Scott Drew spurns Kentucky interest, opts to stay at Baylor

Following a few days of overtures from Kentucky about its vacant coaching job, Baylor coach Scott Drew has decided he’s happy where he’s at and he’s staying put.

According to a report from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Drew has passed on Kentucky’s offer.

Drew emerged as the reported top target on Kentucky’s board after coaches like Alabama‘s Nate Oats and the Chicago Bulls’ Billy Donovan announced they were committed to their current jobs. Days after coach John Calipari left for Arkansas, creating the Kentucky opening, the focus of the search seemed to shift toward Drew.

Social media was abuzz on Wednesday, first as plane trackers found a route from Waco, Texas, to Lexington, Ky. and then again as Drew himself jumped into the fray.

Perhaps poking fun at the rumor mill or perhaps setting the record straight about his whereabouts, Drew tweeted a picture of himself at a local Waco establishment. Kentucky fans tracked down the establishment, got in touch with a waitress and left Drew a personal message.

Alas, the extra encouragement from Kentucky fans didn’t seem to work any magic on Scott Drew, the 21-year Baylor coach.

He would have been an excellent hire for the Wildcats.

He has been wildly successful at Baylor, elevating the program into a regular NCAA Tournament contender. That postseason success culminated with a national championship during the 2020-21 season.

In total, Drew has posted 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, which have included one Final Four appearance, two Elite Eights, four Sweet 16s and nine opening-round wins.

Baylor has won at least 20 games 15 times under Scott Drew’s direction.

The 53-year-old head coach has now won the Big 12 Coach of the Year honors three times, doing so from 2020-22. He has a 446-244 (.646) overall record as a head coach, including a 189-173 (.522) mark in Big 12 play.

Baylor has finished in the top three in the conference in each of the last five seasons after doing so just three times in Drew’s first 16 seasons in charge of the program.