Turns out, Kentucky was able to convince a Baylor coach to leave after all.
Less than two weeks after Scott Drew turned down Kentucky's offer to become its next head coach, Drew has lost his top assistant to the Wildcats. Alvin Brooks III is leaving the Bears after eight seasons under Drew to join Mark Pope's staff as the associate head coach at Kentucky, sources told CBS Sports.
Brooks made his decision late Tuesday night, after having visited Kentucky earlier in the day. It's a major coup for Pope, who has now filled out four of his five assistant spots. Recent NCAA rule changes allow for five assistant coaches, with three of those being primary roles that also, crucially, include on-the-road recruiting responsibilities. Brooks, who carries a prestigious reputation and helped Drew build Baylor into one of the top programs in the sport over the past half-decade, will be Pope's top lieutenant in Lexington.
Pope has also brought on former G League Ignite head coach/longtime USC assistant Jason Hart, a hire that was lauded across the industry. Hart, like Brooks, carries a lot of esteem in basketball circles — high school, college and pro. Rounding out the top three is Cody Fueger, who worked all five years under Pope at BYU and has made the switch to Kentucky. Every one of Pope's assistants are considered to be future head coach material.
Pope has also hired former Cal/Georgia/Nevada coach Mark Fox in an off-the-road capacity. He'll officially serve as the special assistant to the head coach. In 2009, when Pope left med school to get into coaching, Fox hired him at Georgia and gave Pope his first job in college basketball. He's been a mentor to Pope ever since. Fox will be coming over after spending a year as a de facto general manager of Georgetown's roster under Ed Cooley.
As for the fifth and final assistant's post at Kentucky, sources told CBS Sports that it will be "a little while" before Pope makes a decision on who is getting that gig.
With a staff mostly filled out, sources said Pope and company are now burrowing in on a litany of official visits in the hopes of getting more players on board as soon as possible. Kentucky currently has commitments from just three players: top-40 freshman Collin Chandler, previously committed to BYU; top-75 freshman/Kentucky native Travis Perry; and Drexel grad transfer Amari Williams, who will play center. Kentucky has more visits scheduled in the coming days, highlighted by Saint Mary's transfer Aidan Mahaney and Utah State transfer Great Osobor.
Renovations in Waco
Down at Baylor, Drew is undergoing significant changes on his staff after having unusual continuity for years at one of the best programs in the sport.
He recently lost John Jakus — who, like Brooks, was an assistant on the 2020-21 title-winning team — in late March when Jakus won the FAU job. Drew's also had to replace a director of basketball operations and a non-recruiting assistant all in the past month. At least one position is set to be filled, though. Drew is hiring former Ole Miss and LSU assistant Bill Armstrong, sources said. Armstrong spent the past two seasons coaching high school (Link Academy).
Brooks leaving for Kentucky isn't expected to change Baylor's biggest incoming commitment. Five-star shooting guard VJ Edgecombe — the No. 5 player in the 2024 class, per 247 Sports — was recruited by Brooks to BU. But despite Brooks leaving for Kentucky, Edgecombe is still expected to play for Baylor, a source said.
Baylor also recently got a commitment from Duke grad transfer Jeremy Roach, who has bolstered what should be one of the best backcourts in the nation next season. More high-profile transfer portal commitments are expected at Baylor in the coming week.
Under Drew, Baylor is 128-35 (.785) the past five seasons, which amounts to one of the best winning percentages in college hoops, and is the only program to earn a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed the past four NCAA Tournaments. It's one of five schools that's been ranked in the top 10 in each of the past five seasons, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Gonzaga.
