Kentucky Officially Adds Assistant John Welch to Coaching Staff
Kentucky basketball has officially added longtime NBA assistant John Welch as the program's newest assistant coach for the 2023-24 season, it announced on Monday.
“John Welch has been involved in every level of basketball and been an important part of the development of NBA careers for guys like Carmelo (Anthony), Pau Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin and Brook Lopez,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “He loves the game and will be a tremendous asset to our young players and our staff. John has worked closely for decades with Vance Walberg, who developed the dribble-drive offense, and was a pioneer of bringing it to the NBA. With the strength of our guards and perimeter players we need to get back to that style of play. John will be involved heavily in our offensive strategy and will be our lead coach in on-court player development. We’re excited to have him join our program.”
Kentucky Sports Radio's Jack Pilgrim originally reported the news of Welch joining the staff on May 3. Welch will take one of the five on-court staff positions and be focused on offensive strategy, scouting and game-planning, along with player development and on-court training. He is the father of former Wildcat and graduate assistant Riley Welch.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Kentucky basketball program,” Welch said. “I look forward to working with Coach Cal and his tremendous coaching and support staff. Helping players grow and develop has always been my passion as a coach, and I can’t wait to get in the gym with our team this summer. It is an honor to become a part of Big Blue Nation’s proud basketball tradition and have the opportunity to assist in the continued success of the premier program in college basketball.”
Hailing from Portland, Maine, Welch has an extensive coaching career that began as a GA at UNLV in 1986 following the end of his playing career in Las Vegas. He was then an assistant at Long Beach State and Fresno State before making the jump to the NBA in 2002, where he was an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies.
From there, he made stops with the Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Los Angeles Clippers, where he was an assistant from 2016-2020. Put that all together and you have over three decades of experience.
Welch will be on-court, thanks to expansion from the Division I Council that saw an increase of two additional coaches. Kentucky lost assistant coach K.T. Turner this offseason, as he left to become the new head coach of UT Arlington.
The hiring of Welch brings in a wealth of experience with X's and O's, an area that was a cause for concern for the UK staff last season.
5-star center Flory Bidunga working to schedule Kentucky visit
Kentucky interested in former Texas commit Ron Holland
Former Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler transferring to Washington
Inside Kentucky basketball's somber locker room after NCAA Tourney defeat HERE.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.
