ADVERTISEMENT

Realistic coaching replacements for Cal

Realistically we probably can't get a huge name to coach here. We are no longer anything special. We don't have anything to offer that any power 5 can't match. In this century we have 1 title.

We will need to look at some promising mid major coach or go the Duke/UNC route and hire someone that was connected to the program at some point.
😂🤮💩
 
You make Brad Stevens, Jay Wright, Billy Donovan, Pat Riley, 90's Rick Pitino, 90's-2010's Phil Jackson, and Gregg Popovich tell you know. If they say no, then you call Mark Pope, John Pelphrey, Rick Stansbury, Travis Ford, Chris Holtmann, or any other person that has ties to the program or grew up in the state of Kentucky.
 
Tommy Lloyd should be at the top of the list.

He’s been a top 2 seed every year at an Arizona job that was supposed to be a rebuild.

He won on the road at Duke this year, tough environment, stepped up to the plate, while Cal is something like 6-25 I think in neutral site games the past few years.

Gonzaga has fallen off since Lloyd left.

He’s only been at Arizona for 3 years, there’s a decent chance he can be pried away.

FWIW, Scott Drew would be 2 on my list, when he refused Louisville he basically mocked their program and said he would only consider leaving Baylor for a top prestigious program. I read that as signaling UK.
I came to see how much love Lloyd was getting. He’d be a top tier choice IMO after your obvious pipe dream names. McDermott is intriguing to me. I’ve always liked Buzz but just not sure about how I feel about him handling the pressure here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HagginHall1999
What I want to hear from our next coach
1. My coaching staff and I are here to win games with primary goals of competing for the SEC and NCAA tournament championships each season.
2. We will honor our great fan's support by having a competitive non-conference home schedule to prepare us for SEC play.
3. Our team will play for the name on the front of our jerseys and represent the legacy of UK both on and off the court. We will invite former players to attend practice/games and speak to the team about what it meant for them to play for the Big Blue.
4. We will strive to have a balanced roster of freshmen and veteran players each season with a roster of complimentary players that give us the best chance to succeed in reaching our team goals.
5. Our coaches and program administrators will work with each player to support and develop them for their future endeavors after leaving UK whether that is the NBA or a job in their field of study.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Justwantadecentteam
I came to see how much love Lloyd was getting. He’d be a top tier choice IMO after your obvious pipe dream names. McDermott is intriguing to me. I’ve always liked Buzz but just not sure about how I feel about him handling the pressure here.

I've been on the Lloyd train for over a year.

He isn't proven in tourney but that may change this year.

Guy can recruit and immediately made Arizona competitive. Was taught by Few...younger, would be a great hire.

I would much prefer him over Drew. Read on another board that Trilly Donovan says that Barney doesn't like Lloyd because of something that happened during Covid or some BS.
 
FWIW, Scott Drew would be 2 on my list, when he refused Louisville he basically mocked their program and said he would only consider leaving Baylor for a top prestigious program. I read that as signaling UK.
Lmao, that was a fake tweet from a parody account.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trueblujr2
You make big names tell you no and turn down big money. Donovan (even though I hate to ask him a third time), Stevens, Vogel, Wright.

Next group is Drew, Oats, Pearl and some others and one of them will take it. Pearly would definitely take it for a chance to finish his career here. He knows what it means to succeed at UK. Same with Oats.

I am more and more in the Todd Golden fan club though. He would be cheaper and is younger and could grow in to a legend
Steven’s is not leaving a job as the President of the Celtics who are NBA title contenders to come coach Kentucky. Donovan on the other hand has had a mediocre pro career. We could pay him more. You at least make the call. But Drew is the most likely and sensible candidate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zissou87
Scott Drew won a national title at Baylor. If someone would have told anyone on this board that a coach would win one there they would have laughed. People point at his record in conference, hell he’s in a better conference than the SEC and at a school that’s not historically good at all. People need to look more at how good these guys are as bench coaches then anything. Idc who the coach is here you can recruit players
 
  • Like
Reactions: trueblujr2
Oh is that why at least one other coach come out and said he turned the job down? That would mean he wasn’t the top guy. And several coaches were reportedly contacted and maybe interviewed at the time. I’ve forgotten more about college football than you’ll ever know. Don’t act like you have inside sources over anybody else so shut the hell up.
The Washington coach was a great candidate. He’s young and has been wildly successful everywhere he’s been. His teams exhibit offensive ingenuity. His players love him. To act like he was a second rate hire is short sided. He was a top candidate. It sounds like perhaps Norwell was another top candidate who didn’t interview. That’s pretty typical that some top candidates might not be interested.

You should do some further reasearch before spouting off. I included some sources below.



 
I don't want another Billy Gillespie, but I do want an up and comer. No idea who. I really don't want a retread. Maybe a hungry assistant from a major program.
 
Bruce Pearl is perfect fit, and I think it's the only Job he'd actually leave Auburn for. Let's be real, Hurley, Wright isn't walking thru that door
Bruce would kill it at UK, and it would be painful to deal with (as a UT fan). As much as we like Barnes, if Rick retired today, there would be many Vol fans clamoring to bring him back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Justwantadecentteam
Everyone is " realistic" OP .. until they say NO , they Are realistic . You cant read peoples minds and public statements are like diapers

I guess technically but it’s absurd to think Donovan (rejected us twice already), Stevens, Wright, Pat Riley or Greg Popovich would come coach here.

Ya know? I mean it’s not impossible that a plane crashes in my front yard tonight whilst carrying 14 attractive but odd looking female midgets. But it’s 99.9% not likely.
 
1) Pearl
2) Drew
3) Beard
I wish people would stop with the Pearl nonsense. He’s 64 and has baggage that Mitch won’t touch. I seriously don’t get the appeal. He just lost to Yale for Christ’s sake.
 
I guess technically but it’s absurd to think Donovan (rejected us twice already), Stevens, Wright, Pat Riley or Greg Popovich would come coach here.

Ya know? I mean it’s not impossible that a plane crashes in my front yard tonight whilst carrying 14 attractive but odd looking female midgets. But it’s 99.9% not likely.
Why does everyone think Donovan is unrealistic. When we asked him last it was a different time and different circumstances. His run in the NBA hasn’t been stellar and I’m not sure The Bulls will put up with too many more lackluster seasons. He may want another shot at the college level to try and save his legacy. Just make the call and let him tell you no.
 
Realistically we probably can't get a huge name to coach here. We are no longer anything special. We don't have anything to offer that any power 5 can't match. In this century we have 1 title.

We will need to look at some promising mid major coach or go the Duke/UNC route and hire someone that was connected to the program at some point.
Ignorant people said the same shit after Tubby & Billy were gone. Cal was the right guy at the time in 2009. It's time to make a change and let some other school desperate for success that mediocrity at Kentucky would be the best run in their program's history. To say UK can't get a big name coach to come is simply not true. Any school that will throw 10 year contracts to coaches with $10 million per year, better believe this is an attractive job. Not to mention the tradition and prestige of the Kentucky Basketball program. Coaches come here to win at the next level.
 
We are already turning into Indiana, Drew would for sure put us there.
We are not IU yet. But the wrong hire could get us there. Look at UNC after Dean Smith. They had a pretty rough and not so dissimilar run after Dean Smith, then they hired Roy Williams and got back to prominence. We’ve had a fairly rough 5-6 year run. Covid didn’t help matters. But we are still a blue blood program. We are the basketball equivalent of Alabama Football.
 
I’m in the ABC camp right now. Anyone But Cal. Homeless guy on street corner with “Will work for food “ sign > Cal.

Pearl. Older than what I’d prefer. Has some baggage. However, he’d fit in. Brings excitement. Not my top choice, but I’d take him.

Hurley. Good coach. I don’t see him leaving UConn. Don’t think he would embrace being UK coach and the microscope that comes with it. If he’d be willing, I’d play along, but I doubt he’s willing.

Golden. A risky but exciting choice. Not a long resume, but I like what I have seen so far. I wouldn’t sign a long term contract, and I’d have incentives built in the contract (with any candidate). I think the potential upside is worth the risk

Beard. He really doesn’t excite me, but he does have some winning experience. There is some baggage. I think he has been cleared though. I’d take him over both Cal and the homeless “Will work for food guy”

Buzz Williams. Not an exciting pick, but a Isolid guy and solid coach. Not a home run hire, but he could win here.

Dwayne Casey. Too old, but he could be here for a couple of years to buy us some time to get a better look at some younger guys like Golden.
 
We are not IU yet. But the wrong hire could get us there. Look at UNC after Dean Smith. They had a pretty rough and not so dissimilar run after Dean Smith, then they hired Roy Williams and got back to prominence. We’ve had a fairly rough 5-6 year run. Covid didn’t help matters. But we are still a blue blood program. We are the basketball equivalent of Alabama Football.
So maybe we should cut straight to the chase and hire "Bill Self"
 
Will Wade
Mitch would never. I know ppl here hate Wade bc of the Big A$$ offer LSU shenanigans…but the dude can coach and will win again when he gets a P5 gig.

Not in my top 5 but if we strike out…Wade would crawl here over glass for redemption.

I’d literally take Geno from the girls game before running Cal back. Could likely get him for 1-3m yearly the first 5 years as a chance to prove he can do it in the real league and it would help the buyout. (Not saying this is even top 10…but I’d prefer that over another year of cal)
 
  • Like
Reactions: chattanoogawildcat
This won't be popular, but don't think I am a Cal guy. I warned against him (not here, but to friends, I wasn't a member here back then) when he came. I didn't like the way he left Memphis bare when he came. Showed no loyalty.

But to ease his feelings and give UK a cheaper out, work out a PUBLIC deal that he will absolutely retire in two years. Make it seem publicly like it was idea. That he is ready to retire. Save face for him, give him a chance go out on top if he can win, and get him to walk away and onto TV in two years...with zero buyout.

Then hire the right up and coming guy not yet ready for the UK spotlight as a head-coach-in-waiting and maybe offensive coordinator. Groom them for the head job, teach them how to manage large NIL accounts and deal with the fanbase and donors and how to recruit at a high level. A Duke-Scheyer sort of thing.

I have no idea who that coach in waiting should be. But there are far more knowledgeable people who could find him. And surely there is someone with UK ties who that it should be.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT