Here are two things Kentucky fans aren’t used to hearing:
One, that their coach would leave the blue-blood school for SEC rival Arkansas.
And two, that the head coach at Baylor would rather stay put than head to Lexington.
In the second massive shunning of the Wildcats, Baylor coach Scott Drew has passed on becoming the next Kentucky coach in light of John Calipari’s exit.
“In our program, we strive to put Jesus first, then others, then ourselves,” Drew tweeted late Thursday morning. “We truly believe God has called my family and I to continue our work here at Baylor, surrounded by the best people and community anyone could be blessed to have. We are grateful for the support of Mack Rhoades, President [Linda] Livingstone and the entire Baylor Family, and we look forward to working together to bring more championships to Waco.”
That Drew is foregoing the chance to lead the Wildcats is an absolutely stunning development with wide-range ramifications for college basketball.
Drew had emerged as the Wildcats’ top option, according to ESPN, while other top candidates had publicly said they would not be headed to Kentucky, and he seemed like a natural fit.
The 53-year-old is one of seven active head coaches to have won a national title, turning Baylor from afterthought into one of the best programs in the sport.
He’s a strong recruiter who won the 2021 championship when Baylor defeated Gonzaga, and, in theory, it would be easier to lure prospects to Lexington than Waco, Texas.
Drew’s family was actually filmed exiting a plane from Lexington that had ties to a Kentucky donor on Wednesday night — although Drew reportedly did not actually meet with Kentucky in person — and he weighed the decision for a day before opting to remain in his current role, according to ESPN.
The family likes their Texas lives, and that ultimately outweighed the appeal to lead Kentucky and Drew’s close relationship with Wildcats athletic director Mitch Barnhart, according to ESPN.
Kentucky now has to pivot as it attempts to replace Calipari following his stunning exit for Arkansas.
While Calipari delivered one national title and four Final Fours, he had overseen two embarrassing first-round tournament losses in the past three years and had not reached a Final Four in nine years.
He started to feel unwanted and his close relationship with Arkansas billionaire donor John H. Tyson, the chairman of Tyson Foods, helped lure him to Fayetteville.
Kentucky is in the unusual spot where it appears it may have to settle since the nos are starting to add up for what could be considered the best job in the country.
UConn’s two-time national champion coach Dan Hurley and Alabama’s Nate Oats have already publicly said they will not be taking the job.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright would rather stay in television than return to the sidelines.
And Billy Donovan, a two-time champion with Florida and the current Bulls coach, said he is committed to the Bulls as they prepare for the play-in tournament.
Potential fits could now include Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Illinois’ Brad Underwood, Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger and possibly Gonzaga’s Mark Few.
