By Jay Jones
One Click Sports News
Now that the University of Oregon Athletic Department’s most recent worst kept secret is public (even though Athletic Director Mike Bellotti and soon-to-be-former men’s basketball head coach Ernie Kent are still “talking” – working out the details of his firing), it’s time to start tracking who’s going to be Oregon’s next head coach.
Here is a list of candidates:
• Mark Few, Gonzaga
• Tubby Smith, Minnesota
• Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
• Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M
• Steve Alford, New Mexico
• Randy Bennett, St. Mary’s
• Brad Stevens, Butler
• Ben Jacobsen, Northern Iowa
• P.J. Carlesimo, Latrell Sprewell’s hands
And I’m tossing this one in…just because I can…
• Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Clippers
And…keep an eye on this name…not in terms of coaching…but influence…
• William Wesley, a.k.a “Worldwide Wes”
But here’s what needs to be understood about Oregon’s next head coach: he’s going to be a Nike guy.
For example, assistant coach/recruiting specialist Kenny Payne is expected to be retained.
Nike guy.
Although, Mike Dunlap was supposedly a Nike guy, and that didn’t work out real well.
Deepthroat (William Mark Felt, Sr.) advised Woodward and Bernstein to “follow the money”.
In Oregon’s case, follow Nike’s money.
If ever Nike, and Phil Knight, is going to exert its influence at the University of Oregon, it’s going to be naming the men’s basketball coach who will be coaching in Matthew Knight Arena.
Here’s what’s being said on Twitter about these possible candidates…
(These are general searches on Twitter. So the specific results will vary.)
Follow Duck Sports News on Twitter.
The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the individual Twitter account holders and do not necessarily reflect the views of One Click Sports News.
Digg This Post