Who Will Be The Next Basketball Coach At Kentucky?
There is a lot of speculation about who will be the next head coach of the Kentucky basketball team following the sudden departure of John Calipari to Arkansas. While many believe that Nate Oats is a top candidate, it's worth noting that he has a contractual buyout clause at Alabama.
The books have Scott Drew, the current head coach of Baylor, as the front-runner. Although Drew has achieved a lot at Baylor, several other candidates are also being considered. Let's take a closer look at some of the names on the list.
Kentucky's "Short List"
I understand that there are rumors that Bruce Pearl, the head coach of Auburn, is interested in the Kentucky job. Some sources claim that a deal is already in progress, but we cannot confirm that.
Bruce Pearl has done an outstanding job in building Auburn's basketball team. He even led them to win the SEC tournament last season. Despite his age, he appears to be in good health and has a great passion for the game of basketball. Kentucky appears to be an ideal place for him to retire and call home.
Most rumors are about Nate Oats, the current head coach of the Alabama basketball team, potentially being a candidate for another coaching job. However, I believe it is unlikely that he will leave his current position.
Although Oats has shown interest in the job, he recently stated that he is committed to winning with Alabama and is not actively seeking to leave. Moreover, his buyout clause is a significant 18 million dollars.
According to sources, there are indications that Dan Hurley might be considering an offer from Kentucky. However, it is highly unlikely that he will even think about the offer until he leads his team to a potential second consecutive title. If Kentucky offers him the right amount of money, there is no question that Hurley may choose to "come on down" south.
Third Times The Charm
There is a possibility that former NBA coach Billy Donovan may consider returning to college coaching. Donovan has previously led the Florida Gators to back-to-back championships. However, it seems likely that he will remain in the collegiate coaching ranks this time, as his NBA career hasn't been as successful.
There are a lot of options on the so-called "short list" Kentucky said they had originally. In my opinion, you have to be open after a 14-year hiatus of having to hire a coach. To say exactly who it will be won't be said in this article. We'll have to wait for that.
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