Kentucky expected to hire Oklahoma associate head coach KT Turner

Kentucky is looking to the Big 12 for a big-time coaching hire.

The Wildcats are expected to hire Oklahoma associate head coach KT Turner as their newest assistant coach, according to KSR’s Matt Jones. Turner spent last year on the Sooners’ bench under first-year coach Porter Moser after one year with Texas and seven years with SMU.

It’s a big hire for John Calipari, who lost assistant Jai Lucas to Duke earlier this offseason. Now, he’s set to bring in Turner to help fill that void.

Kentucky is coming off a 26-8 overall record in 2021-22, including 14-4 in SEC play. The Wildcats were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but saw their season come to an abrupt end against No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the round of 64.

Oklahoma went 19-16 overall and 7-11 in Big 12 play in the first year of the Moser era. The Sooners were one of the last four out of the NCAA Tournament and were a No. 1 seed in the NIT. They fell to Saint Bonaventure in the second round.

How KT Turner ended up at Kentucky

Earlier this month, Lucas departed Kentucky to join Jon Scheyer’s staff at Duke. It was a surprising move, but he revealed a personal reason for making the decision.

“The opportunity to be at Duke and be with Coach Scheyer and the rest of the staff was really my main reason for doing it,” Lucas said, via Kentucky insider Jerry Tipton. “But then throwing in the family part and being able to be around them, because I haven’t been with how hectic my schedule is. So it was something I really wanted to do, and really wanted to be a part of is really just reconnecting with my family.”

It’s an impressive get for Scheyer’s first staff after taking over for Mike Krzyzewski as the Duke headman. For Calipari, it was a big loss, but it allowed him to make the big splash by landing Turner.