With apologies to Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan and President Michael McRobbie, the real leader of IU is its men’s basketball coach. To this day, you can’t wear Hoosier paraphernalia outside Indiana without someone bringing up Bobby Knight, and he hasn’t coached at IU in eight years.\nIU won’t name a new full-time head coach until the summer, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start speculating who will lead Hoosier basketball into the future. Here are the names of five top candidates to fill Kelvin Sampson’s shoes.
Dan Dakich, IU – “The Replacement”\nGreenspan said Friday night that Dakich wouldn’t be auditioning for IU’s permanent head coaching position, but it sure would seem so. Program turmoil aside, Dakich has the most talented Hoosier roster in years at his disposal, and if he can keep some of IU’s 2008 recruits from bolting, it will be his most impressive defensive performance since he locked down Michael Jordan in the ’84 tournament.\nRemember: The last guy Greenspan named interim coach (Bill Lynch) experienced mild success and was rewarded at the end of the season with a multi-year contract and control of the program. Don’t be surprised if history repeats itself.
Tony Bennett, Washington State – \n“The Up-and-Comer”\nA lot of interesting parallels make Bennett a serious candidate for the IU position. His sister, Kathi, previously coached the Hoosier women’s basketball team before resigning in 2005. He’s originally from the Midwest and currently coaches at the same university Sampson once led.\nBut his worthiness goes beyond networking. In his first year as Washington State’s head coach, the \nCougars tied the school record with 26 wins and went to the NCAA tournament for just the fifth time in school history. This season, Washington State has been a mainstay of the Top 25 and is poised for another tourney run. The 38-year-old “player’s coach” can recruit, too. As an assistant at Wisconsin, Bennett helped the Badgers land Devin Harris, Alando Tucker and Brian Butch. \nDon’t be surprised if Bennett leaves his heart in Washington State if Greenspan comes calling.
Bruce Pearl, Tennessee – “The Big Shot”\nWhy would the head coach of the No. 1 team in the nation leave the program he built for a university with crimson all over its hands from a recruiting scandal? Because IU is still a place of worship when it comes to basketball, and “Pearl at IU” would be along the same lines as “Pitino at Kentucky.” Pearl called IU a “dream job” in an ESPN interview, and he most likely wouldn’t mind leaving a school where he is the third most popular coach (Pat Summitt and Phillip Fullmer beat him out). If the Hoosiers can continue to have anonymous donors pad their pockets, then maybe Pearl will consider making Bloomington his next oyster.
Sean Miller, Xavier – “The Dark Horse”\nNo one had heard of Thad Matta or Skip Prosser before they left Xavier for cushier coaching positions, but consider this: Miller has carried Xavier into the top 10 this season and is coming off two straight 20-win seasons. He previously was an assistant on Wisconsin’s sidelines and would most likely be able to recruit well in the Midwest after spending the past few years in the region. And don’t think Greenspan isn’t familiar with Miller’s work: The then-No. 8 Hoosiers fell to then unranked Xavier team 80-65 on Nov. 24. Hey, if you can’t beat ’em, hire ’em.
Steve Alford, New Mexico – “The Favorite Son”\nThe sentimental favorite, Alford led the Hoosiers to a championship as a player, but he isn’t likely to be leading IU to a title as “Coach” any time soon. After eight mediocre seasons at Iowa, Alford is now the head basketball coach at New Mexico. His ties to Bob Knight make him a favorite of fans who prefer to sit down at Assembly Hall, but how is he perceived in the athletics department? There is no doubt Alford could recruit in Indiana, but could he bring a sixth banner to Bloomington? Unlikely.
Other names to consider are Brad Brownell of Wright State, Thad Matta of Ohio State, Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois, Kevin Stallings of Vanderbilt and Tom Crean of Marquette. \nNames to ignore are Bob Knight, Scott Skiles, Randy Wittman, Isiah Thomas, Matt Painter and Dane Fife.
