3/27 Update: Alabama has hired Buffalo’s Nate Oats as its new head coach.
The Alabama coaching search is set to begin after the school negotiated a buyout with Avery Johnson, and it’s a job that should attract plenty of attention.
While the Crimson Tide have not been able to stay in the upper echelon of the SEC on a consistent basis, the potential is there for this program to take a significant leap forward and be a regular contender in what has become one of the best conferences in the country.
To do that, Alabama must decide that it will take the necessary steps to reach that point. The good news for Tide fans is it seems that decision has already been made.
According to multiple sources, the school is fully prepared to offer the necessary financial resources to land a top-tier candidate due to the concern of falling further behind in an increasingly competitive SEC.
That approach should allow athletic director Greg Byrne to approach a variety of candidates.
This list is not a “these guys are all confirmed to be the mix” type of list. It’s simply a combination of rumored names and how I’d view them given the current state of the program.
Here’s something worth adding: Based on initial discussions, Alabama isn’t expected at this point to go the mid-major route for this hire.
Obviously, you may not have a choice if other candidates turn down the job, but this is one of the most important basketball hires in the school’s history.
Because of that, taking a chance on someone without proven experience at the power conference level may be considered a risk for Byrne.
Let’s take a look at some options that could fit what Alabama is looking for and where they’d rank on the shortlist of candidates.
The Best Option
Thad Matta (Former Ohio State head coach)
Matta was put in this same spot on my Vanderbilt coaching candidates list, and the reasoning for it really is pretty simple.
The SEC has become a conference loaded with coaches that have a proven track record of success. Of the 11 that are currently in place at their respective schools, five of them have made a Final Four, and eight of them have reached the Elite Eight.
Combine those credentials with the numerous NCAA Tournament appearances involved, and you’ve got a league that has completely transformed its coaching roster.
Matta’s stats: 13 tournament appearances in 15 eligible seasons (Ohio State was ineligible his first season), four trips to the Elite Eight, two trips to the Final Four, and one national runner-up in 2007.
Those numbers – combined with the fact that he’s only 51 years old – should make him a no-brainer for any school that’s serious about competing at the highest level.
However, it’s not that simple.
Matta turned down a reported five-year deal with Georgia last offseason due to ongoing back issues. It’s no secret that it played a role in his eventual exit at Ohio State, as it got to a point where some believed he couldn’t do his job effectively.
He wasn’t ready a year ago, but he may be ready now. To find out which one is true, you have to make the call.
While it’s a risk based on the back issues (which as some have pointed out was and will continue to be used against him in recruiting), a rejuvenated Matta would be the best possible option for Alabama when it comes to matching other SEC programs led by proven winners.
The Next Best Option (But He’s Probably Headed Elsewhere)
Buzz Williams (Virginia Tech)
Williams to Texas A&M would make a ton of sense.
He’s from Texas, went to A&M’s Kingsville campus, and spent several years as an assistant at the school when Billy Gillispie was emerging as one of the hottest names in college basketball.
But if we stay with the competition theme, the goal is to try to be the best that the SEC has to offer. What better way to do that than by luring another school’s top candidate to your program?
In a business full of relentless workers, Williams is one of the most relentless. He led Marquette to five straight tournament bids, and he’s had Virginia Tech dancing the past three seasons. He’s made the Sweet 16 three times, with one Elite Eight back in 2013.
Landing Williams would be extremely tough for Byrne and company based on his roots and what is not a cheap buyout, and there are strong indications that the Aggies already feel as though it’s a done deal (and just for clarification, it’s not).
But again, I have been given every indication that Alabama is not going to be shy about spending money here, and this is a call that is at least worth making if you’re willing to jump into the initial bidding war with Texas A&M.
He’s not the most realistic option, but if we’re discussing pure quality combined with the ability to reignite a fanbase, he’d be the second name on my board in terms of at least seeing if there is any interest at all.
The Option That Makes A Lot Of Sense
Steve Prohm (Iowa State)
3/26 Update: Prohm has signed an extension at Iowa State, so he is off the board for the Crimson Tide.
Speaking of connecting the dots, that’s not hard to do with Prohm and Alabama.
He’s the name that has been attached most with the opening, and for good reason since he’s an alum that has already experienced success at the power conference level.
Prohm has led Iowa State to three NCAA Tournament appearances in his four seasons on the job (including a Sweet 16 berth), and he’s done so in what has been a challenging Big 12 landscape.
His annual salary is currently $2 million per year, and Alabama would certainly be able to exceed that number if it wanted to.
Of course, there are no guarantees that he would be a slam dunk hire. He’s still relatively young at 44 and doesn’t have the long list of experience that other potential candidates have, so even with the ties to the school, there is risk involved.
Early on in coaching searches, fans always dream of the biggest name.
Prohm isn’t the biggest name available (which really doesn’t mean anything), but if he is what you consider your fallback option, you’re probably in pretty good shape.
From a fit standpoint, he’s the one that makes the most sense.
Other Intriguing Options If It Gets To This Point
Kelvin Sampson (Houston)
Here’s where we start to enter more of the speculation realm. Simply put, if this search reaches Prohm, I don’t think it goes beyond Prohm.
But let’s say he says no (that actually is a realistic possibility) and decides to stay at Iowa State. What’s next?
Well, there are plenty of names that could be thrown around based on what they’ve accomplished in recent years.
For me, one of the best options of that group would be Sampson who, yes, has had trouble with the NCAA before and did receive a five-year show cause penalty. That fact alone will be enough to scare people right off the bat.
However, that was over 10 years ago. He went to the NBA for a while and resurfaced at Houston in 2014, where he’s built a program that’s been efficient on both sides of the court.
In each of the past four seasons, the Cougars have ranked in the top 40 nationally in offensive efficiency. In the past two seasons, they’ve ranked top 15 in defensive efficiency.
Winning consistently in the SEC would be a more significant challenge than winning consistently in the AAC. And if you look at recruiting rankings, his classes haven’t been filled with 4-star or above types of talents on a consistent basis.
But Sampson is really good at developing players, and he instills a very disciplined approach with his team when it comes to the on-court product. Not to mention that he has a Final Four appearance and lots of NCAA Tournament bids to his credit.
He may not be on Alabama’s radar in any form or fashion, but he’s a quality coach with plenty of upside if you can shake the NCAA troubles from a decade ago.
Eric Musselman (Nevada)
Again, let’s keep in mind that we’re at the speculation phase of this coaching search.
Musselman has a ton of coaching experience at numerous levels, and admittedly, he doesn’t have the power conference success that Alabama may be looking for with this particular hire.
However, there are two important areas that he’s been able to succeed at: winning and selling the program the way it needs to be sold.
Let’s start with the first one. Musselman is 110-34 in four seasons at Nevada, and during that stretch, he’s made the NCAA Tournament three times while earning a Sweet 16 appearance a year ago.
Four years of college head coaching experience is a small sample size compared to the other candidates, but his background as both an NBA head coach (some fans are getting worried just reading that) and college assistant is nothing to scoff at.
Now for the selling of the program. Musselman has sold the Wolf Pack program like a pro, and he completed reignited the Nevada fanbase. Winning obviously helps, but it’s clear that he understands how to garner interest in the social media era.
Does that matter in the grand scheme of things? I’d say it does. It’s a great sell to recruits who use these platforms on an hourly basis, and it’s a way to keep your program ahead of the pack (no pun intended).
The potential concern with this choice is that there is a lack of experience at a power conference school, and Musselman has done the majority of his college coaching out West aside from his one season as an assistant at LSU back in 2014. There’s also the fact that transfers have played a huge role in his roster structure, which may or may not be a concern depending on how you look at it.
He’s at this spot on the list for a reason, as I find it unlikely that he’ll be the team’s next coach.
But I do think he’s bound for a power conference job sooner rather than later, and he’s at least worth consideration if it becomes apparent that there’s mutual interest.
The Two Names Everyone Wants To Talk About
Billy Donovan (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Let’s go ahead and address the two biggest fish in the pond who have multiple national championships on their respective resumes.
We start with Donovan, who any fanbase would likely give their left pinky toe to have coaching their favorite team, and that’s why the rumor train starts when any power conference job becomes available.
He won back-to-back national championships at Florida and made it to the Final Four four times before bolting to the NBA in 2015 to coach the Thunder.
Donovan is only 53 years old, and there have been plenty of rumblings about him either getting run out of Oklahoma City or choosing to return to the college game.
Here’s the problem: If either of those two scenarios happened, there would be a gazillion other programs lined up to hire him. And yes, some of them would fire successful coaches if they thought they had a legitimate shot at securing a deal with Donovan.
Would Alabama have the money to afford someone like him? Probably so. But would Alabama be a more appealing job than say a UCLA? Probably not.
Listen, it’s 2019 and calling and/or texting has never been easier in the great history of mankind. So, at least send him a “you up?” text or something.
But this is way more wishful thinking than it is the reality of the current situation for both parties.
Rick Pitino (Former Louisville coach)
And here we go, the candidate that is sure to offer the most buzz and controversy of any other name on this list.
Social media is already having its fun with the idea of Pitino leaving Greece to head to Tuscaloosa, and if you want to win basketball games, he’s a hell of a choice.
Pitino has two national championships (one vacated), an insane amount of NCAA Tournament appearances, and a resume unlike anyone else that’s currently available to coach college basketball.
That’s a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is the on-court success. The bad part is the laundry list of stuff that has happened off the court.
You already know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t been able to keep up with it all, Google is your friend. Pitino’s exit at Louisville came with an enormous amount of controversy, and the reason he was forced to head overseas to coach Panathinaikos had nothing to do with a love for fine Greek cuisine.
Still, there is something worth admitting in this entire situation, whether some of us want to believe it or not: A college basketball program is going to hire Rick Pitino in the near future.
Will that program be Alabama? That’s a question you think you know should know the answer to.
But it’s also one that causes that mini version of yourself to appear on your shoulder to remind you that your common sense self is an idiot.
Hiring Pitino would be one of the riskiest investments you could make if you consider the recent track record. He’s set to turn 67 this year, and if you think Matta’s back problems would be used as a recruiting tool against you, Pitino’s issues would open up an entirely new dimension of tactics.
But as mini Blake reminded me, Pitino would win. And he would probably even win big.
Even better, he would win now.
That alone would justify the hiring to some members of a fanbase, and winning puts a smile on people’s faces and brings in a lot of money in ticket sales.
For my money, I do not think Rick Pitino will be next coach at Alabama.
But folks, the reality of the situation is that in this win-now era of college athletics, anything is possible.
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.