Report: Kentucky fan called Waco restaurant where Scott Drew had lunch, had message delivered by waitress
As Kentucky prepares to appoint a new head coach fans are getting in on the action, hoping to do their part to show a prospective new coach how much they’d be welcome in Lexington.
Going to great lengths to do that, we might add.
According to one hilarious anecdote shared by KSR’s Matt Jones, a fan tracked down the exact location Baylor head coach Scott Drew was at to spend him a personalized message. This fan got in touch with the restaurant Drew was eating at and had the waitress go over and tell Drew, “We need you in Lexington.”
Jones provided some additional context on that story.
Drew had jokingly tweeted a picture of himself at a Waco restaurant on Wednesday after social media begin tracking a plane headed from the Waco area to Lexington. Drew clearly wasn’t on the flight and had some fun with the back and forth.
The fun extended to some positive review-bombing by Kentucky fans, too. Luckily most of it seemed good-natured and positive only, which will help the establishment Drew was frequenting.
Regardless of the silliness of Wednesday’s news cycle, Drew has emerged as a leading candidate for the Kentucky opening.
A report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Wednesday indicated that Drew would be meeting with the Wildcats soon regarding the head coaching vacancy. It’s unclear if that meeting has already happened or when it might, but the Drew situation does bear close monitoring.
Kentucky is looking to hire a new coach following the departure of John Calipari after 15 years leading the program. Calipari took the Arkansas job this week.
The opening in Lexington is a quality one, one that has already been associated with high-profile names like Billy Donovan and Dan Hurley, among others.
Drew would certainly be a capable selection as head coach.
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. That’s the kind of high-level consistency Kentucky is looking for.