Here are two things Kentucky fans aren’t used to hearing.
For one, their coach is leaving the blue-blooded school for SEC rival Arkansas.
And two, Baylor University’s head coach would rather stay put than head to Lexington.
In the second major exodus from the Wildcats, Baylor coach Scott Drew has stepped aside to become Kentucky’s next coach following the departure of John Calipari. According to reports.
Drew passing up the chance to lead the Wildcats is an absolutely surprising development with far-reaching implications for college basketball.
Drew had emerged as a top option for the Wildcats. According to ESPNOther potential candidates had publicly said they would not go to Kentucky, so he seemed like a natural fit.
The 53-year-old is one of seven active head coaches to win a national title and transformed Baylor from a results-based program into one of the best programs in the sport.
He is a strong recruiter who helped Baylor win the 2021 championship over Gonzaga, and in theory it would be easier to lure prospects to Lexington than Waco, Texas.
In fact, Drew’s family was filmed Wednesday night getting off a plane from Lexington, where he had ties to Kentucky donors (though Drew reportedly did not actually meet with Kentucky in person). ), he pondered his decision for a day before staying in his current role. According to ESPN.
According to ESPN, the family liked living in Texas, which ultimately outweighed the attraction of leading Kentucky and Drew’s close relationship with Wildcats athletic director Mitch Barnhart.
Kentucky is currently facing a change in direction as it looks to replace Calipari after his spectacular departure at the University of Arkansas.
Calipari has won one national title and reached the Final Four four times, but has suffered two embarrassing first-round losses in the last three years and hasn’t made the Final Four in nine years.
He began to feel unwanted, and his close relationship with John H. Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods, an Arkansas billionaire donor, helped lure him to Fayetteville. .
Kentucky is in an unusual situation where it appears that compromises will have to be made as rejections begin to mount for what are considered the best jobs in the country.
Dan Hurley, the national championship coach at UW, and Nate Oats at the University of Alabama have already publicly announced that they will not be leaving their jobs.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright would rather stay in television than return to the sidelines.
And Billy Donovan, a two-time champion at the University of Florida and current Bulls coach, said he is fully committed to the Bulls as they prepare for the play-in tournament.
Possible candidates include Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Illinois’ Brad Underwood, Iowa State’s TJ Otzelberger and possibly Gonzaga’s Mark Few.
