Five Candidates To Replace Steve Alford At UCLA
Steve Alford has been fired as the head coach at UCLA after five-plus mediocre seasons.
The Bruins are looking for a new coach, so here are five guys who should be candidates for the job.
Fred Hoiberg
Fred Hoiberg has become a popular candidate as speculation has swirled about the UCLA job. The Chicago Bulls fired Hoiberg after a 5-19 start to the 2018-19 season. He was wildly unsuccessful in his three-plus years in Chicago, as he took over a very good team and underachieved.
During his time with the Bulls, Hoiberg posted a forgettable record of 115-155 (.426).
Despite his lack of NBA success, Hoiberg will always be a popular name for college basketball jobs because he did an incredible job during five seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, Iowa State. Hoiberg went 115-56 (.673) during his time with the Cyclones, and after a 16-16 record in his first campaign, boasted a 99-40 (.712) record over the next four. He reached the NCAA tournament in each of those final four years and reached the Sweet 16 in 2014.
Hoiberg rode his success at Iowa State straight to Chicago, where his system always felt like an awkward fit.
Given his pedigree as a former NBA player and coach, it should be easy for Hoiberg to recruit in UCLA’s talent-rich backyard. The Bruins could also get him relatively cheaply considering he was just bought out by the Bulls.
Don’t be surprised if this winds up happening.
Chris Beard
Chris Beard is making noise as everyone’s favorite hot coaching candidate. The 45-year-old took over an average Texas Tech program in 2016, and in two-plus seasons has turned it into a power.
Beard took Arkansas-Little Rock to a 30-5 record and a Sun Belt Conference title in 2016, then upset Purdue in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. That got him in the door at Texas Tech. He went 18-14 in his first season in Lubbock, but went 27-10 in 2017-18 and the Red Raiders reached the Elite Eight.
So far this season, Beard has Texas Tech at 11-1 with the team’s lone loss coming against Duke.
Beard was an assistant under Bobby Knight and Pat Knight at Texas Tech from 2001-11. Clearly he has an attachment to the program and it might be hard to lure him away. But UCLA used to be an elite program, the kind that could lure any coach away. If the school can muster the money, it might be too much for Beard to pass up.
Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman’s time at Nevada has put him squarely on the radar of every national coaching search. In three-plus seasons he’s turned the Wolfpack into a legitimate national power and the class of the Mountain West Conference.
In his first year on campus, Musselman’s team went 24-14 and won the 2016 CBI. During the 2016-17 season, the Wolfpack went 28-7 and won the Mountain West’s regular season and tournament titles. Last year, they went 29-8, won the Mountain West and reached the Sweet 16. And this year, Musselman has them off to a phenomenal 13-0 start and a top 10 national ranking.
The 54-year-old has a ridiculous 94-29 (.764) record since arriving in Reno.
After unsuccessful NBA coaching stints with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, Musselman has clearly found his calling in college basketball.
Musselman isn’t for everyone. He’s fiercely competitive and driven, and is widely regarded as an offensive genius. That said, he’s super intense and his personality could be a bit too strong for some fan bases.
If UCLA is looking for a jolt to its basketball program, Musselman could certainly provide it.
Gregg Marshall
Gregg Marshall has taken a good Wichita State program and made it great. While he’s always seemed comfortable and settled with the Shockers, it could finally be time for him to step up to a bigger job.
As the head coach at Winthrop from 1998 through 2007, Marshall posted a 194-83 (.700) record and reached the NCAA tournament seven times. Wichita State came calling in 2007, and in 12 seasons, Marshall has turned the program into a national power.
During his time with the Shockers his record is 291-102 (.740) and he’s reached the NCAA tournament seven times, including a Final Four appearance in 2013.
The 2018-19 season is likely to be a struggle as the Shockers rebuild. They’ve opened the season 7-5 and the 55-year-old head coach can’t be happy with their play to open the year.
While his team is struggling this season, that’s an incredibly rare occurrence. Since 2011, Marshall’s teams have finished in the top 50 in both offensive and defensive efficiency six times. In the other two years the Shockers were first in defensive efficiency and 67th in offensive efficiency (2016), and fourth in offensive efficiency and 111th in defensive efficiency (2018).
Marshall is another guy with an intense personality who can rub people the wrong way. But there’s no doubting his coaching ability.
Jamie Dixon
Jamie Dixon had really nice 13-year run at Pitt before moving on and taking over at TCU in 2016. Since then he’s built the Horned Frogs into a developing power in the Big 12.
At Pitt, Dixon posted a record of 328-123 (.727) and reached the NCAA tournament 11 times. In his first season at TCU, he won the NIT while going 24-15. During the 2017-18 season, the Horned Frogs went 21-12 and made the NCAA tournament. So far this season, Dixon’s squad is 11-1 and sitting just outside the top 25.
Dixon has always done a solid job developing players and tailoring his system to the talent at his disposal.
The 53-year-old was born in North Hollywood and has a ton of ties to Southern California. Dixon also has a nice thing going at TCU, where he played in college, but it would be hard for him to turn down a job like UCLA.