Men’s coaching tracker: Latest buzz, candidates, analysis

The search to replace John Calipari rolls on, after Baylor‘s Scott Drew decided Thursday to turn down the Kentucky job and remain in Waco, sources told ESPN.

Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart developed a strong relationship with Drew during their time in the NCAA tournament bubble in 2021, when Drew led Baylor to the national championship and Barnhart was the NCAA tournament selection committee chair. The Wildcats had Drew near the top of their list, and members of Drew’s family even flew to Lexington on Wednesday.

But Drew and his family ultimately didn’t want to leave Waco — for the second time this cycle, as Louisville also pursued him for its vacancy — and will remain at Baylor.

Which means the power-conference carousel is in a holding pattern. After six high-major programs made hires following the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, the cycle slowed down to wait for Louisville to make its decision — which was eventually Charleston’s Pat Kelsey.

And then things went haywire. USC’s Andy Enfield left for SMU, Arkansas’ Eric Musselman headed west to replace Enfield, and then the biggest move of them all: Calipari departed Lexington after 15 years to go to SEC rival Arkansas.

So what’s the state of the carousel?

As it stands, 61 jobs have opened — 57 of which have been filled. As a point of reference, there were 61 job changes total last year, 60 in 2022 and 57 in 2021.

For as long as the carousel spins, until all the top jobs are filled, we’ll keep you updated here with the latest intel, buzz, scuttlebutt and everything in between for the men’s college basketball coaching cycle. Keep track of the full list of official changes here.

Last updated: April 11, 2024

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So where does Kentucky go from here?

This was the fear when speculation grew about Kentucky firing Calipari after the Wildcats’ NCAA tournament loss to Oakland last month: that prohibitive buyouts and coaches comfortable in their current situation would eliminate the first several names on Kentucky’s list.

Alabama‘s Nate Oats released a statement Monday night that he was staying in Tuscaloosa; UConn‘s Dan Hurley made it clear after the Huskies’ second straight national championship that he’s not going anywhere; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan distanced himself from the job earlier this week too. And now Drew has turned down the job to stay at Baylor.

Could Barnhart wait for Donovan’s season to end — the Bulls have a play-in game next week — before making a real push for the former Florida coach? Could the Wildcats throw a huge offer at Hurley to make him reconsider? Or will they simply move down the list?

Can the Wildcats make a run at Marquette‘s Shaka Smart? I don’t think Smart would take it…