Whenever we talk about who would replace Cal as the next guy, we often see the usual names thrown out: Chris Beard, Mark Few, Pitino (lol), or Billy Donovan. And then there are the pipe dream candidates like Brad Stevens or Frank Vogel, who I don't think would ever leave their current situations coaching the two most important professional basketball teams of all time and both having NBA championship aspirations with their current rosters.
We don't need a retread and a pipe dream isn't happening. We need someone who is young, extremely motivated to make a name for themselves, and who has a high level of x's and o's talent along with the ability to connect with high level young players and prepare them for the next level, since that will always be important in the college game (just not at the insane level it's at now with Cal where we bring in these fringe talents with NBA dreams who only come here to leave as soon as humanely possible whether they're draftable or not). And to me, the best guys who fit that mold are some of the great young NBA assistant coaches out there. Here are just a few candidates I'd be interested in taking a chance on:
Charles Lee, 36: Current assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. Played at Bucknell and was the Patriot League POTY in 2006. He started with Bucknell before they even offered athletic scholarships and only ever accepted partial financial aid. He played some with the Spurs, has experience playing pro internationally, got his foot in the door coaching for the Hawks and is now with the Bucks. Here's a good quote about him describing him as someone who is highly thought of in NBA circles:
“Few assistant coaches saw a bigger season-to-season jump in our informal poll than Charles Lee, 35, who’s in his sixth season working under Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta and now Milwaukee. Fans of Lee, who played professionally overseas before spending a couple of years as an equity trader on Wall Street, tout him as a five-tool coach who is every bit as comfortable having meaningful conversations with a backup point guard as he is dining with a team owner. Those who have worked with him say he has an intuitive sense of how to inspire improvement from players but also understands high-level strategy and the preparation required to implement it. He is, in the words of one peer, someone who is “categorically going to be an NBA head coach.””
Jamahl Mosley, 42: He's currently Rick Carlisle's right hand man in Dallas, and Carlisle is one of the best coaches on the planet. Here's what Carlisle had to say about him recently:
“He’s a young man that’s worked extremely hard to build up his reputation as a great young coach, great communicator,” Carlisle said in an appearance on the Dennis and Cowlishaw Show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 [KESN-FM]. “I don’t think he’s going to be with us much longer, honestly. Whether it’s the Knicks or somebody else, this guy is going to be a head coach sooner than later.”
Mosley is currently in his sixth season under Carlisle in Dallas. During the last three seasons, Mosley has served as the Mavericks’ “defensive coordinator,” a role Carlisle called “a position of great responsibility.”
Before coming to Dallas, Mosley spent four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant coach and was a Nuggets player development coach from 2006-2010. Mosley reportedly drew interest from the Cavaliers for a head coaching position last year, but he opted to stay with the Mavericks.
“He’s got a great reputation with player development and he’s worked for some terrific coaches. He was with George Karl for many years, he was with Mike Brown, he’s had a chance to be here with us and be with, really, an eclectic set of teams over the last six years,” Carlisle said. “The good thing about that, from a coaching standpoint, is you’re in all kind of developmental situations and so I think that’s been really great for all of us, but particularly a young coach like him.”
Jarron Collins, 42: Jason Collins' twin brother. Stanford grad with a career in the NBA playing under Jerry Sloane. Got in as a scout with the Clippers, was brought onto the Warriors in 2015 by Steve Kerr for player development and has worked his way up from there. Steve Kerr talking about Collins recently:
“He’s really really smart. Great communicator and collaborator,” Kerr said of Collins. “He’s been a fun guy to work with over the years. He just gets it. It’s a group effort and part of the team to do your share and you support everybody else. That’s what coaching is about. Jarron is really good.”
Some will say you're taking a huge chance with guys like these. I would counter and say whoever we hire to replace Cal is going to be taking a healthy leap of faith in many respects. But I'd rather try and find the next superstar coach who is motivated to prove themselves and to build the program around rather than a retread.
We don't need a retread and a pipe dream isn't happening. We need someone who is young, extremely motivated to make a name for themselves, and who has a high level of x's and o's talent along with the ability to connect with high level young players and prepare them for the next level, since that will always be important in the college game (just not at the insane level it's at now with Cal where we bring in these fringe talents with NBA dreams who only come here to leave as soon as humanely possible whether they're draftable or not). And to me, the best guys who fit that mold are some of the great young NBA assistant coaches out there. Here are just a few candidates I'd be interested in taking a chance on:
Charles Lee, 36: Current assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. Played at Bucknell and was the Patriot League POTY in 2006. He started with Bucknell before they even offered athletic scholarships and only ever accepted partial financial aid. He played some with the Spurs, has experience playing pro internationally, got his foot in the door coaching for the Hawks and is now with the Bucks. Here's a good quote about him describing him as someone who is highly thought of in NBA circles:
“Few assistant coaches saw a bigger season-to-season jump in our informal poll than Charles Lee, 35, who’s in his sixth season working under Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta and now Milwaukee. Fans of Lee, who played professionally overseas before spending a couple of years as an equity trader on Wall Street, tout him as a five-tool coach who is every bit as comfortable having meaningful conversations with a backup point guard as he is dining with a team owner. Those who have worked with him say he has an intuitive sense of how to inspire improvement from players but also understands high-level strategy and the preparation required to implement it. He is, in the words of one peer, someone who is “categorically going to be an NBA head coach.””
Jamahl Mosley, 42: He's currently Rick Carlisle's right hand man in Dallas, and Carlisle is one of the best coaches on the planet. Here's what Carlisle had to say about him recently:
“He’s a young man that’s worked extremely hard to build up his reputation as a great young coach, great communicator,” Carlisle said in an appearance on the Dennis and Cowlishaw Show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 [KESN-FM]. “I don’t think he’s going to be with us much longer, honestly. Whether it’s the Knicks or somebody else, this guy is going to be a head coach sooner than later.”
Mosley is currently in his sixth season under Carlisle in Dallas. During the last three seasons, Mosley has served as the Mavericks’ “defensive coordinator,” a role Carlisle called “a position of great responsibility.”
Before coming to Dallas, Mosley spent four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant coach and was a Nuggets player development coach from 2006-2010. Mosley reportedly drew interest from the Cavaliers for a head coaching position last year, but he opted to stay with the Mavericks.
“He’s got a great reputation with player development and he’s worked for some terrific coaches. He was with George Karl for many years, he was with Mike Brown, he’s had a chance to be here with us and be with, really, an eclectic set of teams over the last six years,” Carlisle said. “The good thing about that, from a coaching standpoint, is you’re in all kind of developmental situations and so I think that’s been really great for all of us, but particularly a young coach like him.”
Jarron Collins, 42: Jason Collins' twin brother. Stanford grad with a career in the NBA playing under Jerry Sloane. Got in as a scout with the Clippers, was brought onto the Warriors in 2015 by Steve Kerr for player development and has worked his way up from there. Steve Kerr talking about Collins recently:
“He’s really really smart. Great communicator and collaborator,” Kerr said of Collins. “He’s been a fun guy to work with over the years. He just gets it. It’s a group effort and part of the team to do your share and you support everybody else. That’s what coaching is about. Jarron is really good.”
Some will say you're taking a huge chance with guys like these. I would counter and say whoever we hire to replace Cal is going to be taking a healthy leap of faith in many respects. But I'd rather try and find the next superstar coach who is motivated to prove themselves and to build the program around rather than a retread.
