After conflicting reports in late January, Louisville basketball and ESPN analyst says Scott Drew would listen if UofL showed interest.
Baylor head coach Scott Drew led the Bears from perennial Big XII basement dwellers to 2021 national champions. Now, Drew may be interested in making the jump to Louisville basketball- At least according to one man close to the program.
Louisville basketball and ESPN color analyst Bob Valvano said on his daily radio show that he believes Drew- In his 18th season with the Bears- would listen if Louisville basketball wanted to talk.
You can listen to the entirety of the Bob Valvano show here, but let’s take a look at this excerpt where he runs over Drew’s credentials and an interesting stat.
“The people that I have talked to that seem to think maybe Louisville can get some traction with would surprise you- I think. I have a mutual friend who told me that he thinks if you talked, Scott Drew would listen. And I think that would be a grand slam. He is the defending national championship coach. He’s got midwestern roots. His family is from Indiana. He would be great in the community. His team plays an entertaining style. He’s a very devout Christian but he doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but I think he’d find a receptive community here for that.
Scott has been great. I like Scott a lot. And what he’s done at Baylor is ridiculous. I wanna get my book for a second because this blows my mind. This amazes me. This stat blows you away when you hear this, or at least it blew me away. The game that I just did the other night between Baylor and Oklahoma State was the 305th game where Baylor was ranked since Scott Drew has been the head coach. But, this is the stat that comes at you. In the 2,197 games in Baylor history, before he got there, they were ranked two games. Two games out of 2,197 and now they’re 305 games ranked since he’s been there. He’s had 20 wins 13 years out of the last 15. The first 100 years of Baylor basketball, they’d only had three 20-win seasons.”
“I think he would listen,” Valvano went on to say and insisted that he felt Drew, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, and Oklahoma State’s Mike Boynton are three coaches that would be very interested based on his conversations.
Drew took over a Baylor program facing probation and a postseason ban in 2003.
In his first two seasons, under an NCAA cloud, Drew and Baylor only won 4 conference games.
Since then, and especially of recent, Drew has turned Baylor into a Big XII powerhouse alongside Kansas. He has tallied 5 sweet 16s, 3 Elite Eights, and the aforementioned national title since 2010.
Drew feels like an untouchable coach in many circles. In fact, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander listed him as one of a few coaches that he didn’t think would be interested.
“I will say with confidence that I don’t think guys like Scott Drew, Mick Cronin, Matt Painter, Bruce Pearl. I don’t think any of those four. I would be surprised,” Norlander said. “I’m never going to say never, but I would be surprised if any of those four names wound up coaching at Louisville next season.”
However, Drew’s modest (by elite college coaching standards) $3.3 million annual salary and unreported buyout might lead one to believe that if the opportunity is right, Drew could be a legitimate candidate for the Louisville basketball head coaching job.
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Insert all the laughing uncontrollably GIFs here. This is patently stupid. 0% chance he’d even talk to UL.
Your delusional If you think this is true at all