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Baylor center Yvesi Missi is entering the NBA Draft after a standout freshman season in Waco, Texas, he announced on Wednesday. Missi reclassified up last summer to join the Bears for the 2023-24 season and found a consistent role in the starting lineup immediately.

Missi started in 32 games and averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 23 minutes of action per night. Missi showed flashes of why he was the No. 42 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle by 247Sports with his elite ability to finish around the rim.

“I intend to enter the 2024 NBA draft and I am looking forward to the process,” Missi told ESPN. “I’m hiring Wasserman as an agency and I am all in!”

While Missi’s offensive game is one of his greatest strengths, he is also one of the top shot-blockers in the class. Missi’s elite athleticism for the position routinely allowed him to defend pick-and-rolls at a high level. He also contested shots around the basket frequently.

Yves Missi’s NBA Draft projection
Missi currently projects as a late-lottery or a mid-first-round selection. The 19-year-old has tools that can make him an elite shot blocker and rim runner at the next level, but his lack of shooting from outside the restricted area could be an area of concern at the next level. Missi is a high-upside prospect that could go higher than expected if a team wants to make a “swing for the fences” pick.

In the 2024 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings from CBS Sports, Missi checked in at No. 16. Missi landed at No. 17 in a recent mock draft from Kyle Boone and landed at No. 22 in Gary Parrish’s most recent mock draft.

“A raw prospect with tremendous upside, Missi is a potential lottery pick due to his size, skill, and shot blocking ability,” Boone wrote. “He’s a developmental type prospect but the flashes of “wow” he put together at the end of the season became more frequent.”

Impact on Baylor
With Missi off to the NBA and fellow freshman star Ja’Kobe Walter also expected to declare, Baylor will have work to do to replace that production. The Bears have the No. 9 recruiting class coming to campus this fall, with five-star forward V.J. Edgecombe headlining the class. Rob Wright (No. 25 in 247Sports rankings) and Jason Asemota (No. 47) join Edgecombe in Baylor’s 2024 recruiting class. With Baylor coach Scott Drew reportedly being a candidate to fill the vacant job at Kentucky, the roster could potentially look drastically different next season.

Introduced before a crowd of thousands of cheering fans at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night, new Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari quipped that he had “never gotten that kind of greeting in this building.”

The 65-year-old Hall of Famer recalled when he was ejected during a game inside the venue during the 2019-20 season that his Kentucky Wildcats won. Back then, the idea of Calipari one day leading another college basketball program – let alone an SEC rival – seemed unfathomable.

But it’s now reality, and Arkansas play-by-play announcer Chuck Barrett wasted little time hitting Calipari with the million dollar question.

“How did this happen?” Barrett asked as he shared a stage with Calipari for a question and answer session. “Walk us through this.”

“John Tyson,” Calipari responded, quick to credit the billionaire Arkansas booster he later referred to as “my good friend.” Both Calipari and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek were adamant Wednesday that the former CEO of Tyson Foods played a vital role in landing Calipari to replace Eric Musselman, who left after five seasons to take the USC job.

According to Calipari, Tyson asked if Calipari would meet with Yurachek last week. Both happened to be in the Phoenix area for the Final Four. Calipari agreed, insinuating that he assumed Yurachek might want his opinion on candidates to replace Musselman.

“Whatever John Tyson would ask me to do, I’m doing it,” Calipari said.

Arkansas coach John Calipari: “I have never gotten that kind of greeting in this building. As a matter of fact, you were probably here when I got thrown out of the building.” pic.twitter.com/Rk5y4nkiVx

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) April 10, 2024
The meeting lasted less than 90 minutes. Yurachek said Calipari “spent 15, 20 minutes bragging about how great of a job it was.” Yurachek eventually asked “why not you?”

“Why not me?” Calipari responded

“Yeah, why not you?” Yurachek shot back.

After talking with Yurachek, Calipari said he “went west” while mulling the possibility of leaving Kentucky for Arkansas. On his trip, Calipari said he spoke with a Catholic priest about the decision.

“Father, I’ve got to decide what I’m going to do here,” Calipari said. “One is Arkansas. The other one is Kentucky.”

The priest told him to go for an hour walk and have it in his mind that he was the Arkansas coach. Then, on the way back, Calipari should imagine that he was the Kentucky coach.

“You’ll see what moves your heart and what you want to do,” the priest told Calipari.

Calipari obliged and set out on a walk that rocked college basketball.

“I’ll be honest, when I thought about coming here and building this program and making it something special, it got me excited,” Calipari said.

Calipari said he planned to keep his talks with Arkansas under wraps until after Monday night’s national title game. But word broke Sunday that a deal was in the works. It was officially announced Wednesday as a five-year agreement worth $38 million before potential bonuses. The average salary in excess of $7 million falls short of what Calipari made at Kentucky but is roughly $3 million per year more than what the Razorbacks paid Musselman.

Yurachek made it clear the deal likely would have been impractical without Tyson and fellow booster Warren Stephens. The two “joined forces together to make certain we could offer the type of package that would lure coach Cal to Fayetteville,” Yurachek said.

In addition to the boosters, an unlikely figure also played a key role in getting Calipari to Arkansas: Kelvin Sampson.

Calipari said he called the Houston coach to inquire about working for Yurachek, who was Houston’s athletic director from 2015 to 2017.

“He almost jumped through the phone,” Calipari said. Soon, Calipari got a rundown of how Yurachek helped set the stage for Houston’s recent run of success.

“That got me to where I had to listen,” Calipari said. “I’ll say it again. Basketball coaches win games. Administrations win championships. You know why? Because they want to and it’s important to them.”

Players are also an important part of the championship equation. Arkansas’ 2024-25 roster is a blurry picture at the moment.

“I met with the team,” Calipari said. “There is no team.”

Coming off a first-round NCAA Tournament loss with a freshman-laden Kentucky team that fell against No. 14 seed Oakland, Calipari said “you can have freshmen, but they better be physically tough.” He also stressed the need for patience as the Arkansas roster comes together.

“It may take a little longer because there are kids that put their name in the NBA Draft that are going to go through some of the process,” Calipari said. “Which means, do you wait for that kid or do you go take somebody that’s not quite as good? You’re going to be juggling balls. That’s what we do now.”

The Kentucky basketball coaching job is now officially open. After days of reports and speculation, John Calipari posted his formal goodbye to Big Blue Nation on Tuesday via a video on social media. He didn’t say where he’d be going, but Arkansas ended any questions about that on Wednesday via a press release announcing that it had hired the Hall of Fame Coach. It brings a seismic shift in the SEC basketball landscape as Razorbacks add arguably the top college basketball recruiter in the sport, while the Kentucky basketball coaching search is now on for the first time since 2009. Here’s how it all went down.

Kentucky basketball has the nation’s most all-time victories, the highest winning percentage and eight national championships. It’s perhaps the most coveted job in the nation, so the Wildcats will have their pick of some of the top coaches in college basketball and perhaps even the NBA. If you love the Wildcats, or just want to know if your coach is the next target, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at CatsPause, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Kentucky.

The team of insiders at Catspause.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Kentucky basketball coaching search. Catspause has built a solid reputation over its 20+ years covering the Wildcats, and has deep-rooted sources inside and around the Kentucky athletic department.

CatsPause has collectively put together a list of coaches to watch as the Wildcats are in the thick of their search. And right now, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.

The team at CatsPause already has a list out of 12 potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head to CatsPause now to see them all.

Top Kentucky head coaching candidates
While Scott Drew is a possibility, one name the staff has identified as a potential candidate is BYU head coach Mark Pope. He checks several boxes as a championship-winning player at Kentucky, a former assistant coach in the SEC (Georgia, 2009-10) and now a power-conference head coach in the Big 12. He’s led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances and has had them ranked No. 15 or higher at some point in three different seasons.

Pope’s downsides include that he’s never won a game in the NCAA Tournament and he’s not known as an elite recruiter. Though he played at Kentucky and had assistant coaching stints at Georgia and Wake Forest, the Nebraska native has done all of his recent coaching out West. He had a stint at BYU as an assistant from 2011-15 before serving as the head coach at Utah Valley and then coming back to BYU as the head coach in 2019. There would be a clear adjustment in returning to a new-look SEC that will feature high-profile coaches such as Nate Oats, Rick Barnes, Bruce Pearl and Calipari.

Another name on the list is Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. Every team in the nation is chasing UConn right now after the Huskies just won their second consecutive national title. The last coach to accomplish that feat was Donovan with the Florida Gators back in 2006 and 2007, so perhaps he’s the coach Kentucky would tap to get the Wildcats back to the top.

Donovan stayed at Florida until 2015, leading the Gators to five more NCAA Tournament appearances and another trip to the Final Four in 2014. He’s been in the NBA since that point, coaching the Thunder from 2015-2020 and the Bulls since that point. Chicago has only made it to the playoffs once under Donovan and has hovered around .500 the past couple years. If he took the Kentucky job, he’d be returning to an entirely different world in college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal taking focus, but his past success at Florida makes him one of the coaches who could draw as much buzz as Calipari did during his tenure. See more candidates at CatsPause.

How to get insider Kentucky coaching search updates
The rest of the list of 10 names to know includes multiple national championship winners, and a shocking name who is currently coaching another SEC program. See who it is at CatsPause

Who are the top names in the Kentucky coaching search as the Wildcats look to replace John Calipari, and what other SEC coach could be on the move? Go to CatsPause to see their hot board and more, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Wildcats, and find out. And reminder, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual VIP membership* as a coaching search special, so subscribe now before it’s too late.

*Terms: This offer is only available for new members who sign up for a CatsPause annual subscription. After the first year, subscription will re-bill on an annual basis at the regular rate. 247Sports.com reserves the right to alter or cancel this promotion at any time. Please write support@247sports.com with any questions you may have.

Calipari announced on social media on Tuesday that he is stepping away from Kentucky after 15 seasons with the program. Calipari was officially hired as the next coach at Arkansas on Wednesday less than 24 hours after the video was released.

Calipari’s departure comes just weeks after UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart met with him to confirm he would be returning for his 16th season with the program.

CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported that Calipari leaving Kentucky has been on the table since February. Norlander also reported that Calipari privately expressed “significant and serious” interest in the Ohio State job, but the timing wasn’t right. The Buckeyes elected to elevate interim coach Jake Diebler after he helped turn around the program immediately after former coach Chris Holtmann was fired.

There should be a long list of high-major coaches that check most of the boxes Kentucky is looking for with recruiting likely a high priority. Kentucky finished with a top-five recruiting class every cycle since 247Sports started tracking team rankings in 2010. The Wildcats landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020, and 2023 under Calipari’s watch.

The last time the program embarked on a coaching search, UK poached Calipari from Memphis. Who will Kentucky decide on this time? It’s too early to tell, but we’ve come up with some potential candidates Kentucky should consider to replace Calipari.

Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls coach
The last coach to lead a team to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments has been coaching in the NBA since taking the Oklahoma City Thunder job in 2015. Could this be the year Donovan returns to the college game? The Bulls are on track to miss the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons under Donovan’s watch, and with the organization potentially at a crossroads between rebuilding and competing, this would be the perfect time to explore his options. Donovan started his coaching career as an assistant at Kentucky in 1989 and spent five years with the program before taking the job at Marshall. Donovan is 502-206 as a college head coach at Florida and Marshall.

Donovan said on Tuesday before the Bulls faced the New York Knicks that he had not been contacted yet in regards to the Kentucky job.

“I have not been contacted by anybody, I haven’t spoken to anybody,” Donovan told reporters before the game. “My total commitment and focus is here to this team and to this group.”

Sean Miller, Xavier coach
The former Arizona coach is on his second stint as the head of the Xavier program. After spending time as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio), Pittsburgh, NC State, and Xavier, Miller was elevated to lead the Musketeers in 2004. He spent five seasons in his first stint at Xavier before guiding Arizona to three Elite Eight appearances in his 12 years with the program. After the Wildcats fired Miller in 2021, and he took a year off from coaching, Xavier hired him once again to lead the program. Miller is 465-184 as a coach.

Rick Pitino, St. John’s coach
Pitino has had many stops over his long coaching career. One of those stops was as the coach of Kentucky from 1989-97. After coaching two seasons in the NBA for the New York Knicks, Pitino accepted the Kentucky job and went 219-50 at the school, which included a national championship in 1996 and three Final Four appearances. Pitino has a 731-303 record as a college coach and is coming off his inaugural season leading St. John’s. Pitino is one of the great personalities in the sport that would help unite the Kentucky fan base.

Mark Pope, BYU coach
Pope played at Kentucky from 1994-96 and was on Kentucky’s 1996 national championship team, playing a role at bringing home the program’s sixth national title. As a coach, Pope has seen a steady rise since starting his coaching career as an assistant coach at Georgia in 2010. After stints as an assistant coach at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU, he landed the Utah Valley job in 2015. After spending four seasons in the WAC, Pope was hired by BYU. Pope has guided BYU to two NCAA Tournament appearances and finished the 2023-24 season with a 23-11 record in its first season as a member of the Big 12.

Out of contention
Scott Drew, Baylor coach
Drew would have been a logical choice for the Kentucky job because of his friendship with Barnhart, and because he’s a program builder. He inherited a Baylor program that was on the verge of the death penalty and built it into a national champion nearly two decades later. However, Matt Norlander reports that Drew turned down the job to remain with the Bears.

Dan Hurley, UConn coach
After winning a second consecutive national title Monday, Hurley scoffed at the notion of leaving UConn. “I don’t think that’s a concern,” he said at his postgame news conference. Hurley has built UConn into a juggernaut. He is one of the more chasmic coaches in the sport and has a track record of recruiting and developing talent. Hurley is 292-163 as a coach at Wagner, Rhode Island and UConn.

Nate Oats, Alabama coach
Since Oats took the job at Alabama five years ago, he’s elevated the program to new heights and would have been a logical candidate to replace Calipari. The Crimson Tide reached the Final Four for the first time in program history this season, less than a year after losing seven of their top nine scorers on a team that was the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Due to the style of play his team’s play, Oats will remain one of the most attractive coaching names in the carousel even though he just signed a contract extension that was designed to keep him at UA until 2030. His buyout is $18 million, and while that is a massive number, it wouldn’t scare away Kentucky. However, Oats appears to be off the board after releasing a statement Monday night saying he’s committed to Alabama.

Houston star Jamal Shead will forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the NBA Draft, he announced Thursday. The 6-foot-1 point guard earned First Team All-America honors from CBS Sports in the 2023-24 season while leading the Cougars to a Big 12 regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“I feel like it’s my time to move on and go chase my dreams a little bit,” Shead told KPRC, Houston’s NBC affiliate. “These have been some of the best four years of my life with the best people I’ve met in my life, with family that have embraced me with love. It was a big decision. Me and my family and coach talked over it, and I feel like right now is just that time.”

Shead is not a lock to be selected in the first round, but he had little left to prove after playing a key role for Houston over the past four seasons. After coming off the bench as a freshman, Shead started 106 games over the past three seasons and blossomed into one of the country’s top point guards.

The former three-star prospect averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game during the 2023-24 season. His campaign came to an end in the first half of Houston’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke when he suffered an ankle injury that crippled the Cougars. Houston made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament each of Shead’s four seasons and reached the Final Four during his freshman year.

Jamal Shead’s NBA Draft projection
Shead ranks No. 38 in the 2024 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings from CBS Sports. As a relatively small guard with just a 29.6% career 3-point shooting mark, he will face plenty of skepticism during the NBA Draft process. But as the Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Shead brings intangibles to the table that can’t be measured at the combine. He is an unselfish playmaker with great feel and better defensive upside than most players his size. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson raved over the years about Shead’s leadership skills and basketball IQ. Don’t be surprised if Shead slips to the second round but manages to carve out a role in the league.

Impact on Houston
Shead’s departure stings, but the Cougars have been getting good news from elsewhere on the roster. Emanuel Sharp, L.J. Cryer and J’Wan Roberts have each indicated they plan to return for the 2024-25 season after playing pivotal roles. Replacing Shead’s leadership won’t be easy, but Sampson appears to be on track to have the critical mass of returning veterans that is vitally important in the mass transfer era.

Houston was No. 1 in Version 1.0 of the 2024-25 CBS Sports preseason Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings based on a projected roster that included Jamal Shead. On Thursday, though, the CBS Sports First Team All-American announced that he’s entering the 2024 NBA Draft while suggesting he has no intention of returning to college basketball.

“I feel like it’s my time to move on,” Shead told the NBC affiliate in Houston. “It’s time to chase my dreams.”

That’s obviously a big loss — but Houston is still set to return six of the top eight scorers from a team that won the Big 12 regular-season title by multiple games and secured a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. So I’m only dropping the Cougars to No. 3 in Version 2.0 of the Top 25 And 1.

The new No. 1 is North Carolina — and Duke is up to No. 2 thanks to Tyrese Proctor’s announcement on Thursday that he’s returning to the Blue Devils for a third season after averaging 10.5 points in 30.4 minutes per game as a sophomore. UNC’s No. 1 ranking is based on a roster projection reliant upon RJ Davis, Harrison Ingram and Elliot Cadeau each returning to give the Tar Heels three of the top five scorers back from a team that won the ACC regular-season title and secured a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. If any of those players instead exit, or if UNC’s top-10 recruiting class headlined by five-star guards Ian Jackson and Drake Powell falls apart for whatever reason, I’ll adjust, just like always. But, for now at least, North Carolina is No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1.

The only other development that impacted Version 2.0 of the Top 25 And 1 is Tennessee’s Jonas Aidoo entering the transfer portal on Thursday. That means the Vols are now set to lose three of their top five scorers from a team that won the SEC regular-season title and secured a No. 2 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They’re down to No. 19 in Version 2.0 of the Top 25 And 1.

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