John Welch set to join Kentucky Basketball staff, per report

On Tuesday’s episode of the RoundBall Podcast, Hunter Dickinson noted that a key reason he decided to visit Kentucky was because Cal was hiring a new staff member and thought he should meet him.

On Wednesday, Jack Pilgrim of Kentucky Sports Radio reported that John Calipari is expected to hire coaching veteran John Welch to his staff.

Welch will reportedly take one of five on-court positions and will be in charge of game planning and workouts.

Pilgrim noted that Welch was in Lexington interviewing for the position last weekend, and an official announcement of the hire is expected soon.

John Welch is the father of former Kentucky Wildcats walk-on and graduate assistant Riley Welch. Now that Riley is set to graduate and search for his first coaching job, his dad will be joining Calipari’s staff.

Welch started coaching in the NBA back in 2002 and was in the league until 2020, spending time with multiple teams, including the Grizzlies, Nuggets, Nets, Kings, and Clippers.

This appears to be an excellent hire by Calipari as Welch gets set to begin his first year in Lexington helping the Cats chase their goal of winning the program’s 9^th National Championship.

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