UCLA is in the market for a new head basketball coach after the Bruins fired Steve Alford on New Year’s Eve amid a four-game losing streak.
The Bruins had not been playing up to the expectations of the UCLA faithful and Alford’s ouster came as little surprise, although some expected them to wait until the offseason to make a change. Naturally, there are plenty of rumors swirling about who could be the next coach in Los Angeles as it is a program with rich tradition and is a prestigious — if not tricky — job.
Billy Donovan, who recently inked an extension with the Thunder, quickly shut down questions about his thoughts on the job on Wednesday. Other big names will be thrown out by pundits, but UCLA is a job with unique challenges and might not pay as much as certain other major programs, especially considering its already paying buyouts for Alford and Jim Mora Jr. on the football side.
Lonzo Ball is the NBA star who has most recently played at UCLA, spending a year under Alford in 2016-17, and while the Lakers’ young standout feels for Alford, he hopes the Bruins take a look at former UCLA point guard and, most recently, Suns coach Earl Watson for the vacancy, via Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.
“He’s a good person, good coach, he helped me a lot, but the job’s open,” Ball said Wednesday. “I’d like to see, maybe, Earl Watson get the job. I know Earl personally. I think he has coaching experience in the league. Obviously he went there, he’s alumni, so I think he’s a good fit.
“I know he’s in the practice facility all the time in the summer working with guys and helping teams out,” Ball said. “I just know him personally off the court. He’s helped me with a few things off the court, business-wise. I think he’s a good person for the job.”
Ball is far from the first former Bruin to stump for Watson to get the job, as Matt Barnes and others have also publicly stated their desire to see Watson coaching at UCLA.
https://twitter.com/Matt_Barnes22/status/1079827189552410624
Watson’s coaching experience is entirely at the NBA level, so there would surely be a bit of a learning curve in recruiting. You could surround him by support staff to head up recruiting efforts, though, and Watson certainly would be a popular choice among the base of former players. Also, if Donovan is as disinterested in a return to college as it seems right now, Watson is likely one of the top candidates for the job alongside former Bulls and Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg — who may not want to return to the college game.
