Stevens Turns Down Terps, Brey Might Not Be Interested, Who’s Left?

Well, we have expected news, and unexpected news. Brad Stevens has spurned interest from Maryland, electing to stay at the place where he’s made back-to-back national title games. Mike Brey, on the other hand, no longer seems to be interested in Maryland’s job, and is expected to sign an extension at Notre Dame.

As I said on Twitter (follow me, folks), the amount of information (read: Kevin Anderson’s reckless attitude towards PR) is both a good thing and a bad thing. On the one hand, we (both bloggers and fans) get to hear a lot of news, updates, and possibilities that we would never hear from a more careful Athletic Director. On the other hand, most of it turns out to be false hope, and names like Randy Shannon and Sean Miller end up getting floated around with nothing but inevitable disappointment as the result.

So, with Miller, Dixon, Wright, Stevens and apparently now Brey out of the picture, who’s left?

• Shaka Smart, VCU – His name has been throw around there, and I would be very surprised if this is the way the Terps go. Even with this past year’s Final Four run, he’s only been a head coach for two seasons, and that would be a very risked move for Maryland. Personally, I’m a huge Smart fan – I love his style of coaching and I think he’s going to be a successful coach for a very long time – but I don’t know if Kevin Anderson feels the same way I do.
• Gregg Marshall, Wichita St. – Marshall has helmed two of the more successful mid-major programs of the past decade in Winthrop and Wichita State, yet he’s still not a household name. After making the NCAA Tournament seven out of nine years with Winthrop, however, he has not gone dancing with the Shockers yet. He was named Big South Coach of the Year four times and won the conference tournament seven times.
• Anthony Grant, Alabama – After three excellent years at VCU, Grant was hired away by Alabama two years ago. His fast-paced offense has given the Crimson Tide early returns, leading them to a 25-12 campaign and an NIT Finals appearance in this past season. Like Smart, he’s a former Florida assistant, but like Smart, he hasn’t been a head coach for very long.
• Chris Mooney, Richmond – At 38, he’s another young coach, but one that has led Richmond to three straight 20-win seasons and two NCAA tournament appearances in a row, including a Sweet Sixteen berth last year. I would not be a fan of this hire – he runs a slower offense and with the athletes in this area, that might hinder the Terps’ ability and athleticism.
• Buzz Williams, Marquette – This one surprises me, but apparently it’s a name that’s being thrown out there. Williams has done a good job with a good Marquette program, and this is probably the biggest name on this list. He’s a great guy with a great story, and so far has the makings of a great young basketball coach.
• Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M – Turgeon is a guy a lot more people should have heard of. After a very successful stint at Wichita State (including a Sweet Sixteen run in 2005-06), he has rattled off four straight 24-win seasons and four straight NCAA Tournament berths with the Aggies. His teams haven’t really been able to do anything with it, never advancing past the second round, but he’s done a very solid job in College Station.
• Chuck Driesell, The Citadel – At this point, why not? In only one year with the Citadel, he went 10-22, but that’s a really, really bad program. After a three-year interlude from Bob Wade, Gary Williams replaced Chuck’s father, Lefty, so why can’t Chuck replace Gary? Well, probably because he’s not ready yet, but maybe in three years.
• Rob Ehsan, Asst., Maryland – Now we’re really getting somewhere. The players love him, he’s an up-and-comer in the coaching game, why not give him a shot? Maryland could do much, much worse.

Let’s continue playing coaching roulette.