Scott Drew turns down Kentucky, will remain at Baylor
Scott Drew is staying at Baylor, and the Kentucky search rolls on. The 53-year-old Drew has made the decision to return to Waco for a 22nd season and will continue to call Baylor home, sources told FOX Sports Thursday morning. With three children in high school and college, Drew and his family reached the choice to pass on Lexington and a blue-blood program to stay on with the Bears.
With that, Kentucky's search continues. Who could be next? The program will certainly continue to try and sell UConn's Dan Hurley and the Chicago Bulls' Billy Donovan on the vacancy, but there's little sign that either of those coaches could end up at Kentucky. Do not be surprised if Kentucky takes a look at Xavier head coach Sean Miller.
Drew, who led Baylor to its first national championship in 2021, is the Bears all-time winningest coach with 446 victories and 12 NCAA Tournament trips in his last 17 seasons, including five Sweet 16 trips and three Elite Eight appearances.
Drew's choice to stay at Baylor comes just three weeks after he took himself out of the running for the Louisville job despite a lucrative offer of over $8 million per year from the Cardinals, according to sources.
"I am locked in on Baylor University," Drew said at the time in an interview with Baylor flagship radio station 1660. "Baylor is my home and my family's home."
Drew took over a Baylor program that was coming off a massive NCAA scandal surrounding the murder of a player in 2003, leading the program out of a tumultuous period and making the Bears one of the nation's best.
Drew, who is the son of College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Homer Drew and brother of Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew, has a 446-244 record in 21 seasons in Waco.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
