that is a better fit for the best basketball program in the country.”

Calipari stands to make even more through the incentives and bonuses in the contract. He stands to receive $1 million retention bonuses in six of the eight years.

Calipari is 64-12 in two seasons with the Wildcats.

The NBA announced today which players earned invitations to sit in the green room during the upcoming draft. The list reflects a league-wide consensus about which players will be selected at the top of the draft. 

The league invited twelve college players -- Kyrie Irving (Duke), Derrick Williams (Arizona), Brandon Knight (Kentucky), Kemba Walker (UConn), Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State), Chris Singleton (Florida State) Klay Thompson (Washington State), Jimmer Fredette (BYU), Alec Burks (Colorado) as well as twins Marcus and Markieff Morris (Kansas).

Three international players -- Enes Kanter (Turkey), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania) and Jan Vesely (Czech Republic) -- made the cut.

The most noteworthy absence from the list is Bismack Biyombo (Congo) who has been rumored to go as high as No. 5 to Toronto.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino took a jab at the SEC last week.

Introducing his son Richard to a gathering of Louisville alumni in Shelbyville, Ky., Pitino drew a huge laugh when he joked, "[Richard] went away for a couple of years to learn how to do things in a second-rate league, then get back to the big time."

Richard Pitino served as an assistant at Florida the past two seasons before returning to his father's staff at Louisville.

Pitino's jab appears to be a response to John Calipari noting during the SEC Coaches Conference last week that 19 Big East teams made the NCAA tournament the past two seasons, yet only four of those advanced to the Sweet 16.

John Calipari has been negotiating terms of a contract extension that would keep him with the University of Kentucky until 2019.

Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart termed an extension as a means "to ensure that (Calipari) has long tenure at Kentucky."

Barnhart, 51, likened himself to Calipari in terms of career arcs.

"We are the same age (Calipari is six months older) and share some of the same thoughts on our careers," he tweeted. "And I'd like to align his contract with mine."

Earlier this year, UK retiring president Lee Todd extended Barnhart's contract for three years and gave him a raise of $125,000, to $600,000 a year. Barnhart's new contract ends June 30, 2019.

University of Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari has been nominated for a regional Emmy award for his role in the WKYT (Channel 27) Hoops for Haiti telethon.

He is one of 12 people who the Lexington CBS affiliate submitted as part of its entry. Others include WKYT anchors Sam Dick, Amber Philpott, Rob Bromley and Brandon Fisher.

The telethon, in which the UK basketball team participated, raised more than $1.3 million for earthquake relief in Haiti and led to President Barack Obama phoning the team to thank them for their efforts.

University of Kentucky forward Terrence Jones will not try out for the USA Basketball team that plays in the Under 19 World Championship this summer.

Jones will attend summer school at UK, USA Basketball's Sean Ford said Tuesday.

Earlier this year, three of UK's incoming freshmen chose to attend summer school rather than try out for the USA team. The three were Michael Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Anthony Davis.

Ford is a longtime friend of UK Coach John Calipari.