Arizona are looking for their next coach after Wednesday’s news that the Wildcats have fired Sean Miller. Although an NCAA investigation has gained a bit of a reputation over the past few years, the concert in Arizona is still an elite basketball team, and several quality candidates have been questioned as to whether they are expected to be interviewed. feed. Following this, we will discuss some names that could possibly be candidates for the job, according to basketball insiders Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish of CBS Sports.
The Wildcats won the 1997 national title and won 32 NCAA tournaments in a 34-year period from 1985 to 2018. During the run, the program garnered 23 consecutive NCAA tournaments under legendary former coach Lute Olson, who retired before the 2007-08 season. . Olson also helped cultivate a fertile coaching tree during his 25-year career leading the program.
This means that there will be good “Arizona family” options if the school board wants to give preference to someone with a prior commitment to the school, and has interviewed at least some of them. However, Miller had no affiliation with Arizona when he accepted the position, and he experienced success during the first decade of the job.
The position should attract interest from candidates from far and wide. Despite the looming uncertainty of a verdict on five alleged Level I offenses, Arizona has the means and tradition to compete permanently in the Pac-12 and the national landscape.
Here’s a look at some names to look at:
Tommy Lloyd, Gonzaga assistant coach
Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga have been preparing Lloyd for the opportunity to run his own program for two decades, and he’s one of those interviewed for the job. His recruitment of European prospects has helped the Bulldogs gain national fame, and at 46 he plans to take the next step if he is willing to leave his roots in the Northwest Pacific. Athletic director Mike Roth of Gonzaga made this clear in a interview with The spokesperson overview that Lloyd is considered a potential successor to Few. However, the timeline there does not make much sense, as Lloyd may have to wait another ten or 15 years until Few, 58, retires. He is at the right age and has the right experience to jump.
Damon Stoudamire, head coach in the Pacific
Stoudamire is an amazing former Arizona player of all time who has helped make progress over the past five seasons and interviewed for the position. Although he was only 71-77 as head coach, he won the WCC Coach of the Year award last season after leading the Tigers to a 20-win season, and they were 9-9 this season. As a former NBA Rookie of the Year, former Arizona star, former Wildcats assistant and current head coach of the university, Stoudamire basically watches every box you can think of. He scored 1849 points under Olson and led Arizona to the 1994 Final Four and is honored at the school.
Miles Simon, Lakers assistant coach
Simon teamed up with Michael Dickerson, Mike Bibby and Jason Terry to lead Arizona to the 1997 national title. After a professional career, he worked three seasons at Olson and has been an Lakers assistant since 2017. The combination of Arizona lineage and a recent NBA title on the bench with the Lakers makes him an attractive candidate and he has an interview for the job.
Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech Head Coach
Pastner was a run-up to the Wildcats under Olson and was part of the national championship team as he prepared for the coaching career he has watched since childhood. Pastner has more collegiate coaching experience than anyone on this list, having set a record of 249-148 in seven seasons at Memphis and five at Georgia Tech. A knock on Pastner’s candidacy could be that the Yellow Jackets followed up on some NCAA issues that resulted in a ban on the season during the 2019-20 season. He is also to be heard in talks with Georgia Tech over a contract extension.
Eric Musselman, Arkansas head coach
Musselman’s name is seen as a possibility for several jobs in this cycle, but it makes sense given the place he has spent the past decade. His first foray into college coaching took place in the state of Arizona between 2012 and 2014, and then he spent four successful seasons as head coach in Nevada. He must therefore have good relations with local talent sources. However, Musselman has already started landing transfer commitments for his roster in 2021-22, and it’s hard to see him leaving a good thing in Arkansas after just two seasons for a school with NCAA issues.
Luke Walton, Kings head coach
Another former player under Olson in Arizona, Walton is in his fifth season as NBA head coach. He said he has ‘no interest’ in the job, but it’s not crazy to suggest he wants a retirement from Sacramento. In three seasons with the Lakers and one season with the Kings, he has yet to set a winning record, and Sacramento is currently struggling outside of the playoffs. He spent a season on Pastner’s staff in Memphis in 2011 and is definitely a guy from Arizona. Walton played a key role for the 2001 Arizona team that lost the national title.