Hot Board 1.0
Kentucky's coaching search is only now beginning, as John Calipari's departure for Arkansas was a surprise.
We don't know how quickly this will play out but expect to learn a lot and quickly.
Here's a first take at a Hot Board of early candidates.
Dan Hurley, UCONN
Would he leave? That is the question. At UCONN, he can win titles just as easily as he could at Kentucky, and he can breathe easier during down periods, if he has any. Kentucky can offer Hurley a lot of money. One would imagine he would be someone of great interest. It's just tough to fathom a coach leaving a program with this many national titles and while on such a hot run there.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls
Donovan has turned Kentucky down twice before but he's in a different place in his career. The Bulls don't have the best forecast and the Kentucky job could be viewed differently. What Donovan did at Florida will probably always stand out as the best coaching job in the SEC by any non-Kentucky coach, and he has worked in Lexington before. Donovan would be a big-time hire by anyone's estimation, but again, he's turned the job down twice before and he's coaching in the NBA, not dealing with all of the year to year portal and NIL insanity in college basketball.
Nate Oats, Alabama
Oats has already released a statement indicating that he plans to continue as the Tide's head coach. He has been viewed by many as a potential successor to Calipari because of he's an up-and-comer who plays an exciting brand of basketball and Kentucky fans have become very familiar with him in SEC play. There's a big buyout and Oats may just want to continue building on what he's got going there. There has also been a question as to whether UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart would be interested in him. But he does seem like a rather obvious candidate.
Scott Drew, Baylor
Many have assumed that Barnhart and Drew would be two peas in a pod culturally. That may be true but it's probably an oversimplification. Nonetheless, the widespread assumption does seem to be that it would be a hire that would achieve two things: Barnhart would probably be pleased, and there's plenty in his record to point to in order to justify the hire. Still, some will wonder if he's a top tier candidate on the very highest level like the guys listed above him here.
Bruce Pearl, Auburn
There hasn't been as much linking UK to Pearl, but it has often been tossed about with various degrees of seriousness among fans. Pearl has always been extremely complimentary of Kentucky. He has a big enough personality for the job, but is it the kind of personality UK fans are used to? Pearl is a really good basketball coach who has won postseason games and built something really nice at Auburn. He could eventually get a look but isn't an obvious first call.
Mark Pope, BYU
The former Kentucky big man is someone Barnhart could probably get to Lexington very easily. And he has done a solid job at Utah Valley and BYU. It just hasn't been as sexy, so to speak. There are two tournament appearances but there would be a lot more uncertainty with this hire.