He grew up rooting for Kentucky. Wednesday night he’ll coach against the Cats.
.jpeg "Lyle Wolf, who played basketball at Henry Clay High School and Transylvania University, is in his third season as an assistant coach at Texas A&M, Kentucky’s opponent on Wednesday night.")
For the second time this season, a Kentucky game puts someone from the opposing team and his family in a catch-22.
Texas A&M assistant coach Lyle Wolf was born and raised in Lexington. He represents at least the third generation of UK fans in his family.
“My dad is a big UK fan,” he said Monday. “My grandfather had season tickets. … I grew up kind of watching them at all times.”
But when Kentucky plays at Texas A&M on Wednesday night, Wolf will be wanting UK to lose.
When asked which team his family will be rooting for, Wolf said, “I would think they would be cheering for me.”
Earlier this season, North Florida forward Carter Hendricksen was in a similar situation. A native of Mount Sterling who played for Lexington Christian Academy, he, too, said that blood would be thicker than water in his family’s rooting interest.
Wolf has a precedent to be confident of his family’s support. Wednesday will be the third time he has been opposing UK. The second came two years ago when Kentucky won 69-60 at A&M.
The first was on Dec. 16, 2017. Wolf was on the Virginia Tech coaching staff. UK won 93-86 in Rupp Arena. Family members wore Virginia Tech colors when attending that game.
“So, that’s a good sign,” Wolf said.
Wolf grew up in the Chevy Chase area of Lexington. He attended Henry Clay High School, where he played basketball for a season and later football for two seasons.
After high school, he attended Transylvania University, where he was on the basketball team for the 2006-07 season.
“I was not a good player,” he said. “(Transy Coach) Brian Lane was very kind in allowing me to participate with that team.”
After graduating from Transy in 2010 with a degree in business administration, Wolf pursued a career in coaching. This career path began as junior varsity coach at Lexington’s Sayre School in the 2011-12 season.
“I do have a passion for the game,” he said. “I am very competitive when it comes to basketball. I love the relationship side of basketball, helping young men become men.”
Wolf got to know Buzz Williams while working a summer camp at Marquette. Williams hired him as a graduate assistant on the Marquette staff. After two years at Marquette, he then followed Williams to Virginia Tech for five seasons and now is in his third season on Williams’ Texas A&M staff.
Along the way, Wolf earned a doctorate of education degree in global sports management from East Tennessee State in March of 2018.
When asked if he could be called “Dr. Wolf,” he said, “Yes, sir. I don’t usually answer to it. But I’m thankful to have the opportunity to get my (doctorate).”
Wolf said he was aware of at least two other coaches who have doctorate degrees: former East Tennessee State women’s basketball coach Brittany Ezell and former Alabama volleyball coach Lindsey Devine.
Last May Wolf married Perren Young, a former cheerleader for Ole Miss and then spirit coach at Virginia Tech.
“She’s no longer in coaching, but she’s excited to see me compete against Kentucky,” Wolf said. “She was cheering for A&M when we played at Ole Miss. But she probably had her Ole Miss necklace on at the same time.”
This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 10:59 AM.
