UCLA AD Dan Guerrero May Have Flown to Indianapolis to Meet with Brad Stevens, According to Flight Tracker

Was UCLA AD Dan Guerrero on the airplane? Nobody knows. Hardcore Bruins fans seem to recognize the tail number, and claim he was. Nobody can confirm anything, though. We’ve attached a screen grab below just in case the link disappears.

Here’s the thing with coaching searches – you can aim high, strike out left and right, and then settle for your 5th option. At the time it looks bad – ask Tennessee Vols football fans, who are dealing with that right now – but a few years later, when the coach is successful, nobody’s talking about the search. Remember the Oregon search a few years ago to replace Ernie Kent? Dana Altman wasn’t considered a home run hire, especially after the Ducks got rejected by Jamie Dixon, Billy Donovan and others.

In his third season at Oregon, Altman has the Ducks in the Sweet 16.

Coaching searches are fun, wildly speculative, and make for good chatter because everyone has to have an immediate “take.” The reality is, just like the NFL draft, you’ve got to wait a few years to see whether the decision was a good one.

But, if you’re keeping score at home, the Bruins will be 0-2 after striking out with Stevens (assuming he doesn’t leave Butler). I’m sticking with my guess – right now – that Dan Guerreo once against goes to a former pro coach, just like he did with the football job (which was turned down by Chris Petersen of Boise State in December 2011).

[H/T Herbie]