Potential candidates at Louisville if Pitino is fired
AP
Rick Pitino, the Hall of Fame head coach at Louisville, was suspended as a result of the FBI investigation that revealed Louisville helped funnel $100,000 to a recruit in May. If he is relieved of his duties as many suspect he will be, who are five potential candidates for the vacancy at Louisville?
RELATED: Recruiting changes that could come in wake of scandal
TOM CREAN
Is there a better candidate for the job at Louisville than Crean? The one-team head coach at Indiana took over the Big Ten program when it was left in shambles due to NCAA issues and while this specific situation is far worse, Crean is one of the better prepared coaches to ride out the storm. He was the coach that lifted the Hoosiers’ from the abyss within a matter of four years and placed it back into the college basketball spotlight. There has been much said about his recruiting misses and inability to win the big game at Indiana, but not many have done more with less than Crean. He has been coaching at various camps and clinics this summer and looks more than anxious to get back into a top shelf coaching position.
THAD MATTA
AP
A Midwest native through and through, Matta, despite the questions pertaining to his health, might just be the right candidate. He will not be asked to leave a current coaching position and is one of the more respected coaches who is known for doing things the right way. Critics can talk about his recent recruiting downfalls at Ohio State, but what they cannot knock is the culture that Matta created in Columbus prior to his firing. Someone that just turned 50 years old, has won over 400 games, been named the coach of the year in his respective conference five separate times and has no NCAA penalties in his background? If his health checks out and he is willing, Matta might be worth a look.
MIKE BROWN
AP
Finagling a college coach from his head coaching position to take on the all of the ramifications that will soon be felt at Louisville will be difficult, so why not look to the professional ranks? Mike Brown, the former head coach of the Cavaliers and the Lakers, and now the lead assistant for the Warriors. He made it known through various outlets that he wouldn’t mind getting back into the college game and was involved for a number of recent openings including Ohio State and UNLV. Brown is totally fine with where he is, being Steve Kerr’s primary back-up and for the best team in the NBA. However, he might be enticed by the Louisville gig, despite the controversy surrounding it, where it would get him back into the college game and closer to his Midwest upbringing.
KERMIT DAVIS
AP
Winning the press conference with a splashy name might not be a high priority in this situation, so Kermit Davis might be the ideal fit. The head coach at Middle Tennessee State is entering the new college basketball season hoping to get his team to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament, something that is impressive seeing that his team competes in the one-bid Conference USA. He is already in the region and Davis has shown he can topple the nation’s elite when he beat Michigan State two years ago in the NCAA Tournament. Davis, leaving a program that he made his own, will be difficult, but he is worth a shot.
MIKE BALADO
AP
There is a very minimal chance of this occurring seeing that Louisville will likely want to bring in someone that has no prior connections to the program. However, there is a team waiting to be coached, a group of talented individuals that are gearing up for the college basketball season as official practices begin on Friday. Someone who has prior relationships and has interacted with each prospect might be able to salvage the season at hand. Balado, the one-time assistant coach at Louisville and recently named head coach at Arkansas State, could receive a look. However, how fair would it be for his own team if he was interviewing to coach another school, effective immediately?
