After an absolutely embarrassing NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State, the Kentucky basketball program is now forced to regroup and think long and hard about its future. Is this good enough? That is what has to be asked.
As we have already thoroughly broken down, the financial reality of Mark Pope's hefty buyout makes a sudden coaching change highly complicated.
If Kentucky does decide to pull the plug and conduct a national search, likely spearheaded by the university rather than lame-duck Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, they need to swing for the fences.
Here are the five names Kentucky must call if the Mark Pope experiment officially comes to an end.
5 dream coaching candidates at the University of Kentucky
1. Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls)
That's right, it is the name that always pops up during a Kentucky coaching search but never seems to materialize. Finally luring Billy Donovan to Lexington would be a massive, program-shifting coup.
The current Chicago Bulls head coach is stuck navigating a frustrating rebuild in the NBA and may finally want the chance to return to the college game. As a two-time national champion with the Florida Gators, Donovan already knows what it takes to survive the SEC gauntlet. He knows the collegiate game inside and out. The only potential knock on him is a lack of modern NIL experience, but that is what a GM is for.
2. Dawn Staley (South Carolina Gamecocks)
The head coach down in Columbia, South Carolina, has accomplished just about everything possible in the sport of basketball. She is a five-time National Coach of the Year, has three NCAA titles under her belt, and keeps the Gamecocks permanently near the top of the country.
Yes, there are schematic and recruiting differences between the men's and women's games. Yes, it would be an incredibly out-of-the-box hire and likely would require a great staff. But Dawn Staley is an undisputed winner everywhere she goes, and I believe her elite leadership qualities would immediately translate to the men's game in Lexington.
3. Josh Schertz (Saint Louis Billikens)
Schertz just saw his season end at the hands of the mighty Michigan Wolverines in the Round of 32, but the young coach remains one of the fastest-rising names in the industry.
His teams play an incredibly attractive, modern brand of basketball. The Billikens finished the season in the top five nationally in offensive field goal percentage, while also finishing at the absolute top of the country in defensive field goal percentage allowed. Kentucky desperately needs a forward-thinking program builder, and Schertz perfectly fits the bill.
4. Ben McCollum (Iowa Hawkeyes)
McCollum is simply a winner, regardless of the level. He captured four NCAA Division II National Championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) at Northwest Missouri State, won 31 games in his only season transitioning to Division I at Drake, and then brought that exact same energy over to Iowa, winning 22 games and reaching the second round of the tournament.
McCollum knows the game at a fundamental level. If Kentucky wants to hire a proven winner who maximizes his roster's talent, McCollum is a home-run hire. His high-major Division I experience is still a bit limited, but anyone watching his teams can clearly see he knows how to coach at an elite level.
5. Rick Pitino (St. John's Red Storm)
Getting one of the best college basketball coaches of all time back in Camelot for one final ride would be magical.
Given his age, bringing Pitino back would absolutely require a concrete succession plan to be put in place immediately, as he likely isn't coaching for another 3 years. But considering what he has built everywhere he has been, and his undeniable history with the Big Blue Nation, is there anyone who would actually be against getting him back in Lexington to restore the program's swagger for one more go-around?
Plus more Pitino-Calipari magic? Yes, please.
Who do you want Kentucky to call? Or should they stick with Pope?