University of Washington Husky MBB Needs Head Coach

The University of Washington Husky Men’s Basketball team is in need of a new head coach. Here are some who might be recruited for the role

By now, you probably know that the University of Washington Husky Men’s basketball team has released former head coach Lorenzo Romar from his coaching position.  If this in new to you, then you need to catch up.  You can catch up to the news of his release by reading about the Release of Lorenzo Romar.   You can also add to the morning’s reading by catching up on the reactions of University of Washington Husky players.

Now that you have caught up to the history, we can addd to the present tense.  For the interim, the Huskies will be led by former assistant coach Will Conroy.

Conroy’s job is already cut out for him.

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Per the University of Washington’s own website, GoHuskies.com,

"“Former Washington Men’s Basketball standout Will Conroy was added to head coach Lorenzo Romar’s staff as an Assistant Coach in June of 2015 and is now in his second season with the Dawgs.”"

As to how will Conroy run the team in the interim? Let’s look into that:

How Will Will Do?

Expect no sudden changes.  He is young, and relatively inexperienced in terms of head coaching a major NCAA basketball program.  In fact, his assistant coaching position with the University of Washington is his first soiree into the coaching of a basketball team.

With the First Pick

Conroy had tried to make a go of keeping his basketball dream alive through a string of D-League and international basketball experiences, but his playing days ended in 2014.  For now, the role of Conroy will clearly be to help players through the transition.

"“I can’t wait to start working with both the returning guys and our new group coming in,” said Conroy. “I’ve seen a lot of the incoming freshmen play since so many are from the Seattle area and they’re an extremely talented group. It’s a great class of very, very athletic guys that will be fun for Husky fans to watch and the fact that most of them are from here is going to be a great thing for our program.”"

For now, steady as she goes.

So what is the plan for the 2017 incoming class?

Well, for now, there is not much to do but wait.

Cannot Board the Aircraft Until The Flight Crew Arrives

Washington Husky Alumni want to know, almost need to know, are the players, present and future, still on-board with the program?  Well that’s a tough one to answer.  In fact, even if the answer was available right now, I would not put much stock in it.

Why?

If you have flown any length of time, invariably you find yourself at a gate where a flight is delayed because the air crew has not yet arrived.   By law, no passengers can board a plane until the air crew has completed their safety checks.

In similar fashion, it’s impossible to obtain a commitment from players who have yet to know who their coach will be.  And so, UW athletic director Jennifer Cohen commented to that concern.

Jennifer Cohen Remarks

And so, the plan is to support the players in the interim.  Will Conroy was cited specifically in the press meeting by Washington Husky Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen as  focusing on the players of the team in the interim.  That includes present players, and incoming freshmen. For now, that is Will Conroy’s mission, be there for the players.

UW Coaching Search

But for the permanent job? The University of Washington Husky athletic department has already begun a national search for the next head coach.  Cohen was confident that the search would result in finding someone with

"“passion for developing young men on and off the court, a high standard of excellence, and the energy passion and plan to inspire a winning culture.”"

That is a rather ambiguous and pretty stock set of qualifications for a list of prospective head coaches.  Is that to say the team hasn’t any names yet?  Not at all. In fact, the interviews may already be underway:

But since we are not sitting in the meeting rooms, Let’s see if I can’t list off some possible names as Washington Husky head coach prospects:

Husky Haul Candidate List

I.     Tommy Lloyd, Assistant Head Coach Gonzaga
II.    Nate Tibbets, Assistant Coach, Portland Trailblazers
III.   Joe Pasternack, Associate head coach University of Arizona
IV.   Paul Woolpert, Assistant Coach Los Angeles Defenders
V.    Tom Crean, Former Head Coach Indiana Hoosiers
VI.   Curtis Sumpter, Assistand Coach Delaware 87ers

Each brings his own unique strengths to the position.

Who Will It Be ?

Meet Possible Coaching Candidates

Tommy Lloyd is Gonzaga’s head coach Mark Few’s second in command.  In fact, he has been with Gonzaga since 2000. Much of the Bulldogs’ international recruiting success has been credited with Lloyd’s efforts. He is from Kelso, Washington and is very familiar with the PAC-12 and northwest region.

Nate Tibbetts has been an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2013-2015. He assisted with the Cleveland Cavaliers previously, and at the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce coaching staff prior to that.  He was a head coach with Skyforce from 2007-2009. He was an assistant coach at the University of Sioux Falls from 2001-05. He lives in Portland.

Joe Pasternack is in his fourth season as Arizona’s associate head coach. Previously, he was an assistant coach for two seasons. Pasternack has also been integral in Arizona recruiting effort that has landed six-consecutive top-10 classes.  He was head coach at the University of New Orleans from 2007-2011.  Prior to his tenure at UNO, Pasternack spent eight seasons (2000-07) at the University of California, where he oversaw the Bears’ scouting.

And More

Paul Woolpert got his start as a scout and video coordinator for the Seattle SuperSonics in 1986, remaining in the role until 1994. From 1995-2004, Woolpert served as a CBA scout for the Portland Trail Blazers. It was while maintaining these responsibilities that he began to coach in other capacities.

Tom Crean, former head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, was released today. Crean has been the head coach of the Hoosiers for nine seasons, winning the Big Ten twice in that time, appearing in the NCAA tournament four times, and making it as far as the sweet 16 three times. He is a name to watch.

Curtis Sumpter is a wild card. He is the current assistant coach of the Delaware 87ers and is a former player for Villanova. He had served in the role of player development at Villanova until brought on as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2016, he was reassigned to assistant coach for the Delaware 87ers. His unique quality is familiarization with basketball analytics, and the presence of mind to emphasize defensive skills.

Next: UW Husky MBB Players Impacted By News Of Lorenzo Romar’s Release

In order to salvage the 2017 Recruiting class, the University of Washington Husky basketball program must act quickly but deliberately in vetting the next head coach.