Assistant coach Cody Fueger calls Kentucky a "top-five basketball job" at any level

Kentucky is arguably the best head coaching job in all of men’s college basketball. When the program is winning and winning consistently, the rewards that come with it are unmatched. In fact, it might even be among the best gigs in all of basketball — regardless of the level or where it’s being played.

Cody Fueger, who recently joined the Wildcats as an assistant under new head coach Mark Pope, believes the Kentucky job is right up there with the best of the best. After just a few weeks on the job, he’s even more bought in.

“I love Lexington so far. I’ve been here off and on for the last three weeks. It’s absolutely beautiful. I got to go to the horse race the other day, learning more and more about this place. Been to Jeff Ruby’s a couple of times, had some recruits around, it’s been absolutely amazing so far,” Fueger said Tuesday morning on KSR. “And the reason I took the job is because it’s Kentucky. You know, I think of Kentucky as a top-five basketball job in any — whether it’s Europe, whether it’s NBA, I think it’s a top-five job and I absolutely love this place.“

The Big Blue Nation will mostly agree with Fueger. But it does spark a conversation. What other teams should be in that category with Kentucky? The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are easy choices from the NBA rank, as are North Carolina and Kansas at the college level. Cases can be made for other programs/franchises, but it will be tough to argue against Kentucky not being in that mix.

Even guys who have played at power programs before understand that Kentucky is different. Incoming transfer Kerr Kriisa has suited up for both Arizona and West Virginia. And while Arizona is maybe a tier or two below Kentucky, it’s a program with decades of success. That being said, it’s not even close to the brand that is Kentucky men’s basketball.

“Kerr Kriisa talks to me all the time about just how excited he is,” Fueger added. “He’s like man I’ve been at Arizona, I’ve been at a top 10 program. It’s nothing compared to Kentucky. This place is unbelievable. We got a lot of our players that are excited to meet these fans and be a part of this deal.”