K.T. Turner set to become head coach at UT Arlington

A major coaching domino has fallen for Kentucky basketball — and the offseason hasn’t even begun.

Assistant coach K.T. Turner is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach at UT Arlington, with an official announcement expected soon.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports was the first to break the news.

Sources: Kentucky's K.T. Turner is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach at UT Arlington. Official announcement expected soon. Deep Texas roots.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 13, 2023

Turner joined the Kentucky coaching staff this past offseason, replacing Jai Lucas following his departure to Duke. He came from Oklahoma, where he spent one year on Porter Moser’s staff as the associate head coach. Before then, Turner was the associate head coach at Texas in 2020-21 and an assistant at SMU the previous seven seasons.

Known for his recruiting ties in Texas, the move makes sense for the 44-year-old coach with 20 years of experience, able to take over a basketball program of his own for the first time. It does, though, hurt the Wildcats’ recruiting efforts in the Lone Star State, specifically with 2024 No. 1 prospect Tre Johnson — a Dallas native — at the top of the school’s big board.

Who could replace Turner on staff? Josh Pastner was fired at Georgia Tech just three days ago, John Calipari’s former right-hand man at Memphis. The 45-year-old coached the Yellow Jackets for seven seasons, accumulating a 109-114 overall record. Now a free agent, a return to Calipari’s bench would make a ton of sense.

Until then, the Wildcats have a spot to fill on the coaching staff.