The Kentucky Wildcats went 24-12 in head coach Mark Pope’s debut year, culminating in a Sweet Sixteen appearance and a 10-8 record in SEC play.
Kentucky started off the year hot, winning 12 of its first 14 games, including marquee wins against Duke, Gonzaga, and Florida, all of which were top-ten teams.
Now, the Wildcats have locked in one of the architects behind their surge.
Mikhail McLean, the 33-year-old assistant whom head coach Pope lauded as a “rising star,” has agreed to remain on staff through the 2026-27 season, a move that cements continuity for the program’s player-development engine.
KY Insider’s Chris Beasmore announced the news via X on Saturday.
Originally hired on a one‑year, $150,000 deal, McLean’s new contract raises his base salary to $400,000 in 2025-26 and $425,000 in 2026-27.
Prior to joining Kentucky in 2024, McLean played and coached under Kelvin Sampson at Houston before spending three seasons as an assistant coach with Lamar.
In 2023-24, he helped the Cardinals improve to a 19-14 record, the program’s best win total in Division I since 2011-12 and the second most since the 1987-88 season.
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