From CBS Sports.com:
UCLA’s Steve Alford, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Butler’s Chris Holtmann, Xavier’s Chris Mack, Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall or Dayton’s Archie Miller. One of those men will be Indiana’s next coach, I’d bet. And any of them would be a good hire. So, absolutely, I think things will ultimately end well with Indiana’s search.
If you heard Glass’ press conference last week, you know he yearns for Indiana’s storied past -- which is why Alford, a former Indiana player who led the Hoosiers to the 1987 national championship, makes sense. And I could totally see
UCLA lowering his $7 million buyout to a reasonable number that allows him to walk home. Remember, less than a year ago,
UCLA fans were flying “Fire Alford” banners above campus . And while this remarkable season would get most coaches back into good graces with their fans, UCLA supporters seem to credit
Lonzo Ball more than Alford for the Bruins’ success. So if UCLA slips even a little when Ball leaves after this season, Alford will be right back where he was a year ago. Thus, for those reasons and more, Alford to Indiana is plausible provided Glass really does desire a strong connection to Indiana’s past. And, again, I wouldn’t be surprised if UCLA, in the spirit of starting fresh, would be willing to do what it has to do to make it happen.
Now let’s run through the other options.
Drew makes sense because he’s the architect of the greatest rebuilding job in college basketball history -- and a Butler graduate who worked at
Valparaiso. So he has ties to the area, which is something Glass said matters. Holtmann makes sense because he’s been unreal at Butler. And hiring him would weaken an in-state rival, which could be a strong strategic move. Mack makes sense because he’s a consistent winner with a great personality who has made seven NCAA Tournaments and four Sweet 16s in eight years as a head coach. The only issue is that Indiana would be asking him to leave his hometown and alma mater, and that sometimes makes coaches hesitant to pull the trigger. Marshall makes sense because he’s a super-confident coach who has built
Wichita State into a monster and is unafraid to speak his mind, which longtime IU fans raised on Bob Knight must appreciate. But he’s set to have a top-10 team next preseason. Coaches don’t usually abandon those, it should be noted. And Archie Miller makes sense because he’s considered among the brightest young stars, if not
the brightest young star, in all of coaching. If Indiana doesn’t hire him now some other great Power-5 school will someday.
Bottom line, five bucks says one of those men is Indiana’s next coach.
There’s no way all six of them say no.
It’s just a matter of when one of them says yes.
Full story:
http://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...ng-search-boils-down-to-these-six-candidates/
