Sean Woods accepts head coaching job at Scott County

An Unforgettable is jumping back in the coaching ranks after a two-year hiatus roaming the sidelines. Sean Woods, who has 14 years of head coaching experience in college basketball and 25 years of experience at that level overall, will take over at Scott County with the Cardinals coming off a 6-21 record this past season.

Following the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Billy Hicks and the opening of Great Crossing — Kentucky signee home of Malachi Moreno — the Cardinals turned four consecutive 11th Region titles into five straight losing seasons in Georgetown. Coach Steve Helton announced he would be stepping down back in March, creating an opening for one of the best jobs in Kentucky.

That opening will be filled by a Wildcat legend, a UK Athletics Hall of Famer who racked up 794 career points and 482 assists from 1989-92 under Rick Pitino. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in its historic 2005 charter class consisting of 88 individuals who had previously had their jersey retired.

“As we sought the next leader for our boys’ basketball program, we prioritized a coach with proven success, a commitment to student athlete development, and alignment with our district’s mission to provide meaningful opportunities for our students,” Scott County Superintendent Billy Parker said, via the Georgetown News-Graphic. “Sean Woods embodies those qualities.” 

 “When we met, it was a natural situation,” Woods added. “I’m a basketball coach, not just a college basketball coach. With the tradition and the support and the pride that Scott County has for basketball, it’s a perfect fit. … We’ve got to bring the mystique back, and the pride back to Scott County. And by doing that–just doing the right things and seizing the sizzle, making sure we continue to enhance the youngsters in Scott County, from elementary and middle school. … That’s what made Billy Hicks’ so great is his ability to develop the youngsters in the county.”

Woods has a 191-232 overall record across stints at Mississippi Valley State (2008-12), Morehead State (2012-17) and Southern (2019-23). He also served as an assistant at High Point, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, TCU and Stetson. He went 64-82 in his most recent stint at Southern through 2023.

The former Wildcat’s No. 11 jersey hangs in the rafters inside Rupp Arena following his three-year playing career averaging 8.7 points, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 26.3 minutes per contest.

A Kentucky legend is staying local to coach a historic program. Now the only question is, will they still let him hop on the KSR Pregame Shows to talk about the Cats later this year?