In a turn of events that could cause a lot of nail-biting in Lexington, Baylor head coach Scott Drew will not be the next head coach of the University of Kentucky basketball team.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Drew has passed on the offer from Kentucky and has decided to stay at Baylor for the foreseeable future. Drew was considered one of the Wildcats’ top candidates for the job, along with UConn’s Dan Hurley and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
“BREAKING: Scott Drew has passed on Kentucky’s offer and will remain at Baylor, source tells @CBSSports,” Norlander wrote on X.
Drew has turned the Bears into a national powerhouse, making the NCAA Tournament 12 times in the last 17 years. He is responsible for every NCAA Tournament win that the school has enjoyed in the seeded era, and led them to a national title win in 2021.
Drew has also led the Bears to a NCAA Tournament win in each of the team’s last six appearances.
With Drew now reportedly out of the running for the Kentucky job, the Wildcats’ list of elite options to replace John Calipari is running thin.
Hurley reportedly doesn’t want the job, while Donovan is believed to be committed to making things work with the Bulls.
Kentucky undoubtedly wants a proven winner to replace a national title winner in John Calipari, but their options are going to be very, very thin.
Who will the Wildcats hire to replace Calipari? How much experience will they have?