The Kentucky Wildcats hadn’t made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, so it felt like a split between the program and head coach John Calipari was inevitable in the coming years. Calipari appears to have jumped in front of that situation, reportedly agreeing to take the head coaching job at Arkansas, which was vacated when Eric Musselman left for USC. Calipari, long known as the top recruiter in college basketball, should bring an infusion of talent to Fayetteville, and the Kentucky basketball coach to replace him will be heavily scrutinized since this blue blood program has an opening for the first time since 2009.
Though Kentucky has enjoyed long periods of basketball stability, there have been several downturns, especially under Calipari’s predecessor, Billy Gillespie, so making the right hire is critical for this program and maintaining strong Kentucky basketball recruiting. If you love the Wildcats, or just want to know if your coach is the next target, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at CatsPause, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Kentucky.
The team of insiders at Catspause.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Kentucky basketball coaching search. Catspause has built a solid reputation over its 20+ years covering the Wildcats, and has deep-rooted sources inside and around the Kentucky athletic department.
CatsPause has collectively put together a list of coaches to watch as the Wildcats are in the thick of their search. And right now, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at CatsPause already has a list out of 12 potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head to CatsPause now to see them all.
Top Kentucky head coaching candidates
One name the staff has identified as a potential candidate is BYU head coach Mark Pope. He checks several boxes as a championship-winning player at Kentucky, a former assistant coach in the SEC (Georgia, 2009-10) and now a power-conference head coach in the Big 12. He’s led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances and has had them ranked No. 15 or higher at some point in three different seasons.
Pope’s downsides include that he’s never won a game in the NCAA Tournament and he’s not known as an elite recruiter. Though he played at Kentucky and had assistant coaching stints at Georgia and Wake Forest, the Nebraska native has done all of his recent coaching out West. He had a stint at BYU as an assistant from 2011-15 before serving as the head coach at Utah Valley and then coming back to BYU as the head coach in 2019. There would be a clear adjustment in returning to a new-look SEC that will feature high-profile coaches such as Nate Oats, Rick Barnes, Bruce Pearl and Calipari.
Another name on the list is Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. Not only does he have SEC experience as a two-time national championship-winning head coach at the University of Florida, but Donovan is one of the few Kentucky coaching candidates with actual history in Lexington. Donovan was an assistant at Kentucky under Rick Pitino from 1989-94 before embarking on a head coaching career now in its 31st year.
Apart from his two national titles, Donovan had another pair of Final Four appearances at Florida, and he made the Western Conference Finals in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, Donovan hasn’t won an NBA playoff series since 2016, and his Bulls are headed to the NBA play-in tournament this year. Donovan is also nine years removed from coaching in college basketball, so he’d have to navigate a much different landscape with the era of NIL and the transfer portal taking center stage in recent years. See more candidates at CatsPause.
How to get insider Kentucky coaching search updates
The rest of the list of 10 names to know includes several other current SEC head coaches, and a shocking name who is already in the Hall of Fame. See who it is at CatsPause
Who are the top names in the Kentucky coaching search as the Wildcats look to replace John Calipari, and what Hall of Fame coach could be on the move? Go to CatsPause to see their hot board and more, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Wildcats, and find out. And reminder, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual VIP membership* as a coaching search special, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
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