Is the coaching ‘seat’ heating up for a former UK basketball player?
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As recently as the start of the 2019-20 season, there were a robust eight ex-Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball players serving as NCAA Division I head coaches.
This year, that number stands at four. Among them, the 2023-24 season has turned a bit rocky for two.
As conference play tips off, let’s take a look, in alphabetical order, at how things are going for the four ex-Cats who are presently serving as Division I head men:
TRAVIS FORD
UK days: Accumulated 951 points and 428 assists as a point guard for Rick Pitino (1991 through 1994).
Current school: Saint Louis.
2023-24 numbers: 7-8 (0-2 Atlantic 10 Conference). The Billikens rank No. 236 in the NCAA NET rankings. That is last among A-10 schools.
Overall coaching record: In his eighth season at Saint Louis, Ford is 140-97 with one NCAA Tournament trip. Over 25 seasons as a Division I head man, Ford, 54, is 418-323 with seven NCAA tourney appearances.
The preseason expectations: After losing four starters from last year, the Billikens were picked sixth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.
How the season is going: Not great, Bob. Saint Louis started 4-0 but has subsequently gone 3-8.
Injuries have been damaging. Junior guard Sincere Parker was averaging 17.3 points through four games when he was lost to a broken foot. Veteran guard Michael Meadows, who has a 3-to-1 assists/turnovers ratio, has been in and out of the lineup due to a back injury, then a concussion.
The big picture: Judging from social media, Saint Louis fans are restless.
If SLU keeps Travis Ford after this season, the Billikens might as well go down to Division 2. Keeping him last year wasn’t smart but at least kind of defensible. There’s no justifiable reason to keep him given this year’s performance and the trajectory of the program
— A10 Talk (@A10Talk) January 6, 2024
SLU has 2 guys injured and Travis Ford is talking like he can barely field a team and is having to play walk-ons. He has multiple scholarship athletes who aren’t in the rotation. The injury issues aren’t holding the team back, the guy using them as an excuse is
— Jack Godar (@JackGodar) January 7, 2024
…does Travis Ford make it to February?
— &rew (@Brewed4TheDrew) January 4, 2024
In the five seasons prior to this one, Ford led Saint Louis to four 20-plus win campaigns. If this year doesn’t turn, Ford’s prior success should buy him more time — but will it?
JOHN PELPHREY
UK days: A 6-foot-7 wing, Pelphrey had 1,257 career points, 469 rebounds and 327 assists from 1988 through 1992.
Current school: Tennessee Tech.
2023-24 numbers: 6-11 (1-3 Ohio Valley Conference). The Golden Eagles are No. 327 in the NET rankings, eighth of 11 OVC teams.
Overall coaching record: In his fifth season at Tennessee Tech, Pelphrey is 47-93. Over 14 seasons as a head coach, Pelphrey is 196-219 with two NCAA Tournament trips.
The preseason expectations: Tennessee Tech lost standout Jaylen Sebree (15.4 points, 7.3 rebounds) and more than 50% of its scoring from last season’s team that finished second in the OVC (11-7) and lost in overtime to Southeast Missouri State in the league tournament finals.
The 2023-24 Golden Eagles were picked sixth in the OVC preseason poll.
How the season is going: Less than stellar. Of Tech’s six wins to date, three — vs. Midway, Alice Lloyd and Bethel (Tennessee) — are over small-college foes.
In a contest against OVC favorite Morehead State last week, Tech got crushed 82-57.
The big picture: Tennessee Tech has not played in a men’s NCAA Tournament since 1963. Pelphrey, 55, was agonizingly close to ending that NCAA tourney drought last season.
In what history says is one of the most challenging head coaching jobs in NCAA Division I, how much goodwill did Pelphrey bank off of last season’s March Madness near-miss?
DWIGHT PERRY
UK days: The walk-on guard’s Kentucky claim to fame was starting vs. Villanova in the 2007 NCAA Tournament round of 64 after he was mistakenly listed as a starter by UK instead of his cousin, regular starting forward Bobby Perry.
Otherwise, Dwight Perry scored five career points as a Wildcat (2006 through 2009).
Current school: Wofford.
2023-24 numbers: 8-7 (1-1 Southern Conference). Wofford is No. 171 in the NET, fourth among SoCon teams.
Overall coaching record: After inheriting the Wofford job during last season, Perry is 20-19.
The preseason expectations: The Terriers were picked eighth in the Southern Conference preseason poll.
How the season is going: Things have perked up. After enduring a five-game losing streak in November that included road defeats to Tennessee and Virginia Tech, Perry has directed Wofford to six wins in its past eight games.
Perhaps the most impressive of those victories came on Dec. 2, a 74-64 overtime win at Conference USA co-favorite Middle Tennessee State.
The big picture: Now the head man at Virginia Tech, Mike Young coached Wofford to five NCAA Tournament appearances between 2010 and 2019.
The challenge for Perry, 36, is to build Wofford back to that level.
MARK POPE
UK days: After transferring from Washington, Pope scored 546 points and grabbed 394 rebounds in two seasons (1994 through 1996) as a Cat. The 6-10 center was a rotation player on UK’s 1996 NCAA championship team.
Current school: BYU.
2023-24 numbers: 12-2 (0-1 Big 12). Entered last week ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 but dropped to No. 18 this week. Cougars are No. 4 in the NET rankings, second behind only Houston among Big 12 teams.
Overall coaching record: In his fifth season at BYU, Pope is 99-43 with one NCAA tourney trip (2021). Overall as a head man, Pope, 51, is 176-99.
The preseason expectations: BYU was picked 13th (of 14) in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll.
How the season is going: Until Saturday, things were pretty great. Pope deploys a wide-open offensive style and BYU leads the country in 3-pointers made per game (12.9) and is sixth in the nation in scoring (88.2 points).
In the Cougars Big 12 Conference debut vs. Cincinnati on Saturday, however, BYU’s 3-point accuracy went awry. The Cougars made only 13 of 46 treys and saw a 31-24 halftime lead turn into a 71-60 loss to the Bearcats.
The big picture: Ahead on the Cougars schedule is a gauntlet of challenging games with Big 12 foes such as No. 25 Texas, No. 14 Baylor, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 3 Kansas and No. 2 Houston.
Should Pope, 51, prove himself worthy of the Big 12 challenge, the ex-UK big man could emerge as one of the most attractive coaching candidates in the country.
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