The final time Troy Dannen went searching for a head coach, the Washington Huskies athletic director moved with unimaginable tempo to fill the void within the soccer program.
It took him simply two days to lure Jedd Fisch away from Arizona and exchange Kalen DeBoer, who left for Alabama.
Two months later, Dannen, who started his tenure at Montlake in October, is now tasked to fill the soon-to-be head teaching emptiness with the UW males’s basketball staff after asserting Friday that Mike Hopkins won’t return subsequent season.
“As we transition to the Massive Ten Convention this August, we accomplish that with large momentum, passionate followers and supporters, in addition to a proud basketball custom,” Dannen stated in a press release launched by UW. “I’m assured we’ll determine an outstanding chief for our males’s basketball program who will embrace our establishment’s excessive expectations for educational, social and aggressive success.”
Simply don’t anticipate Dannen to maneuver as rapidly as he did earlier than.
For starters, a lot of the reported prime candidates are within the midst of main their applications to convention tournaments adopted by the NCAA event.
Technically, there’s no NCAA rule that forestalls Dannen from beginning the teaching search now whereas the season winds down.
When Hopkins was employed in 2017, he was the highest Syracuse assistant and interviewed with former UW athletic director Jen Cohen the day earlier than the Orange misplaced within the second spherical of the NIT.
Nonetheless, it’s believed Dannen has his sights set on a candidate with present head-coaching expertise and it’s extraordinarily unusual for a head coach to take one other job whereas his staff is within the postseason.
Nonetheless, the switch portal may play a job in UW’s hiring timeline contemplating Monday begins a 45-day window for gamers to enter the portal.
The Huskies may also be motivated to maneuver rapidly contemplating the very actual chance a number of different faculties will doubtless be searching for a brand new coach. Stanford’s Jerod Haase, Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley and Oregon State’s Wayne Tinkle are believed to be on the new seat, and Oregon’s Dana Altman lately shutdown retirement rumors.
At that second, Washington, Ohio State, West Virginia and DePaul are the most important faculties and not using a males’s basketball coach, which begs the query: Is UW a very good job?
Properly, it’s difficult.
Earlier than delving into this, it should be famous Washington is traditionally a soccer college whereas the Husky males’s basketball — even in the perfect of occasions — competes for consideration in a metropolitan metropolis that gives an array of leisure and sports activities choices.
That’s a pleasant approach of claiming, school hoops isn’t as vital round right here because it in locations like Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Previously 12 years, the Huskies have made only one look within the NCAA event, which partly explains why they’re searching for their third coach in seven years.
Hopkins’ predecessor, Lorenzo Romar, had the longest sustained success at school historical past when he made six journeys to the Massive Dance throughout an eight-year span (2004-11).
However since 1978, Washington has captured simply 5 regular-season convention titles and there’s no indication that life within the 18-team Massive Ten will likely be any simpler.
Relying on the way you spin it, shifting to the brand new convention will assist and damage the Huskies.
There’s little doubt, Washington will likely be adversely affected by journey to small-town hoops hotbeds like East Lansing, Mich., Champagne, Ailing., and West Lafayette, Ind.
Then again, Washington’s membership in a convention that extends from Piscataway, N.J., to Los Angeles helped land Minnesota-based Casmir Chavis, a four-star prospect who cited UW’s Massive Ten affiliation as a purpose why he signed with the Huskies.
Traditionally, the Seattle/Tacoma space has been fertile grounds for high-school recruiting and often produced prime prospects who grew to become Husky legends like Brandon Roy and Isaiah Thomas.
Washington has six former gamers taking part in within the NBA (Markelle Fultz, Justin Vacation, Jaden McDaniels, Dejounte Murray, Isaiah Stewart and Matisse Thybulle), not together with eight within the G League and 7 taking part in professionally abroad.
Hopkins’ $3.1 million wage this season is just under what most Massive Ten coaches are making based mostly on analysis from information organizations throughout the convention. Eight coaches are reportedly incomes between $3.6M and $3.2M.
Seemingly, UW’s subsequent coach could have strong NIL help final 12 months that helped Hopkins entice a bevy of high-profile transfers and high-school recruits, together with Keion Brooks Jr. and Zoom Diallo.
A decade in the past, Washington loved a ready checklist for season-ticket holders earlier than fan curiosity in this system waned. Nonetheless, the Huskies offered out 9,294-capacity Alaska Airways Area thrice this season.
And final week, UW started building on a donor-funded $60 million basketball-only apply facility that may open in 2025, representing a long-awaited funding that may profit the Huskies’ subsequent coach.
So, there’s loads of benefits and drawbacks with regards to Washington’s potential to compete within the Massive Ten.
Now it’s as much as Dannen to search out the suitable particular person for the job.
Right here’s a have a look at a number of early candidates (in alphabetical order).
Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s
Virtually each time there’s a training emptiness with a West Coast Energy 5 staff, his identify is thrown within the combine. Final 12 months, he reportedly rebuffed overtures from California. Throughout his 23-year tenure at Saint Mary’s, Bennett has constructed a basketball powerhouse and the Gaels (24-7) are poised to make their 10th look within the NCAA event up to now 20 years.
Darian DeVries, Drake
The 48-year-old DeVries has by no means gained fewer than 20 video games in a season throughout his six years with the Bulldogs. This season, Drake is 26-6 and on the verge of its third NCAA event beneath DeVries. Son Tucker, a 6-foot-7 junior guard, is the two-time Missouri Valley Convention participant of the 12 months.
Dusty Could, Florida Atlantic
Arguably the most popular identify amongst mid-major coaches, who’s reportedly one of many prime two candidates for the Ohio State job together with Xavier’s Sean Miller. Could is 124-67 over six seasons at Florida Atlantic and surprisingly he returned to the Owls for this 12 months after guiding them to a 35-win season and the Last 4.
Niko Medved, Colorado State
Very similar to Could, Medved has been a rising star amongst mid-major coaches since guiding the Rams to 4 20-win seasons up to now 5 years. Nonetheless, since making his solely journey to the NCAA event in 2022, the Ram have completed eighth and seventh within the Mountain West.
Kyle Smith, Washington State
Smith is beloved in Pullman after guiding the Cougars to a 23-8 file, second-place Pac-12 end and an anticipated NCAA event look, which might snap their 16-year postseason drought. However Washington can be silly to not discover his curiosity. Moreover, the final coach who left WSU for UW turned out fairly good for the Huskies: the legendary Marv Harshman.
Danny Sprinkle, Utah State
A number of school basketball pundits imagine it’s his job if he desires it. Sprinkle led Montana State to consecutive NCAA event appearances and through his first 12 months at Utah State, the 22nd-ranked Aggies are 22-5 and headed to the Massive Dance. Sprinkle is a Pullman native whose father performed soccer at UW.