OU men's basketball assistant K.T. Turner leaves program to join Kentucky’s staff
OU confirmed Tuesday that former associate head coach K.T. Turner will join Kentucky's staff as an assistant coach.
The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker first reported the hiring.
Turner is now a part of a third program in as many years after spending one season apiece at OU and Texas. He fills the void left by Jai Lucas, who left Kentucky's staff in April to become an assistant coach at Duke.
When asked what he was looking for in a replacement during a radio appearance shortly after Lucas' departure, Kentucky head coach John Calipari expressed his desire to add an assistant with pro-level development skills.
"Whoever it is, they've got to add value," Calipari said, according to the Courier Journal. "They've got to show me how they've added value to players. Our stuff here is results. Have you worked with NBA players? Who have you developed? ... Our guys are NBA players, so have you worked with those kind of guys?"
Turner meets that requirement. In his lone season as an associate head coach at Texas, he helped develop Kai Jones into the 2021 Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and a first-round pick in the ensuing NBA Draft.
Prior to that, Turner spent seven seasons on SMU's staff. He developed three NBA Draft picks during his time with the program (Semi Ojeleye, Sterling Brown and Shake Milton).
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Turner becomes the fourth member of the Sooners’ staff to leave since the hiring of head coach Porter Moser last offseason.
OU director of basketball operations Mike Shepherd left Norman last December to become Casady School's athletic director. Cade Davis, Shepherd’s interim replacement, then left on May 6 to become Casady School’s assistant athletic director for upper division.
Former OU associate head coach David Patrick also departed to become Sacramento State’s head coach on April 5. He spent one season with the Sooners.
Emanuel Dildy is the last of three assistant coaches hired by Moser last offseason to remain at OU.
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Justin Martinez can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or @JTheSportsDude on Twitter. Make sure to subscribe to The Oklahoman to stay up to date with all local sports.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU men’s basketball: Assistant coach K.T. Turner joins Kentucky staff
