Scott Drew will not be replacing John Calipari at Kentucky.
Drew, who has been Baylor’s head coach since 2003 and led the Bears to the 2021 NCAA tournament title, will be staying with the Bears after reportedly turning down an offer from Kentucky.
“In our program, we strive to put Jesus first, then others, then ourselves,” Drew said in a statement posted to social media. “We truly believe God has called my family and I to continue our work here at Baylor, surrounded by the best people and community anyone could be blessed to have. We are grateful for the support of Mack Rhoades, President [Linda] Livingstone and the entire Baylor family, and we look forward to working together to bring more championships to Waco.”
The Wildcats zeroed in on the Drew this week following the news of Calipari’s departure to take over the head coaching job at Arkansas. Kentucky’s interest reach the point where Drew family members were seen exiting a private plane tied to a school donor in Lexington, Kentucky on Wednesday night before flying back to Texas.
This plane landed in Temple, Texas tonight around 7:30. It was coming from Lexington, Kentucky.
While Scott Drew did not exit the plane, members of his family did. More details coming up on @kwtx at 10. pic.twitter.com/Xf5tHZGKXq
— Darby Brown (@darbyjobrown) April 11, 2024
According to ESPN, Drew spent a day thinking about his next move and that he would only leave Baylor for a handful of programs, which included Kentucky,
Drew’s decision to stay at Baylor makes him the fourth high-profile current or former coach to dismiss a potential move to Kentucky. Alabama coach Nate Oats said he was staying at Alabama after the Crimson Tide made the Final Four for the first time, UConn coach Dan Hurley laughed off any Kentucky connections after his team won its second straight national title and former Villanova coach Jay Wright has said he’s not interested.
In 21 seasons at Baylor, Drew has compiled a 446-244 record, two Big 12 regular-season titles, and three Big 12 Coach of the Year awards in addition to Baylor’s national title three seasons ago. He has a 17-9 record in the NCAA tournament with Baylor and 12 players have gone on to become NBA draft picks.
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