Realistic Options
In the post-Pearl world of Tennessee basketball, the administration has shown they’re willing to spend between $1.3 million and $1.8 million per year on a basketball coach. There’s no guarantee any of these coaches would come for that kind of cash, but these numbers would result in a significant raise for some of them and might be enough to lure them to Knoxville. Others are either looking for work or potentially in the market for a job with a higher ceiling.
Chris Holtmann (Butler)
The Latest: Holtmann has been in contact with Tennessee and at least one report states he has been offered the job and is also in play for the now vacant Texas position. We haven’t confirmed that he has, in fact, formally been offered the Tennessee job.
Pros: One of several young coaches on this list (he’s 43), Holtmann turned in one of the best coaching performances in the country this year. He went from interim head coach at Butler to shedding that label while leading the Bulldogs to a 23-11 record and the Round of 32. He served as an assistant at Butler for one season before taking over as head coach. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Gardner Webb for three seasons and improved that program from an eight win team the year before he took over to a 21 win team the year he left. He was named Big South Coach of the Year in 2013. Holtmann also has a squeaky clean reputation – something that will be important this time around. Tennessee has been in contact with Holtmann and there is definitely mutual interest there. His contract details aren’t public, but he’s believed to be the lowest-paid coach in the Big East.
Cons: His overall record is just barely over .500 (67-65) and he’s definitely a bit of an unproven commodity. That said, he has averaged 22 wins his last two seasons as a head coach. He doesn’t have the extensive reputation as a recruiter as some of the other names on this list.
Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa)
The Latest: Jacobson is popping up on several national lists for the Tennessee job. We haven’t directly heard his name from the Tennessee side of things, but they’d be crazy not to give him a call.
Pros: One of the more impressive resumes on this list, Jacobson is likely to be a big name for several coaching vacancies. In nine seasons at Northern Iowa, his overall record is an impressive 197–105 (.652). He led his team to a Sweet 16 in 2010 and the Round of 32 this year. He has three conference coach of the year awards to his name, three conference tournament championships and two regular season championships. Simply put – he’s had sustained success at one program. Jacobson has an 8-6 regular in postseason tournaments, including a 3-3 mark in the NCAA Tournament. He makes less than $600,000 a year and fits in UT’s historic budget for basketball coaches. Perhaps even more importantly – he doesn’t have even a hint of NCAA dirty laundry to his name.
Cons: He’s likely to have his choice of jobs this offseason and in the coming years. Would he jump for the Tennessee job? Vols fans also concerned with style won’t like the pace at which his teams play – they typically rank near the bottom of the NCAA in tempo.
Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss)
The Latest: Kennedy in an intriguing option. He’s making around $1.8 million per season but may be willing to jump ship for similar money. Tennessee is a better job than Ole Miss and has a much higher ceiling. One of his former assistants, Al Pinkins, is already on staff.
Pros: Kennedy is averaging better than 21 wins per season at Ole Miss in nine years. For some perspective, Ole Miss had just three 21 win seasons before his arrival. He has an impressive 213–126 (.627) overall record as a head coach at Cincinnati and Ole Miss and is one of just five SEC coaches to win 45 games in his first two years in the conference. He has, without question, been the most successful basketball coach in Ole Miss history. He’s also only 47 years old and has a ton of recruiting ties to Memphis.
Cons: His infamous taxi cab run in aside, Kennedy may not be a great fit. He’s also just 78-72 in the SEC during his career and has only been to two NCAA Tournaments in 10 seasons as a head coach.
Ron Hunter (Georgia State)
The Latest: Hunter’s name is popular with Vol fans and he is on the radar of a couple national media types, but we don’t believe Tennessee has contacted him at this point. There’s certainly still time for him to get in the mix, though.
Pros: Perhaps the story of this year’s NCAA Tournament, Ron Hunter is a dynamic personality who would quickly endear himself to Vol fans. He also has an extensive track record as a head coach. He helped guide IUPUI from NAIA to Division 1 and led the school to its only NCAA Tournament (2003). In four years at Georgia State, he’s an impressive 87–46 (.654) with two regular season championships and one conference tournament championship. Over his 21 year head coaching career, his teams have averaged more than 17 wins per season at historically tough places to win. Hunter has averaged 22 wins per season at Georgia State.
Cons: IUPUI was forced to vacate 18 basketball wins during his tenure due to NCAA violations. Hunter, notably, wasn’t implicated in the violations (which were attributed to an academic advisor) – but would that give Hart pause given recent events? He has just two NCAA Tournament appearances in 17 years as a Division 1 head coach. Could he best those numbers at a place with better facilities and resources but also better competition?
Rick Barnes (Texas)
The Latest: Barnes makes a lot of sense on a variety of levels. He’s available and would instantly stabilize the program. One of the best recruiters in the nation, he’d quickly and drastically increase the talent level of the team and would have the best resume of a Tennessee basketball head coach by miles and miles. He signed an extension at Texas two years ago and was named Big 12 Coach of the Year last season – he just didn’t gel with the new president at Texas. He’s got a lot left in the tank and has definitely been in contact with Tennessee. In fact, we’ve heard that some people at Texas believe he’ll end up in Knoxville.
Pros: At Texas, Barnes has been to 16 NCAA Tournaments in 17 years and has won four conference coach of the year awards (1999, 2003, 2008, 2014). Prior to his time at Texas, he led Clemson to three NCAA Tournaments in four seasons and Providence to three NCAA Tournaments in six seasons. Overall he’s been to the Sweet 16 six times, the Elite 8 three times and the Final Four once. Barnes is an impressive 402–180 (.691) at Texas and has simply won everywhere he’s been. Barnes and Texas agree to part ways over the weekend and he wants to coach again soon.
Cons: He’s 60 years old and the perception around him, despite a coach of the year award last season, is that his Texas team is starting to slip a bit under his watch. He makes more than $2 million a season and, even if he doesn’t return to Texas, he probably wouldn’t come cheap.
Steve Prohm (Murray State)
The Latest: Another name we heard early in the search from Tennessee’s side, Prohm is sure to be a hot name for several vacancies – including the one at his alma mater (Alabama). Prohm is in Tennessee’s price range and is believed to have some level of interest in the job.
Pros: In four years leading the Racers, Prohm won 104 games and went 54-10 in conference play. Murray State made a round of 32 run in his first season at the helm and should have made the NCAA Tournament this year. He has an impressive 8-2 record in postseason tournaments. He also has over a decade of experience as an assistant coach. Prohm makes about $500,000 a year.
Cons: He’s an Alabama graduate who could be a top choice for that vacancy, though he did just sign a contract extension. You rarely see coaches sign an extension and then bolt. He’s also been to just one NCAA Tournament in four seasons.
Brad Underwood (Stephen F. Austin)
The Latest: Underwood makes a ton of sense. He has experience in the SEC as an assistant, is affordable and has led Stephen F. Austin to historic success in just two seasons. Early in the search, we heard he is definitely on Tennessee’s radar.
Pros: Underwood has been enormously successful at Stephen F. Austin. His teams have won the conference tournament and regular season championships two straight years. Even more impressively, they’ve gone 35-1 in conference play and posted a 61–8 (.884) overall record. With two NCAA Tournament appearances in two years, a 1-2 record in those tournaments and two conference coach of the year awards, Underwood will be a hot commodity this offseason. He also spent two seasons in the SEC at South Carolina as an assistant. He’s making less than $500,000 and is definitely affordable.
Cons: He has just two years of head coaching experience at the Division 1 level so there definitely is an element of risk with Underwood.
Will Wade (Chattanooga)
The Latest: Wade was the first name we heard from Tennessee’s side once the vacancy became official. He’s making just $200,000 at Chattanooga and is immensely affordable. He also has a ton of ties to the area and an impressive resume as an assistant at Harvard and VCU. Wade is surfacing on multiple national lists. He’d take the Tennessee job if offered and sources at Tennessee have certainly indicated that he’s a real possibility.
Pros: Wade is a real up and comer. In two years at Chattanooga, he’s 40–25 (.615) and has finished 2nd in the Southern Conference each season. He’s from Nashville and has tons of ties to the area. Former Tennessee administrator David Blackburn, now the athletic director at Chattanooga, has nothing but positive things to say about Wade. His teams play uptempo, high octane basketball that Vol fans would love. Wade’s four years as an assistant at VCU under Shaka Smart only bolster his resume. Prior to that, he was responsible for putting together several top-25 recruiting classes on Tommy Amaker’s staff at Harvard.
Cons: Like a few other names on this list, Wade is short on head coaching experience. But he has a ton of ties to the state and is a proven recruiter and bright basketball mind – experience may be his only con.
