by bluejayfan00 » Thu Feb 22, 2024 4:16 pm
From an ESPN+ article written by Jeff Borzello yesterday regarding the coaching carousel:
Regarding "Guys Who Could Look Around":
"Never before has there been so much talk of high-major coaches looking to move -- or at least being willing to listen to other opportunities. Some of this has to do with the aforementioned NIL, some has to do with wanting to start fresh. Creighton's Greg McDermott and Washington State's Kyle Smith are likely candidates for multiple openings, while Oklahoma's Porter Moser, Arkansas' Eric Musselman, BYU's Mark Pope and Arizona State's Bobby Hurley could all listen to other schools. Others who could look around: Iowa's Fran McCaffery, USC's Andy Enfield, Texas A&M's Buzz Williams, Mississippi State's Chris Jans and Virginia Tech's Mike Young."
Under the "Jobs Already Open" section:
"Ohio State made the stunning -- in terms of timing -- move last week to fire Chris Holtmann with a month left in his seventh season. Did the Buckeyes do it to get a jump on Louisville or another big program set to begin a coaching search? And who are they going after? There are several layers to this one. Outgoing athletic director Gene Smith made the decision to fire Holtmann, while incoming athletic director Ross Bjork will lead the search for a replacement -- assisted by Collegiate Sports Associates, which helped the school run its AD search. From what we're hearing, they've cast a wide net in the first few days of the search, but should zero in on a handful of names soon. Creighton's Greg McDermott, Xavier's Sean Miller and South Carolina's Lamont Paris are among the candidates expected to be involved. Dayton's Anthony Grant has appeared very comfortable with the Flyers, but could the Buckeyes try to tempt him? A potential long shot name to watch is Washington State's Kyle Smith."
"High Profile Names to Watch":
Greg McDermott, Creighton Bluejays: McDermott has guided the Bluejays to at least one win in three straight NCAA tournaments, including last season's run to the Elite Eight. Creighton is currently inside the top 20 nationally. McDermott has been linked to other jobs in the past, but there have been growing whispers in recent weeks that he's willing to seriously listen. Ohio State is interested and Louisville may well be, too.
Other notes:
- "Darian DeVries, Drake Bulldogs: Indiana State's losses last week opened the door for Drake to push for an MVC title. DeVries has led Drake to the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons, and 78 wins over that span. He could be in the mix at Creighton if McDermott leaves."
- Growing buzz that Dana could retire this year
-Bobby Hurley, Will Wade, Holtmann, Josh Schertz (ISU) could be candidates at DePaul
-Scott Drew, Nate Oats, Mac, and Dusty May possible names at Louisville
- Many people unhappy with the Nova situation, but unlikely anything happens this year
- Hoibergs seat (obviously) has cooled given this seasons performance
-Other "high profile" names that could be on the move besides Mac are Dusty May, Sean Miller, Nate Oats, Lamont Paris, Porter Moser, Eric Musselman, Kyle Smith, Will Wade, Mark Pope, Chris Beard, Randy Bennett, Bobby Hurley
- Holtmann possibly an option at Depaul, Chris Mack could be a fit at Vandy, UCF, or FSU if they open; LaVall Jordan, Tom Crean, Josh Pastner and Cuonzo Martin may all want to coach next year.