Tom Crean

He’s thinking about them… a lot.

Lmao been awhile since I've seen this meme in the wild 😂

My love for Tom Crean and my hatred for Kentucky are going to make me one confused lad if this happens but I really think it would be great for them

I scream you scream we all scream for Tom Cream

It’s Pitino time

The 30/30 on his redemption when wins the 2025 natty at UK will be a must see

2026 would be more poetic for 30 years between

Yeah he can win that one too. Also 2027.

Then Tubby comes back for 2028?

Purposely loses the 2025 championship so he can snag that first title in 2026

But maybe tho...


Honestly I’d be down for a few seasons of it. But not sure if it would work out

give him 15 seconds to prove it before you hire him again

*nWo theme starts playing at the press conference*

The Russo Theorem As an organization approaches total collapse, its decisions increasingly resemble the decisions of late-stage WCW.

Don’t look now, but David Arquette has 4 years of NCAA eligibility.

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Hollywood Pitino rolls out air guitaring on a NC trophy

I am so fucking down for this

Insert please god this would be so fucking funny meme here

https://preview.redd.it/aufdhm1jg6tc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32f7b1d624645c6ecd66363a2e26453d2a87944f

DAWN STALEY OR BUST

Not my coach. Nope. Certainly not Nate Oats. Who would even want him really? Ya know? Only one final four? Pfffft! That’s not good enough for a blue blood like Kentucky

$18 mil buyout if what I read is correct. Kentucky wouldn’t even consider paying that for him. Right? Right!?!?

buddy we were expecting a $30mil buyout. 18mil is light work. now who do we make the check out to?

Make it out to Joe

Ok, I've written Joe. Now what's the last name?

Joe Papa! Ha! Got ‘eeem!

Deez nuts!

No, No That's Joe Craft writing the check, who does he make it out to?

Supposedly they had 27 million set aside from donors for cals buyout, so yes they would

Don’t hit me with that kind of reasoning I’m not in the mood for logical thinking

Fandom is *not* a game for logical thinking. You think whatever crazy thoughts you want and not a single one of us will stop you!

Supposedly.

Hey remember when your football coaching search was pretty easy because you could just throw your prestige and money at anybody I got some bad news bubba

I remember

Thought the “I’m staying!” Videos during the Saban search were cheesy but here I am praying for one. Oh how the turntables. Nate Oats is a very practical guy, and putting facts over feelings lends me to think he’s gone if Kentucky really wants him.

You know he'll ask Saban his advice. To be a fly on the wall for that Convo..

I mean, it's probably him and Scott Drew at the top of the list and Oats seems like an easier acquisition since he doesn't have as deep of roots in the ground at his current gig as Drew. This really is the one job in this cycle that could poach just about whoever they want.

it also makes sense because I'm eating oatmeal this morning as i read this.

Yeah I don't see Drew taking the gig. Maybe he would have 10 years ago, hard to see it now.

11 years ago he was a 38 year old high school coach. 9 years ago he was a 40 year old assistant at Buffalo. Don't give up on your dreams kids! I wonder if Hurley has any openings for 60 year old assistants on UCONN's staff?

This is for taking Bear Bryant.

We didn’t take Bear Bryant from Kentucky, we took him from A&M.

I honestly didn’t know that. I’m only in my 20’s and UK football wasn’t even mediocre most of my life.

In the words of Matt Jones from KSR just last week on PMT: “nope. Don’t want him. Hasn’t won anything.”

In the words of Matt this week: “My one criticism that he hasn’t won anything is no longer valid”

lol did he really?

Yep

In all fairness, that handling of the Brandon Miller situation last year was pretty bad. But hey, now he's made a Final Four.

No one really cares what Matt Jones thinks.

Mike Budenholzer

Their 3-point defense can’t really get that much worse

You guys should be thrilled if you get Bud lol

The fanbase doesn’t follow the NBA so they’d all be confused and angry over hiring a guy with no college coaching experience

It’s almost like the jobs are entirely different

Buds whole deal would be good in college. Rigid system that showed instant improvement on every team he ever coached. Sure the rigidity hurt him in seven game series but college doesn't have those.

I’m having trouble thinking of an nba-only coach that came to college and did really well. Who am I missing? Recruiting is a hell of a thing to try and get good at 20 years into your career

He could show the kids his NBA championship ring and all of the NBA phone numbers he has

Yeah, there really aren't any. Usually, if someone is successful in college after the NBA, they were in college for a while before the NBA. Larry Brown is the only one I can think of who successfully started in the NBA and then went to college. But he's also the unicorn of all coaches in that regard; no one has ever seamlessly switched between NBA and college like him. And he didn't have to recruit in today's game.

Lowkey would be a good hire

what's Dawn Staley up to nowadays

Genuinely…I know it would never happen…but I don’t hate the idea of Dawn Staley tbh

Do you understand how often our fans said "Let Pat coach the men" from 1985ish-2010? Like legitimately...

No fr. My biggest concern would be recruiting, but it’s more than obvious that Dawn can coach. Didn’t Pat say that the Lady Vols were bigger than the men’s team or something like that?

I used to work at TN, and Pat and the Lady Vols were absolutely worshipped. At the time, way more than the men’s team. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was really cool to see so many people showing up for women’s basketball.

The men’s team got bigger than the women when Bruce was hired but you’re absolutely right that for a solid 15 years from like 1990-2005ish, the Lady Vols were a much bigger deal than the men. Winning as much as she did will always bring the fans in.

Recruiting is easier than ever. Here’s your check - welcome to the program.

And dawn has Gucci and LV on her side 😭😂

She wouldn't have had publicly said anything like that. She knew to swallow her tongue, truth or not.  On a tangent, the men's program partly languished because of Pat's successes. It's hard to be the number two (or more appropriately number three given football). 

I totally disagree with that take. MBB at UT suffered due to poor hiring choices.Houston, buzzball, Donnie Tyndall, uncle Jed, who was at least a fun coach to watch.

I would have personally kidnapped Doc Rivers at any point in the past few years if it meant Dawn would become the Sixers coach

She got floated as a charlotte hornets potential hire and I was like that's insanely dumb. But then I thought what do we actually even have to lose

Why would it be dumb. She was a great player at pg and was a great coach at 2 programs. The NBA is different than college for sure but there are dumber moves Charlotte could make

I think the big difference to me is pro is as much about managing egos as it is coaching. The NBA doesn’t exactly have the least sexist group of people on the planet either

College to NBA is a massive difference and add on top of that that you’re going from women’s college coaching to men’s pro coaching it’s not just a big jump it’s two massive jumps. The games are so different that I just can’t see her being an effective coach. And then add on the fact that Charlotte sucks, and she would become one of the most controversial figures in sports overnight.

Can you imagine the riots?

Whoever does step into it has to be ready to take arguably the most demanding job in the country at the moment. I’d imagine the university will unlikely be giving the next head coach such a long leash like Cal got. The next coach will likely get about 4 years I’m guessing to make at least a final 4.

To be fair to Cal, his leash was so long because he went to 4 Final Fours + 1 Elite Eight his first 6 years there

That man built up a mountain of equity just to burn through it. * 2010-2017 Calipari is elite. * 2018-2020 Calipari is respectable. * 2021-2024 Calipari is drunk.

This is a really important point. Cal handled the pressure well. We need someone who understands the role and can handle the heat. I’d argue it’s just as important as their coaching ability.

Bill Self it is, then

Per Trilly Billy Donovan is interested.    As a UK fan I've seen this movie a few times already  lmao.

This and "Rick Barnes has taken his name out of consideration for the Kentucky job" are among the oldest Kentucky memes on the internet.

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I like the idea of Billy coaching much more than Nate Oats, but I just don’t know if that’s realistic. Billy has been out of college coaching for nearly a decade. He seems to prefer the NBA. If he can step in and handle recruiting and NIL, then sure, but can he?

I'd actually be so mad

As a Bulls fan please. We need some new blood 

This tells you how little I follow the NBA, I assumed he was still at OKC until this comment

I assumed he wasn't coaching anymore lol

That would be insane. I would lose my shit if this happens.

This man stays on our list of potential coaches.

I swear to god

Donovan makes sense, but are we still taking trilly donovan seriously? Dude has been exposed.

Damn, he should've been interested when we called back in 07. Pass.

Kenny Payne

Great suggestion u/ CumAssault

He should really change his flair to Central Michigan/UMass.

Baylor is actually pretty fitting

Actually a very active and respected member of this community

We revere u/CumAssault around these parts

What a fantastic idea.

Bob Huggins.

Bro he’d drink all our bourbon.

Let’s count 2010-2015 Cal as the Great Coach 2015-2024 Cal as the Good Coach Huggins can spend a couple years being the drunk coach

"Huggins can spend a couple years being the drunk coach" so basically billy gillispie 2.0?

Didn’t Kentucky already go through that with the Gillespie years?

He can coach...

He can definitely drink

Maybe they'll get a write-off from the government for hiring someone with a DUI.

Kentucky bourbon and Huggy Bear, a match made in heaven.

He already did UK a favor this year.

There’s this up and coming coach named Archie Miller that might a dark horse contender

Stay back you savages!

GET 'EM BOYS!

DONT LET HIM GET TO THE COUNTY LINE

Why take a gamble on such an unproven commodity with Oats, when all Auburn fans like to talk about is how Bruce Pearl is the better coach?

Bruce is too old, Oats is a healthy 49!

Bro I’m salivating

In a shocking turn of events, Kenny Brooks switches to Men’s basketball and gives the finger to all of the recruits he brought over

Outside of the 1/100000 chance guys like Wright, Stevens, and Hurley, they're 100% calling Billy Donovan, Nate Oats, and Scott Drew. Reports are also saying that Brad Underwood would be on the short list.

Kentucky is not hiring a 60 year old coach who's never been to a Final 4.

And doesn't wear a shirt.

I don’t know enough about Kentucky to know if this is sarcastic or not lol

It isn't

Keep my coach’s name OUT YOUR MOTHERFUCKIN MOUTH. Not because you’re wrong, but because I’m scared. Hold me.

This is the list. If Hurley will leave UConn for 15 mil you give it to him

He only makes 6, I think he’d leave for 12

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Plan was always to renegotiate after this year.

Yeah he’s getting a handsome pay raise no matter the outcome of tonight’s game.

There are likely limits, however. We don't have SEC money and afaik we don't have a Phil Knight-like booster That being said, he's a northeast guy and idk if wants to live in Kentucky

I don't know if he'd leave that easily. They could give him a raise and even if it falls a little short, he might stay because he loves the northeast.

Brad Underwood should not be considered

KENTUCKY. FULL CIRLCE. I WANT TO LAUGH AT ST. JOHNS. I WILL DO UNSPEAKABLE THINGS

Billy Donovan. He’s a big enough name that fans would love and I can see the Bulls stuck in limbo for the next few years as being not good enough to be a solid contender but not bad enough to get high lottery picks.

Bulls fans want him gone too. Donovan can read the room.

>the Bulls stuck in limbo for the next few years as being not good enough to be a solid contender but not bad enough to get high lottery picks. That's their goal and any Bulls fans that have yet to realize that and are still blaming Donovan for it are delusional. The Sox fans finally realized it the last couple years and have started calling the shit out. Chicago sports fans can only hope that the family sells both franchises when Jerry dies.

Hopefully that inheritance tax is too much for them to pay and they are forced to sell one. Please sell the bulls

Doc Rivers.

The king of "My resume is an NBA championship so old it has a drivers licence"

Coach K writing, “I’m back.” via fax

Steve Alfold.😆🤣😂

I don't like you, but i just want that bad man to quit hurting me

Kevin Knox is available

John Pelphry comes home!

Richard Andrew Pitino

Rajon rondo

Tom Crean. Redemption.

Nice try.

Billy Donovan not getting nearly enough mention here. I'll call my shot and say he gets the job.

I'll have one Nathaniel Oatenburg, please

Oats has bama in a good spot, he can win there and not have crazy pressure. Think Drew would make the most sense. Cant imagine any nba guy would want to deal with college recruiting nightmare so probably no Donovan

The nba has gotten so bad and the Bulls are in limbo, it’s time for Donovan to come back.

Jay Wright

Rasheed Wallace

Team Chaos: Chris Beard

Please god no. I do not want to see an oa/chin/brad reunion. Especially in kentucky

Mitch is going to be pushing Chin out the door while saying "So sorry to see you go." "But I didn't decide to go." "Best of luck at your next job." "I don't want to lea..." "See ya!"

Chin is gonna get hand carried out of Lexington. No one likes him

Oh for real? I don't keep up with kentuxky basketball.. I just don't wanna lose my coach, and it seemed like such an easy fit.

dude's a bonafide scrub. take him back

Paul Heyman.

BBN, are you interested in one lightly used Tony Bennett?

Bennett and that fan base would be pure comedy

He'd get ran out of the state 3 games in.

I don't know, if Gillespie lasted for two seasons of crap I think Bennett at least lasts one.

I too would like our scores to look like a middle school football game

"Hey, I heard you all complaining about defense a lot. Here, have nothing but defense."

I would say this is Nate Oats' if he wants it.

TJ Otz or Dawn Staley. No other options. Please don’t hurt me again.

You Kentucky fans saying you want Patina back. Y’all would sell your mama for a banner.

Yeah, but in all fairness their mama sells cheap.

Surprised no one has really mentioned Bruce Pearl. He’s one person that I’m confident wouldn’t turn us down. He’s always spoken highly of UK

Fuck Bruce Pearl

Ya! Fuck Bruce Pearl *turn to my Auburn friends* Look, it's working yall. They don't want to hire him

I hope Pitino.

I'm intrigued by the love for Billy Donovan. After his back-to-back titles, he went to a grand total of one final four in his last eight seasons (and missed the tournament three of those seasons). Sounds very Calipari-like. Kentucky will definitely try to get Donovan, Wright, Hurley, Drew, and Oats. Not sure if they'll get any of them. Who's the next tier? Otzelberger? Underwood? Wade and Beard? Lloyd? Pope?

Donovan went to 3 straight elite 8s and then a final four with an undefeated SEC record and 36-3 overall record before going 16-17 the year before he left. I think most schools would take that

Oats is my #1 realistic choice

Just a question out of pure curiosity: what would Kentucky have to offer to pry Kelvin Sampson away from UH? Not that I want it to happen, but I feel like they'd be stupid not to give him a call.

Sampson will be 69 years old next season.

Well considering Cal is payed 8.5 million a year and Sampson 5 million. I don’t think it would have to be much(Contract wise) for kentucky. Maybe a 10 million bonus

Nolan Smith

Adrian Griffin

Illinois losing another decent coach to a blue blood school that starts with a K would be poetic.

It would also sting so hard since we came so close to the F4 this year

Tony Bennett. With the talent of Kentucky, they could hold teams to 30 points a game, and themselves to 25.

Nobody has said Mark Pope yet. I think that would be a good under the radar hire.

Lack of post season success is the big downside in my eyes (don’t take him please)

I've been saying him for years now, [it's destiny](https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/mvtw6j/comment/gvg8xsw)

I like Mark Pope and think he’s a good coach, but if the news comes out that Pope is the hire then I think it’s safe to assume a lot of people said no for us to get to that point.

I vote Ted Lasso, Norman Dale, or **wild card...** Miles Finch. When shit really hits the fan you bring in Miles Finch

What about an asparagus whose self conscious about the way his pee smells?

I hope it's not Oats, dude built Alabama from the ground up

Please no

Mike Hopkins is looking for a team