The Carousel
Next In Line: 10 West Coast Coaches that are due for Division 1 head jobs
Joe Pasternack –Arizona -- #1
The associate head coach at the currently ranked #2 team in the country, Pasternack is ready is for his own gig.While many of the coaches on this list are top candidates for openings on the west coast, Pasternack will have his choice of jobs across the country.
Pasternack has helped the Wildcats 72-21 (.774 win percentage) record in his short time on Sean Miller’s bench. He has made a Sweet 16 appearance in his short time in Tucson and this year, Arizona looks primed to make a run at the national championship.
Pasternack has been the kingpin in Arizona’s stellar recruiting classes each of the last 3 years. Arizona’s classes have been ranked in the Top 5 each of the last 2 seasons and this coming year they will be near the top again.
Pasternack does have 4 years of Division I head coaching experience already under his belt, serving as the head coach at the University of New Orleans from 2007-11.
A native of the South and deep coaching roots in the West will make the destination for Pasternack an interesting pick. He should be considered a top candidate for jobs in the SEC, Big 12, and Pac 12. It is difficult to see a non-power conference job enticing Pasternack, as he currently has a pretty sweet gig.
Justin Hutson – San Diego State #2
Have you seen the rankings lately?The San Diego State Aztecs are currently ranked #5 in the country.Justin Hutson is a big reason why.Working the sidelines with Steve Fisher and Brian Dutcher during the Aztecs rise to college basketball royalty, Huston was become a hot commodity.With Dutcher in line to replace Fisher at the time of the legendary coach’s retirement (which could be a long way off with the way things are rolling for the Aztecs), Huston will be looking elsewhere for a head job.
After spending two seasons at UNLV, Huston has returned to land the most touted recruiting class in the history of the San Diego State program. During Hutson’s tenure at SDSU, a case could be made that the Aztecs have been the best college program in the state of California. Throw in Arizona and Gonzaga and the Aztecs are living in rare company on the West Coast, as one of the power basketball schools.
Huston, like a lot of the men on this list, is known as a tireless recruiter. He has assisted in the recruiting the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Malcolm Thomas, Xavier Thames, Winston Shepard, Dakari Allen, and most recently landing highly sought after Malik Pope from the Sacramento area.
Huston has most of his ties on the West Coast so don’t be surprised if his name should come up with jobs in the Big West, West Coast Conference, Big Sky, Western Athletic Conference or even in his current conference of the Mountain West.
Jean Prioleau –Colorado – #3
Jean Prioleau has brought basketball buzz back to Boulder.Say that 3 times fast.The Buffs are in the midst of their first ever three straight 20 win seasons, and are well on their way to number four.They have made the transition to the Pac -12 look like a piece of cake and they are starting to turn out NBA players without the last name of Billups.
Prioleau is in his 5th season as the associate head coach at Colorado.And this could very well be his last.With previous coaching stints at TCU, Iowa State, and Marquette, Prioleau is in a slightly different boat from other guys on this list because of his Midwest pedigree.
At the end of this month, Prioleau’s name will be thrown around with many jobs on the not only on the west coast, but on the Midwest as well.Prioleau played collegiately at Fordham so maybe a return to the Atlantic 10 might also be up his alley.
Rick Croy – California Baptist University – #4
If you like winning, Rick Croy just might be your guy Division 1 athletic directors.That is all this guy seems to do.Croy has won at just about every level of college basketball imaginable.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Croy took the job at Division II Cal Baptist this season after serving for 5 years as Randy Bennett’s top assistant at St. Mary’s College. After serving two seasons under John Masi at UC Riverside, Croy became Ken Amman’s top assistant at Concordia University in Irvine. What did he do there you ask? He won. Concordia won the NAIA national championship in 2003. Croy wasn’t done winning. He helped lead Citrus College to a 92-9 record in three years at the California Community College level.
So after winning became routine, Croy joined the St. Mary’s staff and they won some more. The Gaels were 80-22 in his 5 years to be exact and made 2 trips to the NCAA tournament.
Now, in his first season at the helm of Cal Baptist, what do you think Croy is doing? Yep, he is winning; the Lancers are 19-1 this season and are currently ranked #13 in the country at the Division 2 level.
Croy is a little limited in his reach as a coach as all of his time has been spent in California, but his history speaks for itself. Croy is going to win. It doesn’t look like he will be at Cal Baptist long, if he keeps up his winning ways.
Tommy Lloyd – Gonzaga— #5
Tommy Lloyd probably thought he would be the head coach at Gonzaga by now.It seems that his boss, Mark Few, is on the short list for every big name job that opens.However, Few has decided to stay in Spokane and it looks like he might remain there the rest of his tenure.That leaves Lloyd in a position of having to move for his own gig.
Lloyd has served on Few’s staff for 12 years and has enjoyed tremendous success in his tenure in Spokane.Gonzaga assistants are usually highly sought after by other West Coast schools hoping to replicate the Zags’ success.Lloyd’s name has come up with West Coast jobs before and this season will be no different.
The biggest decision facing assistants at Gonzaga is if the grass is greener somewhere else.In terms of job security, there might be no safer place in the country.Few and his staff are royalty in Eastern Washington and it would take a pretty good gig to entice Lloyd away.But if the desire to be a head coach reigns supreme, look for Lloyd’s name to surface with jobs at the end of the month.
Eric Musselman – Arizona State – #6
Wait Eric Musselman?Haven’t we heard that name before?Yes, that Eric Mussleman.He is back and in a big way.
Eric Mussleman is best remembered for his NBA tenure with the Golden State Warriors and The Sacramento Kings. Mussleman, the son of an NBA coach, has coached everywhere and at every level.
With probably the strongest resume on this list, why is Musselman so low? Well, he is a wild card as to what his next job will be. Mussleman is in his second season on Herb Sendek’s staff at Arizona State and experiencing moderate success.
Mussleman, unlike other coaches on this list, does not necessarily need Arizona State to be overly successful to land a gig. The question is really what does Mussleman want? It looks like a Division 1 job may be in his future as he seems to be settling into the level after such a long stint at the professional level.
The job possibilities for Mussleman are endless, but he has seemed to make the West Coast his primary residence the last few years. Coach Sendek should not get too comfortable with Mussleman next to him, as he will be coveted this off season.
Tony Bland –USC – #7
There might not be a hotter recruiter on the West Coast than Tony Bland. Bland recently joined Andy Enfield on the USC staff before the start of this season. His star is on the rise after two seasons at SDSU (while Hutson was at UNLV) where the Aztecs experienced enormous success.
A native of the Los Angeles area, Bland headed to play for Coach Boeheim at Syracuse after leading Westchester High School to a state championship.After only a short stint with the Orange, Bland finished his playing career at San Diego State.
While Bland’s coaching career is not quite as long as some of the others on this list, his rise to the top has been explosive.With a strong playing career, a short but successful coaching career, and a sense of that “it” charisma, Bland will be on short lists for a West Coast head job soon.
Ali Ton – UC Irvine – #8
Who? Where?While Ali Ton and UC Irvine may not be household names outside of Orange County, CA, the Anteaters basketball program is on the rise.Ton was raised in Orange County and while he has strong Southern California ties, Ton’s greatest attribute lies in his international connections and esteem.
When Russell Turner, UC Irvine’s head coach, hired Ton onto his staff 4 years ago, the program was in a down period.The Anteaters have slowly worked their way up the ranks in the Big West during that time.This last offseason they landed a top tier recruit in 7’6 Mamadou Ndiaye.
But while Ndiaye was the big name recruit, a look at UCI’s roster shows players from England, Greece, Senegal, and Turkey.That is in large part to Ton.That international flare could be very attractive to a school on the West Coast.St. Mary’s has set the bar with the success it has had with Australian grown players.A coach with Ton’s connection’s might have AD’s thinking they can replicate that success with players across the pond.
Greg Kamansky – Cal Poly Pomona— #9
This might be the longest shot on our list, but mainly because of the coach’s prowess in his current position.Kamansky may not be as big a name or at as big of a school at some of the other coach’s on this list, but he has proven the capacity to build a program and win consistently at the Division 2 level.
In one of the top Division 2 conferences in the country, Cal Poly Pomona has experienced tremendous success thanks to Kamansky. He is currently (including this season) 285-114 in this 14 year tenure at the school. He won the ultimate prize, a Division 2 national championship, in 2010. The Broncos are winning again this season with a current 15-4 record.
With a coach in this position, the bigger question is would he leave. He has a great thing going at Pomona and it doesn’t look like the winning will stop any time soon. Don’t be surprised to see Kamansky flirted with by West Coach jobs, but it would take a great opportunity to pry him away from his current post.
Lamont Smith – New Mexico – #10
After assisting Randy Bennett in turning around the St. Mary’s program in 2005, Smith has made numerous stops at big West Coast schools.
A native of Texas, Smith currently finds himself at New Mexico helping the Lobos continue their winning ways in the Mountain West. With successful stops at the University of Washington and Arizona State, Smith has solidified himself amongst the elite in the West Coast coaching ranks.
With a coaching reference list that includes Bennett, Romar, and Sendek, Smith will be sure to be on the short list for jobs West Coast jobs this offseason.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Mike Dunlap –
The former Charlotte Bobcats coach is currently sitting out this season from the coaching ranks. This will not last long. Dunlap has a long history at the collegiate ranks on the West Coast including stops at Arizona and Oregon.
Dunlap is a coaching icon and somewhat of a cult hero to West Coast coaches. The options for his coaching return are endless. He could very well land in the NBA again. But a Division 1 job on the West Coast is probably not out of the question for Dunlap and goodness knows that every administration would want him. He is clearly #1 on this list if he likes a position. Dunlap has a history of being very selective in choosing his next job. Things will be no different this offseason.
Mike Dunlap will be coaching again soon and the only question is where.
