Kentucky Basketball Coaching Hot Board 1.0

All coaches leave in one of three ways: they’re fired, they retire or they take another job. It’s the only thing promised when you enter the profession, an inevitable end is coming at some point. And when John Calipari walked off the floor following the loss to Oakland in Pittsburgh, there was an overwhelming sense one of those paths was possible, if not likely. Kentucky has not been to a Final Four since 2015, not even a second weekend since 2019. Fans’ patience had officially worn out after wearing thin in recent years, messaging falling upon deaf ears in Lexington.

After a brief period discussing what it would take to bring the Wildcats back to the championship standard it had fallen well short of and belief on Mitch Barnhart’s side Coach Cal still had that left in the tank, the Hall of Fame coach left for Fayetteville in the middle of the night. Just 17 days after the first-round tournament loss — his second in three years — he reached a five-year agreement with Arkansas to become the next head coach of the Razorbacks.

It’s going to be bizarre seeing Calipari in cardinal, black and white suits roaming a conference rival’s sideline, but the top priority is finding out who will be roaming the Kentucky sideline first and foremost.

Let’s start breaking down some names Barnhart could (or should) call in our Kentucky Basketball Coaching Hot Board 1.0.

Dan Hurley (UConn)

Age: 51
Overall record: 291-163

If Kentucky is going to swing big, there is no swing bigger than the guy who could win back-to-back national championships with the Huskies late Monday evening. He’s built a juggernaut in Storrs, UConn becoming a modern blue blood with potentially six titles in 25 years — better than anyone else in college basketball in the same span. Hurley has the personality and edge to dominate anywhere, hungry for the next big challenge. There is no bigger challenge than satisfying an equally hungry fanbase begging for a return to glory at the winningest program in college basketball history.

Hurley wants to prove he’s the king of the sport. If he feels he’s got nothing left to give Storrs with a second straight title, Lexington is a clear fit for his big-picture dreams as a coach.

Nate Oats (Alabama)

Age: 49
Overall record: 213-97

Bringing a Final Four to Tuscaloosa was the last thing standing between Oats becoming the hottest up-and-coming name in coaching. He’s got the offensive flair and analytics, developing an identity that he’s lived and died by, one that’s gotten him to the top of the SEC in a hurry. The $18 million buyout is an expensive pill to swallow, but Kentucky officially off the hook on Calipari’s $33 million, it’s easier to see Barnhart going down that path. When you take Buffalo to three NCAA Tournaments in four years, then four combined SEC regular season and tournament titles with four invites to the Big Dance in his first five years at Alabama, he’s built up the resume to join the conversation.

Scott Drew (Baylor)

Age: 53
Overall record: 466-255

Barnhart has a long-standing relationship with Drew and the two share similar philosophies, the Kentucky AD respecting the Baylor head coach for bringing the Bears out from the rubble and building that program into a national champion. He recently turned down the Louisville job, but Kentucky is a different beast and a challenge he’d almost certainly consider. At 53 years old, the Kansas City native has plenty left in the tank and could use a fresh start himself after spending two decades-plus in Waco. With new resources at his disposal leading a perennial powerhouse, it’s hard to envision a scenario where Drew isn’t competitive immediately and consistently in Lexington. And it doesn’t hurt he’s got a top-three recruiting class set to join him at Baylor, one that could follow him to Kentucky just as easily as the group Calipari likely brings with him to Fayetteville.

Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls)

Age: 58
Overall Record: College – 502-206, NBA – 397-317

Donovan has been Kentucky’s golden goose for nearly two decades, widely seen as Barnhart’s top candidate following Tubby Smith’s departure, then again after Billy Gillispie was fired before pivoting to Calipari. After winning back-to-back titles with four Final Fours at Florida, he made the move to the NBA in 2015 where he has been for nearly a decade since, first with the Oklahoma City Thunder (’15-20) and now with the Chicago Bulls (2020-24). He was out of the college game long before the NIL and transfer portal era, so how would he navigate those waters and would he even be interested in giving that a shot? It’s at least worth a conversation, especially if you can arm Donovan with elite recruiters and roster managers — a bang-up staff would do wonders while he leads the charge on the Xs and Os side.