Who is the Next IU Coach?

Terry Hutchens of the Indianapolis Star has presented a list of the top 10 coaching candidates for the Indiana Hoosiers. Here is his list with my comments included:

1. Mark Few (Gonzaga): He has name recognition, he's a winner and surely it would be easier to recruit players to Indiana than to Gonzaga. His record in seven years with the Zags is 188-40. His name frequently is tossed about, but this might be the job he couldn't turn down. A great choice. It's obvious the man can coach. What he has done at Gonzaga is remarkable. If given the resources of IU, what could he do?

2. Tom Crean (Marquette): He has Big Ten roots at Michigan State and proved he could recruit Indiana when he landed Richmond's Dominic James at Marquette. Crean would be a good face for the program, someone comfortable playing golf with alumni and entertaining at banquets. I wouldn't be disappointed if he was named coach.

3. Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M): He's the new hot name, and you can't discount his success at Texas A&M, a more difficult sell to recruits than IU. He also has Big Ten roots, coaching under Bill Self at Illinois. He's simply a hot name. He needs another year or two of success to be considered an option for a program like IU.

4. Randy Wittman (Orlando, NBA): Again, he would be the right face for the program. The primary concern is that he has never been a college coach or recruited at this level. Recruiting is a top concern, but maybe that's something he could hire an assistant to do. A candidate only an alumni from Wittman's era could love. He lacks coaching experience at the collegiate level. I'm not impressed, even if Mark Cuban is.

5. Alford (Iowa): Even with the disappointing end to the Hawkeyes' season, he has to be in the mix. He's the one guy with college coaching experience at the big-time Division I level who could reunite the fan base and get Indiana fans excited again. Missouri's interest in him could scuttle this scenario. He's out of the running. And I didn't want him anyway.

6. John Calipari (Memphis): It might be a difficult time for him to leave Memphis, but his name is well-known and he could immediately get Indiana back to the elite level. He could certainly make IU back into a major powerhouse. He's done everywhere he's gone. I'm not sure about his priorities about graduating players, though. For a program like IU, this is important.

7. Rick Barnes (Texas): It would be tough to leave that program, but the lure of being the showcase program and not the also-ran to the football team would have to at least be intriguing. The question? Money. I hadn't considered Barnes at all because of his success at Texas. But as stated above, is the lure of being the coach of a showcase program enough of a temptation to leave? I could see him here.

8. Karl Hobbs (George Washington): He's one of the hottest mid-major coaches after building the Colonials into a top-10 team this season. If not Indiana, another big-name school will be calling soon. Eh, another hot coach. He's had one good year that I'm aware of. If he's had a few years of success, then we can talk.

9. Billy Donovan (Florida): Some think he has his eyes on Kentucky if Tubby Smith leaves, but Indiana could give him pause. As may be the case in many of these situations, IU would have to make a serious commitment in terms of facilities. I would love to have Donovan. He's got it all. As stated above, though, Donovan going after a possible opening at Kentucky makes the most sense for him as he would get to stay in the SEC.

10. Brad Brownell (North Carolina-Wilmington): Hoosier native falls into the up-and-coming category. He grew up in Evansville, played on the same high school team as Calbert Cheaney and played college ball at DePauw. The question is: Could he compete for the job with the coaches on this list? No name recognition. No interest from IU. I'm not sure why this guy is even on the list.

Absent from this list is Mike Montgomery, the former Stanford head coach and current coach of the Golden State Warriors. I hope Mongomery is on IU's Athletic Director Rick Greenspan's short list. He made Stanford into a Pac 10 power and a perennial Sweet 16 team. He could probably be lured back into the college game if IU makes some needed upgrades to the facilities, which looked out of date when I attended IU in the late 80's.

My top candidates:

1. Mike Montgomery
2. Mark Few
3. Billy Donovan
4. Tom Crean
5. Rick Barnes

Greenspan is supposed to make his choice in April. I think I'm looking forward the reaction of Hoosier Nation as much as I am finding out who the coach will be.

Don't you love March Madness?