[ad_1]
The last time Troy Dannen went looking for a head coach, the Washington Huskies athletic director moved at an incredible pace to fill the void in the football program.
It took him just two days to lure Jedd Fisch away from Arizona and replace Kalen DeBoer, who went to Alabama.
Two months later, Dannen, who began his tenure at Montlake in October, is now tasked with filling the future head coaching vacancy of the University of Washington men’s basketball team after announcing Friday that Mike Hopkins will not return next season.
“As we transition to the Big Ten Conference in August, we do so with tremendous momentum, passionate fans and followers, and a proud basketball tradition,” Dannen said in a statement released by the University of Washington. “I am confident that we will identify a phenomenal leader for our men’s basketball program who will embrace our institution’s high expectations for academic, social and competitive success.”
Just don’t expect Dannen to move as quickly as he did before.
For starters, most of the reported top contenders are taking their programs to conference tournaments followed by the NCAA tournament.
Technically, there is no NCAA rule that would prevent Dannen from starting the coaching search now as the season winds down.
When Hopkins was hired in 2017, he was Syracuse’s top assistant and interviewed with former UW athletic director Jen Cohen the day before the Orange lost in the second round of the NIT.
However, Dannen is believed to have his sights set on a candidate with current head coaching experience and it is extremely rare for a head coach to take another job while his team is in the postseason.
Still, the transfer portal could play a role in UW’s recruiting schedule considering a 45-day window for players to enter the portal begins Monday.
The Huskies could also be motivated to act quickly considering the very real possibility that other schools are looking for a new coach. Stanford’s Jerod Haase, Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley and Oregon State’s Wayne Tinkle are believed to be on the bench, and Oregon’s Dana Altman recently shut down retirement rumors.
At the time, Washington, Ohio State, West Virginia and DePaul are the top schools without a men’s basketball coach, which begs the question: Is the University of Washington a good job?
Well, it’s complicated.
Before we delve into this, it’s worth noting that Washington is historically a football school, while Husky men’s basketball, even in the best of times, competes for attention in a metropolitan city that offers a variety of sports and basketball options. entertainment.
That’s a nice way of saying that college basketball isn’t as big a deal here as it is in places like Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.
In the last 12 years, the Huskies have only appeared in the NCAA tournament once, which partly explains why they are searching for their third coach in seven years.
Hopkins’ predecessor, Lorenzo Romar, had the longest sustained success in school history when he made six trips to the Big Dance over an eight-year span (2004-11).
But since 1978, Washington has captured just five regular-season conference titles and there’s no indication that life in the 18-team Big Ten is going to get any easier.
Depending on how you look at it, moving to the new conference will either help or hurt the Huskies.
There is no doubt that Washington will be negatively affected by travel to small cities like East Lansing, Michigan, Champagne, Illinois, and West Lafayette, Indiana.
On the other hand, Washington’s membership in a conference that stretches from Piscataway, New Jersey, to Los Angeles helped land Minnesota-based Casmir Chavis, a four-star prospect who cited the league’s Big Ten affiliation. University of Washington as one of the reasons he signed with the Huskies.
The Seattle/Tacoma area has historically been fertile ground for high school recruiting and regularly produced top prospects who became Husky legends like Brandon Roy and Isaiah Thomas.
Washington has six former players playing in the NBA (Markelle Fultz, Justin Holiday, Jaden McDaniels, Dejounte Murray, Isaiah Stewart and Matisse Thybulle), not including eight in the G League and seven playing professionally overseas.
Hopkins’ salary of $3.1 million this season is just below what most Big Ten coaches make according to research from conference-wide news organizations. Eight coaches reportedly earn between $3.6 and $3.2 million.
The next UW coach will apparently have strong support from NIL last year that helped Hopkins attract a group of high-profile transfers and high school recruits, including Keion Brooks Jr. and Zoom Diallo.
A decade ago, Washington enjoyed a waiting list for season ticket holders before fan interest in the program waned. Still, the Huskies sold out the 9,294-seat Alaska Airlines Arena three times this season.
And last week, the University of Washington broke ground on a $60 million, donor-funded basketball practice facility set to open in 2025, representing a long-awaited investment that will benefit the Huskies’ next coach.
So, there are a lot of pros and cons when it comes to Washington’s ability to compete in the Big Ten.
Now it’s up to Dannen to find the right person for the job.
Below are some of the early candidates (in alphabetical order).
Randy Bennett, Santa Maria
Almost every time there is a coaching vacancy at a West Coast Power Five team, his name appears in the mix. Last year, he reportedly rejected California’s proposals. During his 23 years at Saint Mary’s, Bennett has built a basketball powerhouse and the Gaels (24-7) are ready to make his 10thth appearance in the NCAA tournament in the last 20 years.
Darian DeVries, Drake
DeVries, 48, never won fewer than 20 games in a season during his six years with the Bulldogs. This season, Drake is 26-6 and on the brink of its third NCAA tournament under DeVries. Son Tucker, a 6-foot-7 junior guard, is a two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year.
Dusty May, Florida Atlantic
Possibly the most popular name among mid-level coaches, he is reportedly one of the two leading candidates for the Ohio State job along with Xavier’s Sean Miller. May is 124-67 in six seasons at Florida Atlantic and surprisingly returned to the Owls for this year after leading them to a 35-win season and the Final Four.
Niko Medved, Colorado State
Like May, Medved has been a rising star among mid-level coaches since leading the Rams to four 20-win seasons over the past five years. However, since he made his only trip to the NCAA tournament in 2022, the Ram have finished eighth and seventh in the Mountain West.
Kyle Smith, Washington State
Smith is beloved in Pullman after leading the Cougars to a 23-8 record, a second-place finish in the Pac-12 and a long-awaited NCAA Tournament appearance, breaking their 16-year postseason drought. But Washington would be foolish not to explore his interests. Plus, the last coach to leave WSU for UW turned out to be pretty good for the Huskies: the legendary Marv Harshman.
Danny Sprinkle, Utah State
Several college basketball experts believe it’s your job if you want it. Sprinkle led Montana State to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and during his freshman year at Utah State, the 22ndNorth DakotaThe ranked Aggies are 22-5 and heading to the Big Dance. Sprinkle is a Pullman native whose father played football at the University of Washington.