Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew. Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky strikes out on supposed top candidate for HC vacancy

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 4/11/24

Two of the biggest names connected to the head-coaching vacancy at Kentucky in Alabama's Nate Oats and UConn's Dan Hurley emphatically dismissed rumors of their interest in the gig on Monday.

Baylor's Scott Drew was thought to be one of the front-runners to land with the Wildcats, but it was reported on Thursday that he'd be staying with the Bears.

One of the main reasons why Scott Drew passed on Kentucky, per source, is that his family didn’t want to leave Baylor and Waco.

Drew has three kids - college and high-school age — and they have grown up their entire lives in Waco. https://t.co/ibk2rqmOTN
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 11, 2024

Scott Drew has now turned down Kentucky and Louisville.

But Drew and his family didn’t want to mess with happiness — and they are happy in Waco.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 11, 2024

Among the biggest names remaining that have been floated as potential candidates to be John Calipari's successor include Rick Pitino, who is currently head coach at St. John's and who won the 1996 national championship at Kentucky. Others include BYU coach Mark Pope, who was a senior center on Pitino's title-winning team 28 years ago, and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, although Donovan has publicly expressed commitment to the Bulls.

Calipari announced on Tuesday that he'd be leaving Kentucky, and he signed a five-year deal with Arkansas on Wednesday. Eric Musselman left the Razorbacks to join USC on April 4.

Drew's college coaching career began with one season at Valparaiso in 2002-03, when he led the Beacons to a 20-11 record and regular season conference championship.

The 53-year-old then joined Baylor in 2003 and helped the program to steady improvement in his first decade at the helm. Drew has led the Bears to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances (all in the last 17 seasons), including a national title in 2021.

Baylor clinched four straight March Madness berths from 2014-17 and has made each of the last five tournaments, excluding the pandemic-cancelled 2020 event.

Drew won three consecutive Big 12 Coach of the Year honors from 2019-22 and has gone 446-244 with the Bears, good for a .646 winning percentage.

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