John Calipari is headed to Arkansas. The former Kentucky head coach announced on Tuesday that he’s parting ways with the men’s basketball program. While the Razorbacks have yet to officially announce Calipari as the next head coach, that news is on the way.
But what matters for Kentucky and the fanbase right now is who replaces Calipari. Plenty of candidates have been named over the last 24-48 hours, but only a handful actually stick out above the rest.
According to KSR’s Matt Jones, Kentucky’s list of preferred candidates is — in order — as follows:
- Dan Hurley (UConn)
- Scott Drew (Baylor)
- Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls)
Jones adds that he “would be very surprised if it got past #2”, which would be Drew.
What we know about Hurley, Drew, and Donovan
We’ll start with Hurley, who isn’t even a full day removed from winning his second consecutive national championship with UConn. He was asked about the Kentucky job soon after winning the title and turned down (or rather laughed off) the idea of taking the Kentucky job, even telling The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker there was “no way” he’d entertain the idea.
But at the same time, what else was he supposed to say in that moment?
Hurley’s contract with UConn right now pays him an average of $5.3 million per year. UK could offer far more than that, although nothing has been made public about an actual offer on the table at this time.
As for Drew, he’s long been linked to athletic director Mitch Barnhart. His name was immediately brought up as a top candidate once it was clear Calipari was headed elsewhere. And according to a couple of reports, Kentucky already appears interested.
Not long after Calipari announced he was not returning to UK, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com reported that Barnhart is “targeting” Drew as the school’s next head coach. Then, Kentucky Today’s Sports Editor Keith Taylor, who has covered the Kentucky beat since 1995, reported that Kentucky had offered Drew the job.
However, Jones notes that he does not believe an actual offer has been extended to Drew — not yet, at least.
Finally, with Donovan, the current NBA head coach told reporters ahead of the Bulls’ Tuesday night matchup with the New York Knicks that he has not yet heard from Kentucky and remains committed to Chicago. That wasn’t exactly a “no”, but considering the Bulls’ season will extend into the postseason, the timeline might not line up how Barnhart would like.
It certainly feels like this process will move rather quickly…
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