Scott Padgett, our Scott Padgett, is a Mississippi State assistant coach

There will be a familiar face on the opposing bench when Kentucky Basketball plays at Mississippi State later tonight.

Scott Padgett… the Scott Padgett… is a special assistant coach on Chris Jans’ first coaching staff in Starkville. Padgett is officially the Assistant To The Head Coach on the Bulldogs’ payroll, a non-bench coaching position similar to Bruiser Flint’s role on Kentucky’s staff.

Padgett took the job back in August before the current season began. He last coached at Manhattan under his friend and former Kentucky teammate, Steve Masiello; and before that, a year on the staff at New Mexico. He was the head coach of Samford from 2014-2020.

The former Wildcat got his coaching start at the same place he played his college ball, Kentucky, in John Calipari’s first season in Lexington. Padgett was on Calipari’s first staff as a graduate assistant in 2009-10.

Of course, the Louisville native is best known to Big Blue Nation as a 1998 national champion and slayer of the Duke Blue Devils. You remember. He hit one of the most famous three-pointers in school history, the one from the top of the key to break an 81-81 tie with Duke with 40 seconds to play in the 1998 Elite Eight. (You can watch the full game here by the way. I did recently. Highly recommend it.)

For his career, Padgett was a 1,000-point scorer (1,252) ranked 33rd all-time in points and 30th all-time in rebounds (651). He was named to the NCAA All-Regional Team and All-NCAA Final Four Team for his role in Kentucky’s 1998 championship run, then First Team All-SEC, SEC Tournament MVP, and First Team All-American (Wooden) in 1999, his senior season.

And tonight he really needs to take one for the team because his alma mater needs a win in a bad way.