So to play devils advocate about Drew

[stuway]

Drew wouldn't be my 1st choice and most of the board seems meh to say the least.

The more I think about this, it's growing on me. Reasons why we bitched about Cal are what

All new Freshman team every year. Well that's done. Drew has more balanced teams

Plays favorites to protect draft status. That's out, Drew don't play that

Doesn't switch defense or run inbounds plays. Drew does both

Poor X and O coach. Drew is a good bench coach

Salesman talk. Drew shoots straighter

Prioritize draft over UK. Not anymore, Drew will wanna win for his employer and buddy Mitch

He will also wanna win the conference and our tourney I'm sure for BBN and UK

Idk sounds better when you rationalize it that way

He did all this at Baylor too, Baylor sucks(basketball and Waco wise), come on. Give him our resources, could be interesting

Idc what year, winning a tourney is hard any year for any team. He gets top 10 recruiting classes and does well in portal

We could do much worse honestly. Hopefully if that's the hire we unite behind him and get back to winning. Go Big Blue!!

 

[Swifterz_rivals379959]

Better than Cal but should be way down the list. It’ll be disappointing.

 

[stuway]

Wouldn't be my 1st or 2nd choice. But could be much worse the more you think about the situation

 

[2003Elite8]

He is only one of 6 coaches to win a National Championship that's still active right now. That's a rare and distinct accomplishment. He is not, however, or at least I don't think he is, a good fit for Kentucky.

 

[jessieshorts8]

Wouldn't be my 1st or 2nd choice. But could be much worse the more you think about the situation

It's pretty bad when the best you can say is it could have been worse.

 

[Jmeeks54thebest]

He’s not my first choice. Or my second, third, or 4th choice. He’s not in my first tier of guys that you call.

That all being said, it’s like you said, we could do a LOT worse. And say what you want about his resume but it’s still better than a lot of coaches who have come here in the past.

I like him over Pitino, which is just crazy to me that he even gets mentioned. I like him over Mark Pope but I do like Pope I just don’t think he’s ready. Would like to see him at the next tier up in program status at a school like Michigan state. I like him and Pearl about the same. I like him better than Golden. Him and Lloyd are probably even for me, idk I haven’t watched Lloyd at Zona but his record so far is good. Miller? Idk. Probably even, maybe slight edge to Drew.

People are comparing him to BCG which is absurd. He’s not the splash we all want but that’s like comparing a school bully to Hitler.

 

[westerncat]

I would be OK with Drew. Good coach and can recruit. Better than Calipari.

 

[JerseyCat84_rivals57050]

Wouldn’t be my 3rd or 4th choice but you make some decent points.

 

[stuway]

It's pretty bad when the best you can say is it could have been worse.

That sounded bad. I'd rather have Drew than Cal for the reasons I listed in my OP. I will say that for sure

 

[KentuckyMildCats]

To be honest I was kinda against him too, but I'm doing more research on my own and I wouldn't hate the hire. Could be worst he's still like the 4/5th guy I want but a solid hire nonetheless. At the end of the day there'll be a portion of us who will be unhappy with who we get regardless of who it is, unless it's one of those crazy outlandish longshot choices lol

 

[Blueworld_3.0]

A lot of people are living in fantasyland with the suggestions being tossed around on this board right now.
Hurley? He just won his 2nd straight title at UConn! They're going to lock him up with a raise, extension and huge buyout. Probably within a week. His next stop is the NBA.
Lloyd? As bad as Calipari or worse. He's proven nothing. A lifelong West coast guy and with a huge buyout.
Donovan? OK, but, show me where he is even interested. He's established in the NBA now.
Jay Wright? Firmly retired.
Bruce Pearl? No way, UK brass won't allow it.
Nate Oats? Maybe but, hard to see him being better than Drew. Plus, another big buyout.
Rick Pitino? Absolutely no way. An even firmer NO than Pearl for UK administration.
So, who is left?

 

[FitchandMurray29]

In a candidate I want 4 things:
-a background with some significant level of winning
-able to recruit top freshmen
-able to utilize the portal successfully
-energize the fan base

I think Drew does the first 3(which not many do) but lacks in the fourth.

 

[stuway]

In a candidate I want 4 things:
-a background with some significant level of winning
-able to recruit top freshmen
-able to utilize the portal successfully
-energize the fan base

I think Drew does the first 3(which not many do) but lacks in the fourth.

Then that's on us and unrealistic expectations @Blueworld_3.0 just layed it out plain and simple regarding #4

 

[Howler__]

It wouldn't be a bad hire at all. You could do much worse. High floor, low risk. There’s always a risk in any such hire. With Drew there's a minimal one. He'll win here.
Whoever it is needs to be a proven winner. Drew fits that description.

 

[ukwildcatwildfan]

Drew wouldn't be my 1st choice and most of the board seems meh to say the least.

The more I think about this, it's growing on me. Reasons why we bitched about Cal are what

All new Freshman team every year. Well that's done. Drew has more balanced teams

Plays favorites to protect draft status. That's out, Drew don't play that

Doesn't switch defense or run inbounds plays. Drew does both

Poor X and O coach. Drew is a good bench coach

Salesman talk. Drew shoots straighter

Prioritize draft over UK. Not anymore, Drew will wanna win for his employer and buddy Mitch

He will also wanna win the conference and our tourney I'm sure for BBN and UK

Idk sounds better when you rationalize it that way

He did all this at Baylor too, Baylor sucks(basketball and Waco wise), come on. Give him our resources, could be interesting

Idc what year, winning a tourney is hard any year for any team. He gets top 10 recruiting classes and does well in portal

We could do much worse honestly. Hopefully if that's the hire we unite behind him and get back to winning. Go Big Blue!!

I posted a while ago (before the second UConn title tonight obviously) that when you compare the coaching records of Dan Hurley and Drew over the last ten years, Drew probably had the better record. That changed tonight. But worth keeping in mind.

Scott Drew last 10 seasons:
24: Round of 32
23: Round of 32
22: Round of 32
21: National Championship
19: Round of 32
18: Missed tournament
17: Sweet 16
16: First round
15: First round
14: Sweet 16

vs

Hurley's record as a head coach:

Wagner
2010-11 -- 13-17, no postseason
2011-12 -- 25-6, no postseason

Rhode Island
2012-13 -- 8-21, no postseason
2013-14 -- 14-18, no postseason
2014-15 -- 23-10, NIT 2nd rnd
2015-16 -- 17-15, no postseason
2016-17 -- 25-10, NCAA Rnd of 32
2017-18 -- 26-8, NCAA Rnd of 32

UConn
2018-19 -- 16-17, no postseason
2019-20 -- 19-12, postseason canceled but they weren't a tournament team
2020-21 -- 15-8, NCAA Rnd of 64
2021-22 -- 23-10, NCAA Rnd of 64
2022-23 -- 31-8, NCAA Champs
2023-24 -- 37-3, NCAA Champs

If Hurley did at UK what he did his first four seasons at UConn he may not have gotten a fifth season.

 

[Vismund]

You're comparing Hurley's first run as a coach to years 11-22 for Drew?

While I agree that Hurley may not get the leverage at UK, he also wouldn't have had the same problems he did at UCONN and, ultimately, is the same reason some are so high on Drew.

You also posted Hurley's record but omitted Drew's which includes 8 double digit loss seasons in the last 12 (IIRC) at a much more established program.

I'm just saying that these are some skewed figures.

 

[taiza67]

I’ll support him/the program but part of the reason I wasn’t ready to get rid of Cal is I figured Drew would be the guy we wound up with.

Maybe he surprised me and kills it here but it’s by no means a slam dunk.

 

[2003Elite8]

A lot of people are living in fantasyland with the suggestions being tossed around on this board right now.
Hurley? He just won his 2nd straight title at UConn! They're going to lock him up with a raise, extension and huge buyout. Probably within a week. His next stop is the NBA.
Lloyd? As bad as Calipari or worse. He's proven nothing. A lifelong West coast guy and with a huge buyout.
Donovan? OK, but, show me where he is even interested. He's established in the NBA now.
Jay Wright? Firmly retired.
Bruce Pearl? No way, UK brass won't allow it.
Nate Oats? Maybe but, hard to see him being better than Drew. Plus, another big buyout.
Rick Pitino? Absolutely no way. An even firmer NO than Pearl for UK administration.
So, who is left?

Well then who do you want? You've shot down everyone possible. Are we asking Tyler Ulis? What?

 

[Vismund]

I’ll support him/the program but part of the reason I wasn’t ready to get rid of Cal is I figured Drew would be the guy we wound up with.

Maybe he surprised me and kills it here but it’s by no means a slam dunk.

He can lose in the second round for the next 3 years and still be more successful than Cal. That's outside of all the off the court stuff that really got under our skin no longer being an issue.

I agree it isn't the best hire and I'm hoping it was the best available because it seems like we have options.

 

[UKfan2151]

Jay Wright, Billy Donovan, Brad Stevens and Danny Hurley are the names that excite people and top most everyone's list. But what good are these names if we have no realistic shot of landing any of them? We have to separate fantasy from reality. We might have a slim shot at Billy Donovan. But the other 3 guys are a pipe dream.

So, realizing this, who does that leave as the top tier of actual possibilities?

Scott Drew, Nate Oats, and Chris Beard. All of these guys have similar levels of accomplishments, with Drew actually having a national championship on his resume. None of them are homeruns but all are very solid coaches with low risk and good potential.

After them, perhaps guys like Tommy Lloyd and Sean Miller. You could take a stab at someone a bit surprising, say a Frank Vogel. Then you might have to take a look at Bruce Pearl. After this, you have to start looking toward potential up and comers that could be highly risky hires. Or you look toward guys who are old and over the hill, like Rick Pitino.

The simple truth is, Scott Drew might be the best candidate available that we actually have a shot at. If you can't get Wright, if you can't get Donovan and you can't get Hurley, then out of all the rest, Scott Drew by default becomes the most accomplished guy on your list. As Donald Rumsfeld once said, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you wished you had. The same applies here. Scott Drew isn't exactly an exciting hire. He may never rise to the level of Adolph Rupp, Rick Pitino or the 2009-2015 version of John Calipari. But if he is the best we can do, then he is the best we can do. We take him and hope he can do far better with UK's name recognition, history and resources than he did at Baylor and consistently field a team capable of winning it all.

If he succeeds here, great. If not, we revisit things a few years down the road. It is what it is. We can't wave a wand and magically make a multiple championship caliber stud of a coach materialize out of thin air. Nor can we **** one. We can sit and day dream about everyone's fantasy coaching candidates all day long. But at the end of the day, you have to take the guy you can actually get. So I expect most UK fans will be disappointed with whoever we ultimately end up with because it isn't going to be one of the gold-plated candidates everyone is daydreaming about which we have zero shot at landing.

 

[BlueRunner11]

The board is nearing the acceptance phase of the 5 stages of grief with the Drew talk.

We’re looking at averaging 2-4 place in the SEC year in and year out and S16 ceilings with this hire imo. Let’s not put lipstick on it.

 

[UKfan2151]

The board is nearing the acceptance phase of the 5 stages of grief with the Drew talk.

We’re looking at averaging 2-4 place in the SEC year in and year out and S16 ceilings with this hire imo. Let’s not put lipstick on it.

That may very well end up being true. But that would still be an improvement over the last 5 years of John Calipari.

 

[fs-ripcord65]

In a candidate I want 4 things:
-a background with some significant level of winning
-able to recruit top freshmen
-able to utilize the portal successfully
-energize the fan base

I think Drew does the first 3(which not many do) but lacks in the fourth.

I respectfully suggest that the one and only thing that will energize BBN is winning ! See the first bullet point above.

 

[CRZ4UK]

Drew wouldn't be my 1st choice and most of the board seems meh to say the least.

The more I think about this, it's growing on me. Reasons why we bitched about Cal are what

All new Freshman team every year. Well that's done. Drew has more balanced teams

Plays favorites to protect draft status. That's out, Drew don't play that

Doesn't switch defense or run inbounds plays. Drew does both

Poor X and O coach. Drew is a good bench coach

Salesman talk. Drew shoots straighter

Prioritize draft over UK. Not anymore, Drew will wanna win for his employer and buddy Mitch

He will also wanna win the conference and our tourney I'm sure for BBN and UK

Idk sounds better when you rationalize it that way

He did all this at Baylor too, Baylor sucks(basketball and Waco wise), come on. Give him our resources, could be interesting

Idc what year, winning a tourney is hard any year for any team. He gets top 10 recruiting classes and does well in portal

We could do much worse honestly. Hopefully if that's the hire we unite behind him and get back to winning. Go Big Blue!!

To be honest what other coach besides Calipari would do anything you mentioned? Cal lost me the last two years when he openly put preparing draft picks above winning. That starting lineup and a 10 man rotation was insane. No coach we hire would do any of those listed. The fact Calipari did is why he’s gone.

 

[Skyguyb27]

I would entertain Golden from Florida. He is young but I think he is gonna figure out winning quickly.

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

Drew wouldn't be my 1st choice and most of the board seems meh to say the least.

The more I think about this, it's growing on me. Reasons why we bitched about Cal are what

All new Freshman team every year. Well that's done. Drew has more balanced teams

Plays favorites to protect draft status. That's out, Drew don't play that

Doesn't switch defense or run inbounds plays. Drew does both

Poor X and O coach. Drew is a good bench coach

Salesman talk. Drew shoots straighter

Prioritize draft over UK. Not anymore, Drew will wanna win for his employer and buddy Mitch

He will also wanna win the conference and our tourney I'm sure for BBN and UK

Idk sounds better when you rationalize it that way

He did all this at Baylor too, Baylor sucks(basketball and Waco wise), come on. Give him our resources, could be interesting

Idc what year, winning a tourney is hard any year for any team. He gets top 10 recruiting classes and does well in portal

We could do much worse honestly. Hopefully if that's the hire we unite behind him and get back to winning. Go Big Blue!!

Be funny take deadbeat Drew and Edgecomg goes 2nd choice to Dook.

 

[Untouchables40]

My only concern with Drew is that he's not a homerun hire, and he's not an up and coming coach. So if we sign him and he doesn't do that well after a few years, he's not someone that you can just let go after 3-4 years and it be seen as "not a good fit", but he's also not a homerun type of guy where you can give them 5-6 yearsbto figure it out. It would come off as we're trying to get rid of another big name coach.

 

[Vismund]

Let's be honest, this is Mitch's last big hire probably, he just wants it over with so he can ride off into the sunset.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

This board would have murdered each other over Hiring Pitino who only had 1 final four and didnt do much in the playoffs for the Knicks.

 

[akaukswoosh]

Drew might have a NC under his belt but if becomes the next UK coach I think some people could argue he’s still no better than the fifth best coach in the SEC behind Oats, Calipari, Barnes and Pearl.

 

[ScottGreene22]

He also likes to play in the pre season tournaments we all so desperately want Ky to be a part of again. Guy can recruit, Coach and Win. He would be a great hire if he can handle everything else that’s comes with being KY’s HC.

 

[Short-Dawg-69]

In a candidate I want 4 things:
-a background with some significant level of winning
-able to recruit top freshmen
-able to utilize the portal successfully
-energize the fan base

I think Drew does the first 3(which not many do) but lacks in the fourth.

I would add also the ability to retain players that are not ready for the NBA.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Drew's had a top 10 recruit in each of the last four recruiting seasons. Not bad for a guy at Baylor.

But I don't think he's a killer. Oats seems like a killer. That's why I'd prefer him over Drew. I think BBN needs a killer right now.

 

[L.O.D.]

Like others said he's the Honda Accord of coaching options