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Candidates to Be Kentucky Basketball’s Next Head Coach

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

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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

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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

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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.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope’s Honesty Is a Rarity in College Basketball, “He’s Not Going to Sell You BS”

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Players say Kentucky coach Mark Pope's honesty and authenticity is what separates him from other college basketball coaches.
Chet White | UK Athletics

College basketball has changed with the advent of NIL and the transfer portal. In some ways for the better, and in others for the worse. That said, when money is introduced, it can complicate things, and even give opportunities for people to deceive young athletes.

It has already been seen in college football, as multiple athletes have opted to sit out the remainder of their seasons after not receiving NIL money they were originally promised. According to Kentucky transfer guard Kerr Kriisa, it is happening in college basketball too.

“In the college industry, kids are getting lied to,” Kriisa told Kentucky Insider. “They’re getting sold something that’s not true, that’s not there.”

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As of now, there are few bylaws and guidelines that the NCAA can enforce, leading to the current landscape. However, Mark Pope is separating himself.

“With Coach Pope, that’s not the case,” he added. “He’s honest. He doesn’t tell you something that’s not there. He’s not going to sell you some BS. He’s going to tell you how things are. That’s the thing I appreciate most, especially in this college industry. That is a very big thing about Coach Pope.”

Pope presents himself as honest and authentic, and that is apparent very quickly upon meeting him. Kriisa suggests that is why he has had early recruiting success.

Kentucky’s most recent commitment Acaden Lewis said as much following his accountment this past weekend.

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“[Mark] Pope, he was in the hood with me,” Lewis said. “He came to my barber shop and everything. It felt like a home. Felt like somewhere I should be.”

Talking to the father of another Kentucky prospect, “Everything is super personal with him [Pope]. It’s super cool.”

That authenticity is why Big Blue Nation and recruits have fallen in love with Pope. Now, will it lead to success? Time will tell.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Named Most Impressive Coach of Opening Day of College Basketball

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Jordan Prather | Imagn

What a Kentucky coaching debut for Mark Pope, as the Wildcats routed Wright State 103-62 to tip off the season.

The 41-point margin of victory was not only the second-largest margin of victory in a Kentucky coach’s debut, only behind Adolph Rupp, but also a number of divine intervention. Of course, the margin matched Pope’s jersey number from his playing days at Kentucky.

“41, really special to me,” Pope said after the game. “That is really sweet. Kentucky magic, ain’t nothing like it.”

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Kentucky fans weren’t the only group impressed, as ESPN’s Myron Medcalf named Mark Pope the most impressive coach of day one of this college basketball season.

Medcalf writes:

Mark Pope kicked off his first year at Kentucky impressively. In the first half of his team’s matchup against Wright State, the Wildcats made 58% of their shots, 44% of their 3s. Five players had at least eight points before the break. Kentucky finished with 103 points. Jaxson Robinson is a potential future pro, but the program doesn’t have a clear star yet. Which is OK, as long as UK continues to play selflessly in the former BYU coach’s offensive scheme that spreads the floor — 50% of BYU’s shots last season were 3s — and encourages players to push the pace and attack the rim. It’s a fun style.

Of course, this is a long season, but the vibes are high and the excitement is building ahead of Kentucky’s first real test of the season as they take on Duke in the Champion’s Classic next week.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Provides Promising Injury Update on Amari Williams

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Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope provides an injury update on Amari Williams ahead of the Wildcats season opener against Wright State.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky tips off the season on Monday against Wright State, however, they could be down an important player.

Amari Williams, who is expected to be the starting big man for the Wildcats this season, suffered a hip injury just minutes into Kentucky’s exhibition against Minnesota State last week. While the injury did not look too severe at the moment, his limp to the locker room was worrisome.

“I think he’s fine,” Mark Pope said after the game. “X-rays came back solid but we’ll get some more imaging tomorrow. We’re hopeful he’ll be back soon.”

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On Friday, Pope provided another update.

“Imaging was really good, really positive. He’s day-to-day right now,” Pope said. “He won’t do anything – you know, just do free throws today. We’re hopeful that he’ll be back soon but we’ll kind of proceed with all the caution and urgency that we possibly can.”

Long term, this is a positive update. However, in the short term, Williams could be out for Kentucky’s first couple of regular season games, depending on how cautious he and team are being. We saw Kerr Kriisa sit out for the Blue-White event and Kentucky’s first exhibition following a “tweak” in practice.

The sooner the better for a return. Kentucky will certainly hope to be at 100% as they take on seventh-ranked Duke next week in the Champion’s Classic.

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