News / Sports
Kentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith Leaving Wildcats for Minnesota Gophers Job
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith has opted to forgo his remaining four years on his current contract to take on the head coach job at Minnesota.
The Kentucky faithful had been calling for Smith’s dismissal after another disappointing season that saw the Wildcats finish 9-7 in the SEC and 22-12 overall. Kentucky won their opening game in the NCAA Tournament against Villanova but lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in the next round.
Smith led Kentucky to a national championship in 1998 but many felt that was due in large part to him inheriting a team comprised of players recruited by former coach Rick Pitino.
Over 16 seasons as a college head coach Smith has won 387 games while dropping 145 games. He has reached the NCAA Tournament in 14 seasons, ten of which came while he was at Kentucky.
Minnesota has been reported to have offered Smith $1,8 million per year.
