I don't normally take joy in the dismissal of anyone. But today is a great day for UCLA. They finally freed themselves of a coach that was excellent at getting the worse out of every player he coached. Any wins the man had, were due to the talent he recruited, and not his coaching. Almost every player that played for him, proved to be better once in the NBA, than they appeared to be under his coaching. This is a coach that was able to recruit very good players because of the history of UCLA. I don't think there's a college coach that I disliked more than Howland. I'm very happy he gone, and I hope that UCLA is going after Brad Stevens as their next coach. If Stevens had been coaching this talented group of players, we'd be talking final four right now. Just my opinion!
Ben Howland
- Thread starter bajaden
- Start date
The UCLA sites seem to believe that the top three candidates are Billy Donovan, Rick Pitino, and Brad Stevens. There's also an overwhelming sense from the fans that they ought to be including Shaka Smart in that short list. Also a bit of chatter about trying to pry away Bill Self, but that may be a bit of a pipe dream. (I kind of think that the top three are pipe dreams too, but if any school has the reputation to get Brad Stevens out of his happy zone at Butler, UCLA would be on the list.)
Billy Donovan and Pitino are certainly pipe dreams, as is Self. I wouldn't be unhappy with Shaka Smart. He's a good coach that also, like Stevens, seems to take lesser players and compete at a high level every year. My first choice is Stevens, but I agree, he seems to have roots on the east coast. Hey, there's always Tubby. Just a random thought, but what do you think about Elston Turner for the job. Might be the stepping stone he needs to get an NBA gig.
Edit: Its a shame they didn't go after Mike Montgomery when he was available. He couldn't cut it with the Warriors, but the dude can coach basketball great at the college level. He's probably out of the question now.
Edit: Its a shame they didn't go after Mike Montgomery when he was available. He couldn't cut it with the Warriors, but the dude can coach basketball great at the college level. He's probably out of the question now.
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I don't really know a lot about Turner's coaching chops. He's been an assistant for a long time but never seems to get any big-time jobs. That said, I don't think that UCLA is at all looking for a guy that will use the job as a stepping stone to an NBA job. They're looking for the guy that Ben Howland was supposed to be - the next great college coach (ala Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Boeheim) who is going to be the anchor of the program for decades. I don't see how Elston fits that bill.
Your probaly right about what UCLA is looking for, but Turner looking at it as stepping stone is just my thinking. Your right about one thing, he's been passed over countless times, so maybe thats a red flag. I know that Mark Few and Romar have been mentioned as well. I don't see Few leaving Gonzaga, and I'm not a big fan of Romar's. UCLA certainly has name recognition, and they should be able to attract top talent. Now if you could convince Calapari to give up his gig in Kentucky, and bring most of his recruiting class with him. OK, I've had too much to drink!