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UCLA Basketball: Coaches the AD should and should not go after

By Mike Regalado

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder gestures against the Brooklyn Nets during their game at the Barclays Center on December 5, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder gestures against the Brooklyn Nets during their game at the Barclays Center on December 5, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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With Steve Alford out as the head coach of UCLA basketball, the Athletic Department now has to find their next coach. Here is a list of coaches they should and should not pursue.

With Steve Alford finally being exiled from the UCLA basketball program, the UCLA Athletic Department (or more appropriately, the donors) need to take a long hard look at several top-tier candidates.

RELATED: The Next Steps After the Firing of Steve Alford

But first things first. Just because this is UCLA does not mean that coaches will flock to the AD for an interview. Though this is the most storied program in college hoops history, there is a lot of pressure that comes with it, which could turn off many candidates.

Still, this is an opportunity for a proven coach to bring the Bruins back to national prominence, but who should UCLA go after?

Go Joe Bruin will have more in-depth analysis with potential coaching candidates, but for now, here is a list of coaches that should and should not be on UCLA’s radar.

Coaches UCLA Needs to Go After

Coaches UCLA Should Stay Away From

The thing about the coaches that UCLA should go after is that most are comfortable where they are at. UCLA will have to make a very lucrative offer to one of these coaches if they intend to pull them away from the place where they have recently found success.

But here is the thing, if one of these coaches is hired and succeeds in bringing the Bruins back to national prominence, then their status will skyrocket and who doesn’t want that?

There have also been a few names being thrown around that UCLA should avoid. If a coach has recently been let go from their position as a head coach, then that is a red flag and the UCLA AD needs to look elsewhere. It has been speculated that former Bruin Earl Watson is interested in the job, but that should not be a reason to hire an unproven coach. No disrespect to Watson, but he is not someone that will take UCLA to the next level.

As for someone like Pitino, this should be an automatic “no”. With the trouble he endured at Louisville, the disgraced coach should not be contacted for any reason.

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The termination of Steve Alford is still fresh and UCLA have plenty of time to make a proper decision on the next coach. One thing they do not want to do is mess up this hire as they did with Alford. The key here is to not bring in an unproven coach, but one that will actually get results.