Report: Kentucky to meet with Baylor's Scott Drew for head coach opening
Kentucky will reportedly meet with Baylor head coach Scott Drew regarding its coaching vacancy, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
This comes in the aftermath of John Calipari leaving for Arkansas. Drew is a national champion-winning coach, having won a title with Bears in 2021.
His named popped up in circles once Calipari left his position. Drew’s been the head coach of Baylor since the 2003-04 season.
Since then, he is 446-244 as a head coach, winning a national title three years ago and has made three straight Round of 32 games in the NCAA Tournament.
The only year Drew led Baylor beyond the Elite Eight was 2021, eventually winning the title. He spent one season as Valparaiso’s head coach in 2002-03 before going to Baylor.
Drew coached under his father Homer at Valparaiso from 1993-2002 before assuming head coaching duties.
Drew’s name was one of the first to come up once news broke of Calipari’s reported decision to leave for Arkansas, along with Nate Oats and Jay Wright. Those two coaches both removed their names from consideration for the job Monday night – Wright on the national championship pregame show and Oats via social media.
That’s where Drew could fall into the equation, especially given a connection with Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart that stems from that 2021 tournament run, though. That’s the year teams converged on Indianapolis for March Madness, and ESPN’s Pete Thamel said Barnhart – the selection committee chairman that year – stayed in the same hotel as Baylor.
“In a more realistic candidate list, I’d take a look at Scott Drew at Baylor,” Thamel said Monday night. “He and Mitch Barnhart have a relationship going back to the bubble NCAA Tournament. Baylor, obviously, won that 2021 NCAA Tournament. Mitch Barnhart was the committee chair, and he was in the Baylor hotel and he was assigned to the Bears’ team. So they spent a month together. Everyone remembers how much time you spent together in the bubble.
“I think because Scott Drew listened to Louisville, he’d give Kentucky a listen. And Kentucky has more financial metal, they have more resources and they have a better league moving forward. That’s something Scott Drew is likely to entertain.”
Nick Schultz contributed to this report