THE MOST FREQUENTLY MENTIONED NAMES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Tony Bennett
Current Position: Virginia Head Coach
Age: 49
Salary: The three-time AP National Coach of the Year, makes about $4.1 million per year increasing to as much as $5 million per year if various incentive bonuses are reached. Apparently Virginia in an effort to keep him, significantly bumped his salary up from his last reported salary of $2.3 million.
Notes: Bennett’s teams are fundamentally sound and his deliberate defensive philosophy has proven to be effective. Frankly, the man is just a proven winner. While UCLA would love to have him and certainly has him at or near the top of their list, he is courted every year by multiple major programs with deep pockets (even the NBA calls occasionally) and has yet to find an opportunity he wanted. Many insiders believe the only program that could draw him away from Virginia would be Wisconsin.
Bennett is a Wisconsin native, played at Wisconsin-Green Bay, was an assistant at Wisconsin under his father the head coach, and his parents still live in Wisconsin. Also, we can expect the Virginia top brass has incentive plans in place to entice him to stay should it come to that. If Virginia goes deep into the Tournament and UCLA has not made a hire yet, it may mean Bennett has indicated through back channels legitimate interest in the UCLA job. A wildcard is that Bennett and his wife are extremely private people, religious, and very protective of their children. They may be very uncomfortable under the bright lights of Los Angeles and everything that comes with it (think paparazzi, TMZ, and the general invasion of privacy by media into the lives of L.A. celebrities and their families).
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Mick Cronin
Current Position: Cincinnati Head Coach
Age: 47
Current Salary: $2.2 million per year.
Notes: Cronin is a defensive minded coach that gets maximum effort out of his players. While there are unconfirmed reports that Cronin would jump at the Bruin coaching job, there are other unconfirmed reports saying otherwise. Cronin is divorced but is very close to his 11-year old daughter. He has reportedly said that he wouldn’t leave Cincinnati until she graduates from high school and has turned down opportunities in the past partially for that reason. While UCLA can substantially increase his salary and status, the timing may not be right. One wildcard might be that Cincinnati, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school. It is unknown how much influence UCLA will let the apparel company have on the job search.
Hiring Prognosis: Medium to high.
Jamie Dixon
Current Position: Texas Christian University Head Coach
Age: 53
Current Salary: $2.6 million a year.
Notes: Dixon is a southern California native (he grew up in North Hollywood and attended Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High School). He attended TCU and was a four-year letterman on the basketball team and held the school record for career three-point percentage. He has even been inducted in the TCU Athletic Hall of Fame. From all reports, it was not a difficult decision for him to leave Pittsburgh to coach at his alma mater. TCU has new facilities, pays him a competitive salary, treats him like a hometown hero, and their administration (fans not so much) completely support him.
The only reason he would leave is to lead a program where he can recruit and win significantly more than he could ever do at TCU. It is unknown how important that is to Dixon or if he would consider UCLA as the place to do that. It is also unknown if he would want to work with Dan Guerrero since Guerrero fired a very good friend of Dixon’s, Ben Howland. Everything considered it is hard to imagine Dixon leaving TCU for the UCLA job.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Fred Hoiberg
Current Position: Unemployed. Formerly coached Iowa State and the Chicago Bulls.
Age: 46
Current Salary: Believed to still be collecting a salary from the Bulls related to his contract termination.
Notes: Hoiberg had a ten-year journeyman NBA playing career and became the head coach of his alma mater, Iowa State University. At ISU he had a .673 winning percentage and made the NCAA Tournament four straight years before moving on to coach the Bulls. We initially thought Hoiberg would quickly rise to the top of the candidate list.
After all, his agent is Debbie Spander who comes from a UCLA family, has a UCLA law degree, and is known to have deep connections to the UCLA Athletic Department. His former agent before Spander is Bob Myers, member of the UCLA 1995 championship team, now the Golden State Warriors General Manager, and a member of the UCLA basketball head coach search committee. Spander works for the Wasserman Media Group and Myers formerly worked there. And of course, the Wasserman Media Group is owned by UCLA mega-booster Casey Wasserman who was instrumental in the Chip Kelly hire.
Talk about a confluence of power and influence for one coaching candidate within the UCLA coaching search! However, consider this: Hoiberg is A) without a job to get out of, B) has no buyout, C) is probably collecting a salary from the Bulls which may result in an initial discount for UCLA, and D) certainly has UCLA insiders pulling for him. Still, UCLA has not moved on him. It is clear there are hidden issues holding this up, and it seems that with each passing day, the odds of Hoiberg being hired diminish. The wildcard is that while Hoiberg has coached at both the college and NBA levels, it is uncertain if he wants to return to college (there is an oft-repeated quote of his indicating a lack of enthusiasm for recruiting).
Hiring Prognosis: Medium to high.
Kevin Keatts
Current Position: North Carolina State Head Coach
Age: 46
Current Salary: In December 2018, Keatts signed a new five-year contract at $2.7 million per year.
Notes: Keatts is an intriguing candidate. He has been the head coach of a major high school basketball power, Hargrave Military Academy (262-17 record). He has been an assistant for good coaches such as Greg White (whose coaching tree includes Gregg Marshall), and Rick Pitino. His first college head coaching job was UNC Wilmington where he posted a .720 winning percentage, made two NCAA Tournament appearances in three years, and was twice named conference coach of the year.
From there, he moved on to North Carolina State where he has a solid .667 winning percentage after two years in the highly competitive ACC. This season has been up and down, starting out 13-1, making a top 15 ranking, and then only scoring 24 points against Virginia Tech, limping through the latter half of the season, and ultimately finishing 8th in the ACC.
A big positive is that Keatts is also considered to be an outstanding recruiter. In fact, the likable Keatts was promoted to Associate Head Coach of Louisville by Rick Pitino largely based on his recruiting prowess.
One wildcard involves the current FBI and NCAA investigations. North Carolina State has been named as a school that may have used adidas money to pay $40,000 to the father of a recruit. While this was before Keatts, the prospect of NCAA sanctions may encourage him to seek employment elsewhere and sooner rather than later which could benefit UCLA.
On the other side of the coin, Keatts was the lead recruiter on Pitino’s staff at Louisville during a period of scandals and accusations of major recruiting violations. These were accusations that cost Pitino his job. While there is currently no evidence that Keatts had any part in the scandals, he may just be a little too close to Pitino and the investigations for UCLA’s comfort level.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Gregg Marshall
Current Position: Wichita State Head Coach
Age: 56
Current Salary: $3.5 million per year.
Notes: Marshall is a proven winner with a .742 winning percentage and seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances at Wichita State. The downside is he is also known to have a quirky and sometimes difficult personality. That personality has reportedly been a hindrance to moving up to bigger programs. UCLA has hired coaches with strong personalities such as Ben Howland and even Chip Kelly, but Marshall may be in a league of his own. Due to that and his age, UCLA will likely only consider him should most other choices fall through. Of course, if you take Marshall, you also take his wife who has developed a reputation for over exuberance during games.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Thad Matta
Current Position: Unemployed. Former Ohio State Head Coach.
Age: 51
Current Salary: It is believed Matta may still be receiving buyout money after being terminated by Ohio State. He earned about $2.8 million at Ohio State in his last full year.
Notes: Matta had a nice career over 13 years at Ohio State with a .733% winning percentage and five conference championships, but may have worn out the welcome in later years. Despite making nine NCAA tournaments, including the championship game one season, his last two seasons were marked by poor recruiting and unimpressive results.
The reason given was poor health, but some think that he had spoiled Ohio State with his success and they felt they were at a place where they could replace him with a “big time” coach that would take them to the next level.
While he does have back issues, the health excuse may have merely been a graceful way to fire a coach that had done so much for the university. Since his termination, he has been interviewing and turning down decent jobs including Georgia and Ole Miss.
Currently living in Indiana, there are reports from close associates that he is adjusting to a life outside of coaching. Clearly, if he wanted to coach, he would be working somewhere. And of course, his true health situation is unknown.
We are not sure UCLA is the place that could draw him out, and conversely, while still relatively young, he may not have the career trajectory that UCLA is looking for. After all, his last four years were 25-10 and 5th place in the Big Ten, 24-11 and 6th place in the Big Ten, 21-14 and 7th place in the Big Ten, and 17-15 and 7th place in the Big Ten. Not exactly riveting.
Hiring Prognosis: Medium.
Eric Musselman
Current position: University of Nevada, Reno Head Coach
Age: 54
Current Salary: After his first two seasons making $400,000 annually, Nevada renegotiated and gave him a five-year contract, bumping his salary up to $1,000,000 per year.
Notes: Musselman brings quite a bit of experience to the table. He has been an NBA head coach for the Sacramento Kings, an NBA assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Memphis Grizzlies. At the college level, he has had stints at Arizona State (Associate Head Coach), LSU (Associate Head Coach), and head coach at his current job, Nevada.
On the international level, Musselman has been the head coach of the Dominican Republic national team (advanced to FIBA gold medal game), head coach of the Venezuelan national team (silver medal at FIBA South American Championship), head coach of the USA team of top high school seniors at the Adidas Global Experience (gold medal), and head coach of Team China at Adidas Nations. Add in a few CBA and D-League stops along the way and it is quite a resume.
In four years at Nevada, he has a .775 winning percentage with two NCAA appearances and a Sweet 16. This season, he finished first in the Mountain West Conference. While he has built the Nevada program largely on transfers, he has also shown some recruiting prowess by reeling in 5-star Jordan Brown last year. The word that most often seems to be ascribed to him is “driven.”
Unfortunately, there is a downside. Musselman has a reputation for being somewhat of a loose cannon in interviews, and perhaps a little over enthusiastic (such as striping his shirts off for the cameras after big wins). And there has been some controversy such as a past DUI, and hiring an assistant that had been accused of (but not charged with) sexual harassment. We tend to think he would do very well at UCLA or any high profile program, but it is doubtful UCLA will take a chance on him. Look for Arizona to move on him should Sean Miller be let go. We think he would be very successful there. Luke Walton may also be in that picture.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Nate Oates
Current Position: State University of New York at Buffalo, Head Coach
Age: 44
Current Salary: $612,000 per year
Notes: Oates is considered a rising star in college coaching. After 11 years of coaching high school (222-52), Oates became Bobby Hurley’s assistant at Buffalo. Two years later, on the same day, Hurley was announced as the new coach of ASU, Buffalo promoted Oates to head coach.
In the four years since, his teams have improved every season, including three first-place finishes in the Mid-American Conference, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and a .682 winning percentage. We suspect that UCLA will look at hiring a coach whose only experience is four years at Buffalo as an unpredictable risk. A bigger program will be hiring Oates, but we can’t see it being UCLA unless they fail at attracting quite a few other candidates first.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Steve Prohm
Current Position: Iowa State Head Coach
Age: 44
Current Salary: $2 million per year
Notes: Prohm’s name seems to be popping up a lot more in connection with UCLA’s job. He had four years at Murray State where he dominated the Ohio Valley Conference. He then moved on to Iowa State where he has a .620 percent winning percentage, and in his last four complete seasons finished 23-12 and 5th in the Big 12, 24-11 and 2nd in the Big 12 (also won the conference tournament), 13-18 and 10th in the Big 12, and this season, 20-11 and 5th in the Big 12.
He is getting some buzz for the UCLA job because he has a decent past record and started out blazing this season with a 14-2 record, a top 20 ranking, and a win over Kansas (only to come back to Earth and finishing in the middle of the pack in the Big 12).
To his credit, he has racked up some big wins, including beating a No. 1 Oklahoma, a No. 4 Kansas, and a No. 3 Kansas (at Kansas) in his four years at Iowa State. While there is some promise with Prohm, UCLA should be shooting for someone with a better overall trajectory at their last job.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Shaka Smart
Current Position: University ofTexas Head Coach
Age: 41
Current Salary: $3.2 million per year.
Notes: Reportedly a top tier option in the last UCLA coaching search who apparently turned UCLA down, Smart has lost much of his luster since that time. His “havoc defense” was much more appealing when he was at VCU where he became the second youngest coach to win 100 games, held a .744 winning percentage, and took the Rams to five straight NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four.
At his current stop, Texas, he has run a pedestrian program with Big 12 finishes at 4th, 10th, and 6th places and a .508 winning percentage. While we think at this point he regrets not taking the UCLA job, we don’t think UCLA has much reciprocal interest. That opportunity may have passed. In fact, Smart may be out of a job should Texas decide to move on Chris Beard of Texas Tech. This is a fine example of why UCLA needs to take extra care in finding the right coach, and not go after a guy simply because he is getting a lot of buzz as Smart did while at VCU.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Earl Watson
Current Position: Unemployed. Formerly head coach of Phoenix Suns.
Age: 39
Current Salary: Unknown.
Notes: The former UCLA guard went on to have a seven-year NBA playing career and was the second youngest head coach in NBA history when he was promoted by the Phoenix Suns. After one full season and parts of two seasons bookending it, he was terminated in October 2017. His record was not very good, but considering his youth and that an argument can be made that team management contributed to the difficulty of the job, he may be getting a little bit of a bad rap.
Watson is very proud of his connection with UCLA and has been lobbying for the UCLA job. In fact, quite a few former Bruin players have contacted the UCLA administration and advocated for him. This includes Bruins like Baron Davis, Matt Barnes, Lonzo Ball, and others. We wholly expect Watson to be given a courtesy interview. This would be out of respect for him and for connected Bruins lobbying on his behalf.
Having said that, we can’t see UCLA turning the program over to him, yet. UCLA needs a coach with a proven record of coaching accomplishments. Watson may have the makings of a great college coach, but there is little in his resume that supports that. Watson is the only candidate that has significant ties to UCLA so we would love to see him take a job at a mid-level program, have great success there in recruiting and winning, and eventually, circle back around to UCLA should the next coach leave the program.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
OTHER NAMES TO KNOW IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Tommy Amaker – Harvard Head Coach.
The 53-year-old former Duke guard has had an up and down coaching career. Four seasons at Seton Hall with one NCAA Tournament appearance and a .553 winning percentage. Six seasons at Michigan with no NCAA Tournament appearances, and 12 seasons at Harvard where he has been relatively successful with four NCAA Tournament appearances, six conference championships, and a .644 winning percentage.
His years at Michigan are what we find interesting. He did not do well and was eventually fired. However, most accounts are that he inherited a mess of a program and was essentially thrown into the proverbial fire in his first effort at a major program in a truly big-time university.
There are those that feel that coaching at Michigan is similar to coaching at UCLA, in that they are both big time, academically strong, public universities with similar business practices and cultures.
It is possible that the recruiting challenges he faces at Harvard will prepare him well for UCLA admissions, and his experience at Michigan can be chalked up to a lot of learned lessons. Some may see his mistakes at Michigan as correctable and not likely to be repeated at UCLA. While he should be considered a long shot, we suspect that there are those at UCLA that will be attracted to his Ivy League and Michigan experience.
Rick Barnes – Tennessee Head Coach. Barnes is having a resurgence at Tennessee after a long career at Texas. With extensive experience across major programs, Barnes has been on the college basketball scene for a long time. Unfortunately, it is probably too long for UCLA since he is now 64 years old. If he was 54, we could see UCLA going hard after him. Also, there is no evidence that he is ready to change jobs again at that age.
Chris Beard – Texas Tech Head Coach. A rising star that UCLA (and a lot of other schools) would love to have. However, Beard was born in Texas, raised in Texas, went to college in Texas, has always coached/worked in Texas, and most of his family lives in Texas. If that is not enough to keep him in the state, there are also suspicions that he now has his eye on the job at his alma mater, Texas. With Shaka Smart faltering, It is not hard to imagine the Longhorns making the switch for Beard after both Texas and Texas Tech’s seasons are finished. Ultimately, it will take a lot to pull him from the Lone Star state. Beyond all the Texas ties, there are also rumors of a volatile personality which may keep UCLA wary. We expect Beard to do great things, but not at UCLA. One wildcard might be that Texas Tech, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school.
Randy Bennett – Saint Mary’s Head Coach. Bennett’s name is getting mentioned but we don’t see it happening. He is 56 years old and has been at St Mary’s for 18 years. While he is considered a good coach, UCLA would probably prefer a younger guy that can show an advancing career path and recruiting prowess.
John Beilein – Michigan Head Coach. We keep hearing Beilein’s name thrown out for the UCLA job, but frankly, we don’t see it. He is a 66-year-old Mid-West/East Coast guy with a somewhat mixed record for a program like Michigan. He has had some truly great seasons but also had a few low points. We suspect his name is brought forward because speculators see Michigan and UCLA as similar schools – both top-notch academic public schools with strong athletic programs. We have not yet seen evidence that either he or UCLA would be interested in each other.
Mike Brey – Notre Dame Head Coach. We see his name being floated about but don’t see it happening. He is 59 years old, has coached at Notre Dame for the past 19 years, and has no ties to the West Coast. It doesn’t help that he finished last in the ACC this season.
Billy Donovan – Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach. Donovan would be a home run hire for Bruin fans but he is already making $6 million per year and appears to not be in the market for a new job. UCLA will definitely contact his representative to gauge interest but it appears to be a long shot. Also, UCLA may not want to lose out on other potential coaches while waiting until the Thunder season is over just to get an answer from him.
Mark Few – Gonzaga Head Coach. Few is an elite coach. Period. In 20 seasons at Gonzaga, he has made 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and has a .824 winning percentage. Few is from the Northwest and has been at Gonzaga since 1989 (30 years). While underpaid at $1.8 million per year, after that long, and at 56 years old, we don’t see him leaving now, even for UCLA.
Chris Holtmann – Ohio State Head Coach. Currently making $7 million a year at Ohio State. UCLA won’t try to outbid that for Holtman.
Mike Hopkins – University of Washington Head Coach, 49 years old. A disciple of Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, Hopkins is running a competitive, well-coached program that won the current Pac-12 regular season. He is well liked and respected in the coaching community. Negatives include he has little head coaching experience and has a deep, singularly minded commitment to playing zone defense. We can see him slipping into the job as the sleeper of the coaching candidates.
Bobby Hurley – Arizona State Head Coach. Hurley had success at Buffalo which he parlayed into the ASU job. However, after four years at ASU, he has very average results with a .545 winning percentage, and up to this season, no better than an 8th place in the Pac-12 (this season ASU finished 2nd in the Pac-12). He is still only 47 and many feel his best coaching years are ahead of him. That may be true, but UCLA should be hiring based on proven past production, not on potential.
Mark Jackson – commentator. After a 19 year NBA playing career, the NBA All-Star became the coach of the Golden State Warriors for three seasons. He has been out of coaching for the past four years, and sources say he would like to get back into it (as in unfinished business). He lives in Los Angeles so he may have an interest in the UCLA position. However, with no college coaching experience and only three seasons in NBA coaching, he doesn’t seem like a good fit for UCLA.
Larry Krystkowiak – Utah Head Coach. Considered a solid coach (finishing 3rd in the Pac-12 this season), and certainly one of the best in the conference. His hiring won’t get the fans fired up, but should higher priority coaches fall through, there are far worse candidates than Krystkowiak. Reportedly, he is currently the highest paid coach in the Pac-12 at $3.5 million per year. One wildcard might be that Utah, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school.
Chris Mack – Louisville Head Coach. The first year Louisville coach had quite a bit of success at his former stop, Xavier. At Xavier he took the Musketeers to eight NCAA Tournaments in nine years, including an Elite Eight, and three Sweet 16’s. Having been at Louisville for less than a year, he may not be inclined to leave already. He is making $4 million a year, and it is probably only a matter of time for the program to regain its reputation after the Pitino years. Unfortunately, the timing is not good. UCLA would have a much better chance a year from now for Mack. With the NCAA and FBI investigations hovering over the school, Mack may want out should everything go south and the school gets hit with heavy sanctions. We suspect his contract allows him an out should that happen, but it won’t happen before UCLA hires its next coach.
Frank Martin – South Carolina Head Coach. The 52-year-old coach has 13 seasons coaching as a head coach between Kansas State and South Carolina. His early career at Kansas State had some success with four NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons. In six seasons at South Carolina, he has only one NCAA Tournament appearance, but it was a Final Four. Missing the Tournament five out of six seasons at South Carolina has to be a red flag for UCLA. One wildcard might be that South Carolina, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school. This may be the source of some of the discussion about him being a candidate.
Matt Painter – Purdue Head Coach. While only 48 years old, Painter has already been the coach of Purdue for 14 seasons. The three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has been to the Tournament 10 times with four Sweet 16’s. With a winning percentage at Purdue of .669, Painter has finished the last five Big Ten seasons in competitive 3rd, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, and 1st places. Painter may be an interesting option should other candidates fall through. It should be noted that he has never lived or coached outside of the mid-West so his interest level in moving to Los Angeles is unknown.
Rick Pitino – Head coach of a professional team in Greece. Pitino is an accomplished coach with extensive baggage ranging from an FBI investigation, an NCAA recruiting violations investigation, accusations of heading a rogue program at Louisville, and even some morality issues. UCLA won’t touch him.
Kelvin Sampson – Houston Head Coach. Sampson is a coach that has been around the block with 30 years head coaching experience at programs like Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Houston. His age (63) and past recruiting violations will likely eliminate him from the UCLA job.
Bill Self – Kansas University Head Coach. Reports are that Self has indicated privately that he is interested in the UCLA job. He makes $4.1 million per year which is well within the UCLA range. Kansas has recently been mention in the FBI and NCAA investigations and UCLA is not likely to consider him until that is cleared up. On the other hand, if you have a legendary coach like Self who wants to be your coach, maybe you get creative with the contract. Add morality, ethics, and buyout clauses to limit UCLA’s liability should something go wrong at UCLA, or in the outcome of the current investigations. Food for thought. A wildcard is that in his contract, if he remains at Kansas through March 31, 2019, he will receive a $900,000 retention bonus. He may be inclined to try to hold out until then and UCLA may not want to wait.
Brad Stevens – Boston Celtics Head Coach. See Billy Donovan. Adding to that, it is believed he was offered the UCLA job last time around and he turned it down. While we have no evidence that anything has changed, human nature is unpredictable. Perhaps he has found he prefers the college game and regrets not taking the UCLA job. Perhaps a second chance at it is the charm. Again, this is pure speculation on our part, but until we hear that he is absolutely out from sources we trust, or that UCLA has hired someone else, we will keep an open mind.
Russell Turner - UC Irvine Head Coach. Turner will be moving up to a bigger program, sooner rather than later. At 48, he is already in his ninth season coaching the Anteaters. While at Irvine he has had some success. In the last five seasons, he has not finished lower than second in the Big West Conference, with three first places. He is a two time Big West Coach of the Year and has five Big West championships. He also has significant coaching experience having been an assistant coach for Stanford, Wake Forest, and the NBA Golden State Warriors. We think UCLA is too big of a jump, and it would take him a while to adjust. UCLA is not likely to have the patience for that.
Will Wade – LSU Head Coach. At only 36 years old, Wade was considered to be an ambitious rising star in coaching circles. However, recent revelations of FBI wiretapped phone calls between him and some shady figures indicate he has been complicit in serious recruiting violations. UCLA won’t touch him with the accusation hanging over his head.
Luke Walton – Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach. Walton’s days as the Lakers coach may be coming to an end. His connections to UCLA include his father, Bill Walton, and his agent who has close ties to UCLA. There are some who think his youth and coaching style would be a home run hire for a college, but his lack of experience in college coaching and recruiting is a big issue. How he would do in the college game is a very cloudy subject. Look for Walton’s alma mater Arizona to move on him or Musselman should Sean Miller leave.
Mike White – Florida Head Coach. This young coach (41) had the fortune, or misfortune, to replace Florida coaching legend, Billy Donovan. Fair or not, the comparisons are made. While proving to be a solid coach, the program is not at the level that it was during most of Donovan’s tenure. To be fair, he is only 41, and already has an Elite Eight on his resume. He probably has a bright future, but we don’t see it at UCLA.
Kevin Willard – Seton Hall Head Coach. A young coach (43) who already has 12 years head coaching experience. Most of his career has been marked by mixed results, but in his last three years, Seton Hall has finished no lower than 3rd in the Big East. There is the notion that he may be able to develop into an elite level coach with a patient program. We don’t think UCLA is that program.
Buzz Williams – Virginia Tech Head Coach. Williams is a relatively young guy (46) who already has had a nice career at Marquette and now Virginia Tech. While he is having some success this season, he has not finished higher than 5th place in the last four years in the ACC. Another question is his ability to recruit consistently at a high level. His nickname “Buzz” was given to him by a coach due to his high energy level.
Steve Wojciechowski – Marquette Head Coach. A well known name from his playing days who has come out of theKrzyzewski coaching tree, Wojciechowski is starting to be mentioned for the UCLA job in some circles. That is because he is currently doing well this season (finishing 2nd in te Big East. but overall, there is not much to write home about. In four seasons at Marquette, he has a .600 winning percentage, and one NCAA Tournament (eliminated in the first round).
Jay Wright – Villanova Head Coach. Another great coach who seems very happy where he is. Villanova is in a suburb of Philadelphia, Wright’s hometown, and he grew up a fan of the school. It is also his wife’s alma mater. He has been approached by numerous schools and NBA teams and still remained at Villanova. The only advantage UCLA might have is the ability to double his current salary. He only makes about $2.6 million a year, which is far below what he can command elsewhere.
Tony Bennett
Current Position: Virginia Head Coach
Age: 49
Salary: The three-time AP National Coach of the Year, makes about $4.1 million per year increasing to as much as $5 million per year if various incentive bonuses are reached. Apparently Virginia in an effort to keep him, significantly bumped his salary up from his last reported salary of $2.3 million.
Notes: Bennett’s teams are fundamentally sound and his deliberate defensive philosophy has proven to be effective. Frankly, the man is just a proven winner. While UCLA would love to have him and certainly has him at or near the top of their list, he is courted every year by multiple major programs with deep pockets (even the NBA calls occasionally) and has yet to find an opportunity he wanted. Many insiders believe the only program that could draw him away from Virginia would be Wisconsin.
Bennett is a Wisconsin native, played at Wisconsin-Green Bay, was an assistant at Wisconsin under his father the head coach, and his parents still live in Wisconsin. Also, we can expect the Virginia top brass has incentive plans in place to entice him to stay should it come to that. If Virginia goes deep into the Tournament and UCLA has not made a hire yet, it may mean Bennett has indicated through back channels legitimate interest in the UCLA job. A wildcard is that Bennett and his wife are extremely private people, religious, and very protective of their children. They may be very uncomfortable under the bright lights of Los Angeles and everything that comes with it (think paparazzi, TMZ, and the general invasion of privacy by media into the lives of L.A. celebrities and their families).
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Mick Cronin
Current Position: Cincinnati Head Coach
Age: 47
Current Salary: $2.2 million per year.
Notes: Cronin is a defensive minded coach that gets maximum effort out of his players. While there are unconfirmed reports that Cronin would jump at the Bruin coaching job, there are other unconfirmed reports saying otherwise. Cronin is divorced but is very close to his 11-year old daughter. He has reportedly said that he wouldn’t leave Cincinnati until she graduates from high school and has turned down opportunities in the past partially for that reason. While UCLA can substantially increase his salary and status, the timing may not be right. One wildcard might be that Cincinnati, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school. It is unknown how much influence UCLA will let the apparel company have on the job search.
Hiring Prognosis: Medium to high.
Jamie Dixon
Current Position: Texas Christian University Head Coach
Age: 53
Current Salary: $2.6 million a year.
Notes: Dixon is a southern California native (he grew up in North Hollywood and attended Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High School). He attended TCU and was a four-year letterman on the basketball team and held the school record for career three-point percentage. He has even been inducted in the TCU Athletic Hall of Fame. From all reports, it was not a difficult decision for him to leave Pittsburgh to coach at his alma mater. TCU has new facilities, pays him a competitive salary, treats him like a hometown hero, and their administration (fans not so much) completely support him.
The only reason he would leave is to lead a program where he can recruit and win significantly more than he could ever do at TCU. It is unknown how important that is to Dixon or if he would consider UCLA as the place to do that. It is also unknown if he would want to work with Dan Guerrero since Guerrero fired a very good friend of Dixon’s, Ben Howland. Everything considered it is hard to imagine Dixon leaving TCU for the UCLA job.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Fred Hoiberg
Current Position: Unemployed. Formerly coached Iowa State and the Chicago Bulls.
Age: 46
Current Salary: Believed to still be collecting a salary from the Bulls related to his contract termination.
Notes: Hoiberg had a ten-year journeyman NBA playing career and became the head coach of his alma mater, Iowa State University. At ISU he had a .673 winning percentage and made the NCAA Tournament four straight years before moving on to coach the Bulls. We initially thought Hoiberg would quickly rise to the top of the candidate list.
After all, his agent is Debbie Spander who comes from a UCLA family, has a UCLA law degree, and is known to have deep connections to the UCLA Athletic Department. His former agent before Spander is Bob Myers, member of the UCLA 1995 championship team, now the Golden State Warriors General Manager, and a member of the UCLA basketball head coach search committee. Spander works for the Wasserman Media Group and Myers formerly worked there. And of course, the Wasserman Media Group is owned by UCLA mega-booster Casey Wasserman who was instrumental in the Chip Kelly hire.
Talk about a confluence of power and influence for one coaching candidate within the UCLA coaching search! However, consider this: Hoiberg is A) without a job to get out of, B) has no buyout, C) is probably collecting a salary from the Bulls which may result in an initial discount for UCLA, and D) certainly has UCLA insiders pulling for him. Still, UCLA has not moved on him. It is clear there are hidden issues holding this up, and it seems that with each passing day, the odds of Hoiberg being hired diminish. The wildcard is that while Hoiberg has coached at both the college and NBA levels, it is uncertain if he wants to return to college (there is an oft-repeated quote of his indicating a lack of enthusiasm for recruiting).
Hiring Prognosis: Medium to high.
Kevin Keatts
Current Position: North Carolina State Head Coach
Age: 46
Current Salary: In December 2018, Keatts signed a new five-year contract at $2.7 million per year.
Notes: Keatts is an intriguing candidate. He has been the head coach of a major high school basketball power, Hargrave Military Academy (262-17 record). He has been an assistant for good coaches such as Greg White (whose coaching tree includes Gregg Marshall), and Rick Pitino. His first college head coaching job was UNC Wilmington where he posted a .720 winning percentage, made two NCAA Tournament appearances in three years, and was twice named conference coach of the year.
From there, he moved on to North Carolina State where he has a solid .667 winning percentage after two years in the highly competitive ACC. This season has been up and down, starting out 13-1, making a top 15 ranking, and then only scoring 24 points against Virginia Tech, limping through the latter half of the season, and ultimately finishing 8th in the ACC.
A big positive is that Keatts is also considered to be an outstanding recruiter. In fact, the likable Keatts was promoted to Associate Head Coach of Louisville by Rick Pitino largely based on his recruiting prowess.
One wildcard involves the current FBI and NCAA investigations. North Carolina State has been named as a school that may have used adidas money to pay $40,000 to the father of a recruit. While this was before Keatts, the prospect of NCAA sanctions may encourage him to seek employment elsewhere and sooner rather than later which could benefit UCLA.
On the other side of the coin, Keatts was the lead recruiter on Pitino’s staff at Louisville during a period of scandals and accusations of major recruiting violations. These were accusations that cost Pitino his job. While there is currently no evidence that Keatts had any part in the scandals, he may just be a little too close to Pitino and the investigations for UCLA’s comfort level.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Gregg Marshall
Current Position: Wichita State Head Coach
Age: 56
Current Salary: $3.5 million per year.
Notes: Marshall is a proven winner with a .742 winning percentage and seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances at Wichita State. The downside is he is also known to have a quirky and sometimes difficult personality. That personality has reportedly been a hindrance to moving up to bigger programs. UCLA has hired coaches with strong personalities such as Ben Howland and even Chip Kelly, but Marshall may be in a league of his own. Due to that and his age, UCLA will likely only consider him should most other choices fall through. Of course, if you take Marshall, you also take his wife who has developed a reputation for over exuberance during games.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Thad Matta
Current Position: Unemployed. Former Ohio State Head Coach.
Age: 51
Current Salary: It is believed Matta may still be receiving buyout money after being terminated by Ohio State. He earned about $2.8 million at Ohio State in his last full year.
Notes: Matta had a nice career over 13 years at Ohio State with a .733% winning percentage and five conference championships, but may have worn out the welcome in later years. Despite making nine NCAA tournaments, including the championship game one season, his last two seasons were marked by poor recruiting and unimpressive results.
The reason given was poor health, but some think that he had spoiled Ohio State with his success and they felt they were at a place where they could replace him with a “big time” coach that would take them to the next level.
While he does have back issues, the health excuse may have merely been a graceful way to fire a coach that had done so much for the university. Since his termination, he has been interviewing and turning down decent jobs including Georgia and Ole Miss.
Currently living in Indiana, there are reports from close associates that he is adjusting to a life outside of coaching. Clearly, if he wanted to coach, he would be working somewhere. And of course, his true health situation is unknown.
We are not sure UCLA is the place that could draw him out, and conversely, while still relatively young, he may not have the career trajectory that UCLA is looking for. After all, his last four years were 25-10 and 5th place in the Big Ten, 24-11 and 6th place in the Big Ten, 21-14 and 7th place in the Big Ten, and 17-15 and 7th place in the Big Ten. Not exactly riveting.
Hiring Prognosis: Medium.
Eric Musselman
Current position: University of Nevada, Reno Head Coach
Age: 54
Current Salary: After his first two seasons making $400,000 annually, Nevada renegotiated and gave him a five-year contract, bumping his salary up to $1,000,000 per year.
Notes: Musselman brings quite a bit of experience to the table. He has been an NBA head coach for the Sacramento Kings, an NBA assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Memphis Grizzlies. At the college level, he has had stints at Arizona State (Associate Head Coach), LSU (Associate Head Coach), and head coach at his current job, Nevada.
On the international level, Musselman has been the head coach of the Dominican Republic national team (advanced to FIBA gold medal game), head coach of the Venezuelan national team (silver medal at FIBA South American Championship), head coach of the USA team of top high school seniors at the Adidas Global Experience (gold medal), and head coach of Team China at Adidas Nations. Add in a few CBA and D-League stops along the way and it is quite a resume.
In four years at Nevada, he has a .775 winning percentage with two NCAA appearances and a Sweet 16. This season, he finished first in the Mountain West Conference. While he has built the Nevada program largely on transfers, he has also shown some recruiting prowess by reeling in 5-star Jordan Brown last year. The word that most often seems to be ascribed to him is “driven.”
Unfortunately, there is a downside. Musselman has a reputation for being somewhat of a loose cannon in interviews, and perhaps a little over enthusiastic (such as striping his shirts off for the cameras after big wins). And there has been some controversy such as a past DUI, and hiring an assistant that had been accused of (but not charged with) sexual harassment. We tend to think he would do very well at UCLA or any high profile program, but it is doubtful UCLA will take a chance on him. Look for Arizona to move on him should Sean Miller be let go. We think he would be very successful there. Luke Walton may also be in that picture.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Nate Oates
Current Position: State University of New York at Buffalo, Head Coach
Age: 44
Current Salary: $612,000 per year
Notes: Oates is considered a rising star in college coaching. After 11 years of coaching high school (222-52), Oates became Bobby Hurley’s assistant at Buffalo. Two years later, on the same day, Hurley was announced as the new coach of ASU, Buffalo promoted Oates to head coach.
In the four years since, his teams have improved every season, including three first-place finishes in the Mid-American Conference, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and a .682 winning percentage. We suspect that UCLA will look at hiring a coach whose only experience is four years at Buffalo as an unpredictable risk. A bigger program will be hiring Oates, but we can’t see it being UCLA unless they fail at attracting quite a few other candidates first.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Steve Prohm
Current Position: Iowa State Head Coach
Age: 44
Current Salary: $2 million per year
Notes: Prohm’s name seems to be popping up a lot more in connection with UCLA’s job. He had four years at Murray State where he dominated the Ohio Valley Conference. He then moved on to Iowa State where he has a .620 percent winning percentage, and in his last four complete seasons finished 23-12 and 5th in the Big 12, 24-11 and 2nd in the Big 12 (also won the conference tournament), 13-18 and 10th in the Big 12, and this season, 20-11 and 5th in the Big 12.
He is getting some buzz for the UCLA job because he has a decent past record and started out blazing this season with a 14-2 record, a top 20 ranking, and a win over Kansas (only to come back to Earth and finishing in the middle of the pack in the Big 12).
To his credit, he has racked up some big wins, including beating a No. 1 Oklahoma, a No. 4 Kansas, and a No. 3 Kansas (at Kansas) in his four years at Iowa State. While there is some promise with Prohm, UCLA should be shooting for someone with a better overall trajectory at their last job.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
Shaka Smart
Current Position: University ofTexas Head Coach
Age: 41
Current Salary: $3.2 million per year.
Notes: Reportedly a top tier option in the last UCLA coaching search who apparently turned UCLA down, Smart has lost much of his luster since that time. His “havoc defense” was much more appealing when he was at VCU where he became the second youngest coach to win 100 games, held a .744 winning percentage, and took the Rams to five straight NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four.
At his current stop, Texas, he has run a pedestrian program with Big 12 finishes at 4th, 10th, and 6th places and a .508 winning percentage. While we think at this point he regrets not taking the UCLA job, we don’t think UCLA has much reciprocal interest. That opportunity may have passed. In fact, Smart may be out of a job should Texas decide to move on Chris Beard of Texas Tech. This is a fine example of why UCLA needs to take extra care in finding the right coach, and not go after a guy simply because he is getting a lot of buzz as Smart did while at VCU.
Hiring Prognosis: Low.
Earl Watson
Current Position: Unemployed. Formerly head coach of Phoenix Suns.
Age: 39
Current Salary: Unknown.
Notes: The former UCLA guard went on to have a seven-year NBA playing career and was the second youngest head coach in NBA history when he was promoted by the Phoenix Suns. After one full season and parts of two seasons bookending it, he was terminated in October 2017. His record was not very good, but considering his youth and that an argument can be made that team management contributed to the difficulty of the job, he may be getting a little bit of a bad rap.
Watson is very proud of his connection with UCLA and has been lobbying for the UCLA job. In fact, quite a few former Bruin players have contacted the UCLA administration and advocated for him. This includes Bruins like Baron Davis, Matt Barnes, Lonzo Ball, and others. We wholly expect Watson to be given a courtesy interview. This would be out of respect for him and for connected Bruins lobbying on his behalf.
Having said that, we can’t see UCLA turning the program over to him, yet. UCLA needs a coach with a proven record of coaching accomplishments. Watson may have the makings of a great college coach, but there is little in his resume that supports that. Watson is the only candidate that has significant ties to UCLA so we would love to see him take a job at a mid-level program, have great success there in recruiting and winning, and eventually, circle back around to UCLA should the next coach leave the program.
Hiring Prognosis: Low to medium.
OTHER NAMES TO KNOW IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Tommy Amaker – Harvard Head Coach.
The 53-year-old former Duke guard has had an up and down coaching career. Four seasons at Seton Hall with one NCAA Tournament appearance and a .553 winning percentage. Six seasons at Michigan with no NCAA Tournament appearances, and 12 seasons at Harvard where he has been relatively successful with four NCAA Tournament appearances, six conference championships, and a .644 winning percentage.
His years at Michigan are what we find interesting. He did not do well and was eventually fired. However, most accounts are that he inherited a mess of a program and was essentially thrown into the proverbial fire in his first effort at a major program in a truly big-time university.
There are those that feel that coaching at Michigan is similar to coaching at UCLA, in that they are both big time, academically strong, public universities with similar business practices and cultures.
It is possible that the recruiting challenges he faces at Harvard will prepare him well for UCLA admissions, and his experience at Michigan can be chalked up to a lot of learned lessons. Some may see his mistakes at Michigan as correctable and not likely to be repeated at UCLA. While he should be considered a long shot, we suspect that there are those at UCLA that will be attracted to his Ivy League and Michigan experience.
Rick Barnes – Tennessee Head Coach. Barnes is having a resurgence at Tennessee after a long career at Texas. With extensive experience across major programs, Barnes has been on the college basketball scene for a long time. Unfortunately, it is probably too long for UCLA since he is now 64 years old. If he was 54, we could see UCLA going hard after him. Also, there is no evidence that he is ready to change jobs again at that age.
Chris Beard – Texas Tech Head Coach. A rising star that UCLA (and a lot of other schools) would love to have. However, Beard was born in Texas, raised in Texas, went to college in Texas, has always coached/worked in Texas, and most of his family lives in Texas. If that is not enough to keep him in the state, there are also suspicions that he now has his eye on the job at his alma mater, Texas. With Shaka Smart faltering, It is not hard to imagine the Longhorns making the switch for Beard after both Texas and Texas Tech’s seasons are finished. Ultimately, it will take a lot to pull him from the Lone Star state. Beyond all the Texas ties, there are also rumors of a volatile personality which may keep UCLA wary. We expect Beard to do great things, but not at UCLA. One wildcard might be that Texas Tech, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school.
Randy Bennett – Saint Mary’s Head Coach. Bennett’s name is getting mentioned but we don’t see it happening. He is 56 years old and has been at St Mary’s for 18 years. While he is considered a good coach, UCLA would probably prefer a younger guy that can show an advancing career path and recruiting prowess.
John Beilein – Michigan Head Coach. We keep hearing Beilein’s name thrown out for the UCLA job, but frankly, we don’t see it. He is a 66-year-old Mid-West/East Coast guy with a somewhat mixed record for a program like Michigan. He has had some truly great seasons but also had a few low points. We suspect his name is brought forward because speculators see Michigan and UCLA as similar schools – both top-notch academic public schools with strong athletic programs. We have not yet seen evidence that either he or UCLA would be interested in each other.
Mike Brey – Notre Dame Head Coach. We see his name being floated about but don’t see it happening. He is 59 years old, has coached at Notre Dame for the past 19 years, and has no ties to the West Coast. It doesn’t help that he finished last in the ACC this season.
Billy Donovan – Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach. Donovan would be a home run hire for Bruin fans but he is already making $6 million per year and appears to not be in the market for a new job. UCLA will definitely contact his representative to gauge interest but it appears to be a long shot. Also, UCLA may not want to lose out on other potential coaches while waiting until the Thunder season is over just to get an answer from him.
Mark Few – Gonzaga Head Coach. Few is an elite coach. Period. In 20 seasons at Gonzaga, he has made 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and has a .824 winning percentage. Few is from the Northwest and has been at Gonzaga since 1989 (30 years). While underpaid at $1.8 million per year, after that long, and at 56 years old, we don’t see him leaving now, even for UCLA.
Chris Holtmann – Ohio State Head Coach. Currently making $7 million a year at Ohio State. UCLA won’t try to outbid that for Holtman.
Mike Hopkins – University of Washington Head Coach, 49 years old. A disciple of Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, Hopkins is running a competitive, well-coached program that won the current Pac-12 regular season. He is well liked and respected in the coaching community. Negatives include he has little head coaching experience and has a deep, singularly minded commitment to playing zone defense. We can see him slipping into the job as the sleeper of the coaching candidates.
Bobby Hurley – Arizona State Head Coach. Hurley had success at Buffalo which he parlayed into the ASU job. However, after four years at ASU, he has very average results with a .545 winning percentage, and up to this season, no better than an 8th place in the Pac-12 (this season ASU finished 2nd in the Pac-12). He is still only 47 and many feel his best coaching years are ahead of him. That may be true, but UCLA should be hiring based on proven past production, not on potential.
Mark Jackson – commentator. After a 19 year NBA playing career, the NBA All-Star became the coach of the Golden State Warriors for three seasons. He has been out of coaching for the past four years, and sources say he would like to get back into it (as in unfinished business). He lives in Los Angeles so he may have an interest in the UCLA position. However, with no college coaching experience and only three seasons in NBA coaching, he doesn’t seem like a good fit for UCLA.
Larry Krystkowiak – Utah Head Coach. Considered a solid coach (finishing 3rd in the Pac-12 this season), and certainly one of the best in the conference. His hiring won’t get the fans fired up, but should higher priority coaches fall through, there are far worse candidates than Krystkowiak. Reportedly, he is currently the highest paid coach in the Pac-12 at $3.5 million per year. One wildcard might be that Utah, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school.
Chris Mack – Louisville Head Coach. The first year Louisville coach had quite a bit of success at his former stop, Xavier. At Xavier he took the Musketeers to eight NCAA Tournaments in nine years, including an Elite Eight, and three Sweet 16’s. Having been at Louisville for less than a year, he may not be inclined to leave already. He is making $4 million a year, and it is probably only a matter of time for the program to regain its reputation after the Pitino years. Unfortunately, the timing is not good. UCLA would have a much better chance a year from now for Mack. With the NCAA and FBI investigations hovering over the school, Mack may want out should everything go south and the school gets hit with heavy sanctions. We suspect his contract allows him an out should that happen, but it won’t happen before UCLA hires its next coach.
Frank Martin – South Carolina Head Coach. The 52-year-old coach has 13 seasons coaching as a head coach between Kansas State and South Carolina. His early career at Kansas State had some success with four NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons. In six seasons at South Carolina, he has only one NCAA Tournament appearance, but it was a Final Four. Missing the Tournament five out of six seasons at South Carolina has to be a red flag for UCLA. One wildcard might be that South Carolina, like UCLA, is an Under Armour school. This may be the source of some of the discussion about him being a candidate.
Matt Painter – Purdue Head Coach. While only 48 years old, Painter has already been the coach of Purdue for 14 seasons. The three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has been to the Tournament 10 times with four Sweet 16’s. With a winning percentage at Purdue of .669, Painter has finished the last five Big Ten seasons in competitive 3rd, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, and 1st places. Painter may be an interesting option should other candidates fall through. It should be noted that he has never lived or coached outside of the mid-West so his interest level in moving to Los Angeles is unknown.
Rick Pitino – Head coach of a professional team in Greece. Pitino is an accomplished coach with extensive baggage ranging from an FBI investigation, an NCAA recruiting violations investigation, accusations of heading a rogue program at Louisville, and even some morality issues. UCLA won’t touch him.
Kelvin Sampson – Houston Head Coach. Sampson is a coach that has been around the block with 30 years head coaching experience at programs like Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Houston. His age (63) and past recruiting violations will likely eliminate him from the UCLA job.
Bill Self – Kansas University Head Coach. Reports are that Self has indicated privately that he is interested in the UCLA job. He makes $4.1 million per year which is well within the UCLA range. Kansas has recently been mention in the FBI and NCAA investigations and UCLA is not likely to consider him until that is cleared up. On the other hand, if you have a legendary coach like Self who wants to be your coach, maybe you get creative with the contract. Add morality, ethics, and buyout clauses to limit UCLA’s liability should something go wrong at UCLA, or in the outcome of the current investigations. Food for thought. A wildcard is that in his contract, if he remains at Kansas through March 31, 2019, he will receive a $900,000 retention bonus. He may be inclined to try to hold out until then and UCLA may not want to wait.
Brad Stevens – Boston Celtics Head Coach. See Billy Donovan. Adding to that, it is believed he was offered the UCLA job last time around and he turned it down. While we have no evidence that anything has changed, human nature is unpredictable. Perhaps he has found he prefers the college game and regrets not taking the UCLA job. Perhaps a second chance at it is the charm. Again, this is pure speculation on our part, but until we hear that he is absolutely out from sources we trust, or that UCLA has hired someone else, we will keep an open mind.
Russell Turner - UC Irvine Head Coach. Turner will be moving up to a bigger program, sooner rather than later. At 48, he is already in his ninth season coaching the Anteaters. While at Irvine he has had some success. In the last five seasons, he has not finished lower than second in the Big West Conference, with three first places. He is a two time Big West Coach of the Year and has five Big West championships. He also has significant coaching experience having been an assistant coach for Stanford, Wake Forest, and the NBA Golden State Warriors. We think UCLA is too big of a jump, and it would take him a while to adjust. UCLA is not likely to have the patience for that.
Will Wade – LSU Head Coach. At only 36 years old, Wade was considered to be an ambitious rising star in coaching circles. However, recent revelations of FBI wiretapped phone calls between him and some shady figures indicate he has been complicit in serious recruiting violations. UCLA won’t touch him with the accusation hanging over his head.
Luke Walton – Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach. Walton’s days as the Lakers coach may be coming to an end. His connections to UCLA include his father, Bill Walton, and his agent who has close ties to UCLA. There are some who think his youth and coaching style would be a home run hire for a college, but his lack of experience in college coaching and recruiting is a big issue. How he would do in the college game is a very cloudy subject. Look for Walton’s alma mater Arizona to move on him or Musselman should Sean Miller leave.
Mike White – Florida Head Coach. This young coach (41) had the fortune, or misfortune, to replace Florida coaching legend, Billy Donovan. Fair or not, the comparisons are made. While proving to be a solid coach, the program is not at the level that it was during most of Donovan’s tenure. To be fair, he is only 41, and already has an Elite Eight on his resume. He probably has a bright future, but we don’t see it at UCLA.
Kevin Willard – Seton Hall Head Coach. A young coach (43) who already has 12 years head coaching experience. Most of his career has been marked by mixed results, but in his last three years, Seton Hall has finished no lower than 3rd in the Big East. There is the notion that he may be able to develop into an elite level coach with a patient program. We don’t think UCLA is that program.
Buzz Williams – Virginia Tech Head Coach. Williams is a relatively young guy (46) who already has had a nice career at Marquette and now Virginia Tech. While he is having some success this season, he has not finished higher than 5th place in the last four years in the ACC. Another question is his ability to recruit consistently at a high level. His nickname “Buzz” was given to him by a coach due to his high energy level.
Steve Wojciechowski – Marquette Head Coach. A well known name from his playing days who has come out of theKrzyzewski coaching tree, Wojciechowski is starting to be mentioned for the UCLA job in some circles. That is because he is currently doing well this season (finishing 2nd in te Big East. but overall, there is not much to write home about. In four seasons at Marquette, he has a .600 winning percentage, and one NCAA Tournament (eliminated in the first round).
Jay Wright – Villanova Head Coach. Another great coach who seems very happy where he is. Villanova is in a suburb of Philadelphia, Wright’s hometown, and he grew up a fan of the school. It is also his wife’s alma mater. He has been approached by numerous schools and NBA teams and still remained at Villanova. The only advantage UCLA might have is the ability to double his current salary. He only makes about $2.6 million a year, which is far below what he can command elsewhere.
