Scott Drew explains why he posted picture from Mexican restaurant amid Kentucky rumors

When Scott Drew posted a picture inside a Mexican restaurant amid the Kentucky coaching search, some assumed that’s how he confirmed he’d stay at Baylor or throw people off the scent.

Reports surfaced that the Baylor basketball coach was in Lexington as the Wildcats pursued him as the next head coach. Eventually, Kentucky settled on Mark Pope after parting ways with John Calipari.

So, Drew explained why he posted the picture.

“Well, it was a lot of people that thought I was in Kentucky and I’m like, ‘No, I’m right here,’” Drew said. “It’s raining outside and so I got a good lunch. So that’s why I took the picture. And then I will give props to the Kentucky fan that was able to call and see where we were at. And that was quite impressive. 

“But other than that, really I was just having a good lunch with Eric Shero and he said Alliance Bank got a lot of traction. So he was happy about that. But again, just really blessed to have so many friends and loved ones, people you care about at Baylor and in Waco. Again, the people closest to me were like whatever God wants, that’s what we want and that was really encouraging as well.”

Drew has spent the last 21 seasons with the Bears, delivering them one national championship victory in 2021 similar to how Calipari did for the Wildcats once during his 15-year tenure in Lexington.

But, he’s the man in charge in Waco. He even autographed the booth where he sat during the now-famous photo op.

Drew is the winningest coach in program history with a record of 446-224.  He’s led Baylor to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, one Final Four, two Elite Eights and four Sweet Sixteens. He has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year three times and claimed the conference regular season title in back-to-back seasons (2021, 2022).

Baylor is coming off of a 24-11 finish this past season that earned them a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, their season ended with a loss to Clemson in the second round.

Drew has spent all but one season of his head coaching career in Waco and it seems not even a blue blood program can convince him to leave the place he’s made home. As the 53-year-old prepares to lead the Bears into another year, his signature at the booth will serve as a reminder of his commitment to the team and city.