Men's Basketball

Candidates to Be Kentucky Basketball’s Next Head Coach

Published

1 year ago

April 8, 2024

The Kentucky basketball head coaching job has opened for the first time since 2009, examining the top potential candidates.

ClutchPoints

Kentucky basketball. It is one of the biggest brands in all of collegiate sports. The most wins and the highest winning percentage in college basketball history. Eight national championships, the second most all time, and have made 17 Final Four appearances, tied for the third most.

It has endured seven head coaches and found success with almost all of them, with five different coaches winning national titles. For the first time since 2009, the program will be searching for a new leader, after John Calipari, who coached the Wildcats for fifteen seasons (2009-2024), is reported to take the Arkansas vacancy.

The biggest job in college basketball is now open. Given the timing, it is important to make a hire quickly, hopefully by Friday. Many will use it as leverage at their current job, and many will get raises, but who’s going to fill it? Let’s look at the top candidates.

Scott Drew, Baylor

Age: 53
Overall Record: 466-255 (64.6%), 22 seasons
Accolades: 12 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 3 Regular Season Conference Championships, 1 Final Four (2021), 1 Championship (2021), 3-time Big 12 Coach of the Year
Buyout: $4.5 million

Scott Drew may have the most impressive program turnaround in college sports history. Taking over Baylor in 2003, who was coming off a scandal involving a teammate murdering another, he has led them to 12 of their 16 NCAA Tournament appearances. Ultimately winning the 2021 NCAA Championship. If he can do that at Baylor, he can be successful at Kentucky.

Outside of Drew’s coaching ability, he would be a great spokesperson for the program and he has a close relationship with Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart.

Dan Hurley, Connecticut

Age: 51
Overall Record: 291-163 (64.1%), 14 seasons
Accolades: 6 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 2 Final Fours, 1 Championship (maybe two depending on outcome 4/8/2024), 2 Regular Season Conference Championships, 2 Conference Tournament Championships.
Buyout: $7.5 million

The hottest coach in College Basketball right now, Dan Hurley, will be coaching for a second straight championship on Monday night against Purdue. If they are successful, he will become just the third coach in the Modern era to accomplish the feat, joining Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski and Billy Donovan (who appears on this later).

Hurley has a manageable buyout and will have a big roster rebuild with a bulk of the team leaving after the season. That said, there is an indication that Hurley would leave UConn and the Northeast program fits his personality. Then again, he has the confidence to want to take on a challenge like Kentucky. He will be open to listening.

Nate Oats, Alabama

Age: 49
Overall Record: 213-97 (68.7%), 9 Seasons
Accolades: 7 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 1 Final Four, 4 Regular Season Conference Championships, 5 Conference Tournament Championships, 3-time Conference Coach of the Year
Buyout: $18 million

Nate Oats is a coach that Kentucky fans have grown all too familiar with, playing against him in his last season at Buffalo in the NCAA Tournament, and at Alabama since 2019. In that span, he has led the Tide to two SEC Regular season championships, two SEC Tournament championships, and the program’s first Final Four this year.

Oats plays a fun style, is fiery on the sidelines, and is one of the best analytical minds in college basketball. He would certainly be a popular fan pick, but the biggest issue is the $18 million buyout thanks to his freshly signed contract extension. He also noted that he doesn’t want to move his kids out of school.

Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls (NBA)

Age: 58
Overall Record: 502-206 (70.9%), 21 Seasons
Accolades: 14 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 4 Final Fours, 2 Championships, 8 Regular Season Conference Championships, 4 Conference Tournament Championships, 3-time SEC Coach of the Year.
Buyout: NBA

Is Billy Donovan still looking for a horse farm in Lexington? The Rick Pitino protege who turned down Kentucky twice in the past, has reportedly expressed interest in the Kentucky job this time around. At 58, Donovan is the oldest candidate, but also the most accomplished, going to four Final Fours and winning two national titles.

Donovan is a great coach but has been in the NBA for almost a decade, since 2015, and has not experienced college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal. But, being in the NBA he has experienced free agency. Is he willing to adapt at his age?

Mark Pope, BYU

Age: 51
Overall Record: 187-108 (63.4%), 9 Seasons
Accolades: 2 NCAA Tournament Appearances
Buyout: Unknown, Private University

Probably the least accomplished coach on this list, Pope has the biggest connection to Kentucky, being a former player from 1994-1996. He will receive support from his former coach and mentor Rick Pitino, not that Barnhart will take that with much merit.

At BYU the last five seasons, Pope has taken them to the NCAA Tournament twice in four possible seasons (COVID cancelled 2020 tournament), but yet to win a postseason game, and they finished 5th in a very strong Big 12 in their first season in the conference.

“Oh, I love Kentucky. You don’t understand; I love Kentucky. Like, in my soul, I love Coach P (Pitino) and I love Kentucky,” Pope said just last week. The search should not get this far.

Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

Age: 49
Overall Record: 88-20 (81.5%), 3 seasons
Accolades: 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances, National Coach of the Year, 2 Regular Season Conference Championships, 2 Conference Tournament Championships
Buyout: $12 million

The least tenured coach on this list, but don’t take that for inexperience. Lloyd was an assistant at Gonzaga for over 20 years where he became the top became one of the best international recruiters in the country, and was key in player development for multiple Gonzaga stars.

In his first season at Arizona, Lloyd ran away with National Coach of the Year honors en route to a number 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Lloyd has reached the Sweet Sixteen in two of his three years. He has been a West Coast guy his whole life and just inked an extension in February.

TJ Otzlberger, Iowa State

Age: 46
Overall Record: 169-98 (63.3%), 8 seasons
Accolades: 5 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 2 Regular Season Conference Championships, 3 Conference Tournament Championships, Summit League Coach of the Year
Buyout: $17.5 million

In 2021, Otzlberger inherited an Iowa State team that was coming off a historically bad season, going 2-22 overall and 0-18 in the Big 12. Just 12 months later, he had them in the Sweet Sixteen for just the sixth time in program history. This year, he led them to the Big 12 Tournament championship and another Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Otzelberger’s offensive philosophy has been criticized, but his defenses have been ELITE: 5, 8, 1 over his three seasons.

Men's Basketball

Amari Williams Picked 46th by the Boston Celtics in the 2025 NBA Draft

Amari Williams is the second Kentucky player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, as Boston takes the big man with their second round pick.

Published

1 day ago

June 26, 2025

Lane Mills

Amari Williams is drafted by the Boston Celtics.

Wesley Hale | Imagn Images

Fan-favorite big man (and official Weetabix sponsor) Amari Williams has officially made it to the big leagues, taken by the Boston Celtics with the 46th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, via a trade with the Orlando Magic.

The selection makes Williams the second Wildcat to be scooped up from this year’s pool, following Koby Brea being picked by the Phoenix Suns just five picks earlier at the 41st spot. From Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team, two transfer athletes (thus far) in their last year of eligibility have achieved next-level dreams by way of the blue and white.

Williams, who averaged 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game during his lone season in Lexington, will look to aid Boston in filling their recently vacant five-spot, left by the recently traded Kristaps Porzingis.

As Wildcat fans surely know, not only can Williams battle with the best of them in the paint, but he can run the floor as efficiently as just about any guard, too. His versatility and sizable frame ensure a high ceiling in the NBA and, despite not every draft board seeing him selected, the league champions two years removed made the call when it mattered.

Hailing overseas from Nottingham, England, and spending his first four years of college basketball at the University of Drexel, Williams’ success is a testament not only to Kentucky Basketball’s immaculate tradition, but to his own incredible work ethic and intangible ability.

Cats fans will be sure to follow and support their point-center to the next level, as they always do. Go be great, Amari – all of BBN has your back.

Men's Basketball

Koby Brea Selected to the Phoenix Suns With the No. 41 Overall Pick in the 2025 NBA Draft

Published

2 days ago

June 26, 2025

Ali Cetinok

Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

Koby Brea arrived at Kentucky last season as one of the nation’s deadliest shooters, lived up to the billing, and reaped his rewards on Thursday night at the NBA Draft. The former Kentucky star is heading to the Phoenix Suns with the No. 41 overall pick

As a 6-foot-7 wing, Brea entered the 2025 NBA Draft as one of the most experienced prospects after spending four years at Dayton and a fifth at Kentucky during Mark Pope’s successful first season as head coach, where he became one of the best three-point shooters in all of college basketball.

Last season at Kentucky, the Bronx native averaged 11.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc on nearly six attempts per game in 36 games, 16 of which were starts, showcasing his scoring ability in transition, off the catch, and via handoffs and screens.

Not only did Brea achieve his own dreams of playing at the next level, but becomes a piece of history for Pope, becoming the first player drafted out of Kentucky during the Pope era.

Brea joins a rebuilding franchise with a notorious background for drafting Kentucky guards. Eric Bledsoe rings the bell, Tyler Ulis of course, and the Suns’ all-time leading scorer, Devin Booker obviously leads the pack.

Go be great Fuego!

Men's Basketball

How a Call with Mark Pope Led Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky

After winning a national title at Florida, Denzel Aberdeen committed to Kentucky without ever visiting campus—thanks to a revealing three-hour call with head coach Mark Pope.

Published

3 days ago

June 25, 2025

Ali Cetinok

Chet White | UK Athletics

As a junior, Denzel Aberdeen was a key part of Florida’s national title run. But a certain phone conversation convinced him to leave his home state and head north to Lexington in hopes of experiencing that feeling once again.

He had never set foot in Lexington before deciding to become a Kentucky Wildcat — and he didn’t need to. All it took was one phone call — three hours long, on Easter Sunday — with head coach Mark Pope to convince him that he belonged in blue and white.

“Our phone call lasted about three hours, to be honest,” Aberdeen said, meeting with the media in Lexington for the first time earlier this week. “A lot of it was just getting to know me and getting to know the school, the university, getting to know him (Pope), how their style was, a lot of film. Once I saw that, I was like this looks like a great guy to play for.”

The two went on to discuss Aberdeen’s role at Kentucky in more depth, including how Pope envisions him fitting into Kentucky’s new system — a system that, according to Aberdeen, is very similar, if not better than the one he just left.

“We had a lot of great players at Florida, especially the tall bigs. Bigs that love to run there, and we have just as much here; our bigs love to run, they play defense, and they play at a fast pace. So I think the things that we’ve got here are just as good, or even better,” Aberdeen said.

Averaging 7.7 points and nearly 20 minutes per game off the bench for the Gators last year, it’s clear to see what Aberdeen brings to the team: experience, versatility, calmness in the backcourt, and championship pedigree. Pope’s phone conversation with Aberdeen wasn’t just impactful on the court — it also speaks volumes to what he is doing off the court in pursuit of the goal he laid out in his introductory press conference: to hang banners.

This phone call wasn’t just about Denzel Aberdeen. It was a glimpse into Pope’s player-first, transparent coaching approach, which could define his era at Kentucky — and potentially make this season a special one, with Aberdeen playing another key role in a deep NCAA Tournament run.

“I know the goal is to win No. 9,” he said. “I know the fans want that, we want that, all the staff and coaches want that. That pushes us. We know what we gotta do when we come here and put on that Kentucky jersey. Just playing for the University of Kentucky is a big thing. Being here is a blessing, and I can’t look back.”