Scott Drew ‘called’ to Baylor, spurns Kentucky

Baylor basketball coach Scott Drew passed on the job at Kentucky, choosing to stay in Waco.

Drew said in a brief statement posted to Twitter on Thursday morning that he was looking forward to bringing championships to Baylor.

“In our program, we strive to put Jesus first, then others, then ourselves. We truly believe God has called my family and I to continue to work here at Baylor, surrounded by the best people and community anyone could be blessed to have. We are grateful for the support of (athletic director) Mack Rhoades, President (Linda) Livingstone and the entire Baylor Family, and we look forward to working together to bring more championships to Waco,” Drew's statement read.

The Wildcats are looking to hire a big name to replace John Calipari, who officially was named head coach at Arkansas on Wednesday. Already, UConn's Dan Hurley and Alabama's Nate Oats publicly removed themselves from consideration for the job.

Drew was pursued by Louisville last month and said family considerations, with his three children having grown up in Waco, Texas, and loyalty drove his desire to remain head coach of the Bears.

Reports last month detailing Drew's intent to stay at Baylor placed the financial commitment offered by Louisville at over $8 million per season.

Drew, 53, led Baylor to a national championship in 2020-21 and has guided the Bears to the NCAA Tournament 12 times in his 21 seasons with the program.

Drew's overall record at Baylor is 446-244, including a 24-11 finish in 202324. The third-seeded Bears fell to No. 6 seed Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

He also guided Baylor to a NIT championship in 2013 and was the Big 12 Coach of the Year for three consecutive seasons in 201920, 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Drew started his coaching career with one season at Valparaiso in 2002-03, finishing 20-11 after succeeding his father, Homer Drew.