IF Ron Sanchez doesnāt earn the job this year, expect Carla to take a hard look at Amir Abdur Rahim. Here are the cliff notes for my reasoning:
Rising star in coaching circles, American Coach of the Year last year and Naismith COY finalist.
Big on creating community within locker room and campus (good read below from USF source. Can see him doing very well in interview for UVA administrationās ears)
Has the NBA connection through brother and particularly his role as NBA D-League president. The reality is that the line between college amateurism and professional development is effectively zil. This is the part Tony admitted to having the hardest time with. Amir could have more familiarity there will still maintaining UVAās standards for coaching and developing young men.
Has the University of Georgia connection with Carla, so you know there is some level of familiarity. (I donāt think Jabriās experience will come into play here.)
Certainly he would need to keep USF rolling and if Ron does well it a moot point. But hadnāt seen his name bandied about here (sorry if I missed it) and wanted to lay my marker down early.
I agree with you. I mentioned Amir and Drew Valentine last week when the news was breaking as guys we should kick the tires on if we did a coaching search, but you gave actual reasons. I just threw out a couple under the radar names.
Out of line to bring the kid into his articleā¦.his take on Fordes ābutt wipeā worthy article is severely compromised by bringing the kid into the discussionā¦she had nothing to do with any of itā¦
I think the Abdur Rahim family liked UVA enough to commit. If there were any issues, it was Tony not playing Jabri. If so thatās a Tony thing, not a UVA thing.
And respectfully, if Iām being offered the top whistle at an ACC school that has won a championship and is willing to double my salary, Iād tell neph to go back to the kids table. This is a grown up conversation.
Couple of NBA names I wouldnāt mind being investigated are Billy Donovan and Will Hardy. Donovan may be ready for a return to the NCAA after stagnating in the NBA, and has only been gone a decade. Hardy has never coached in college, but is seen as one of the brightest young minds in the game, is a Greg Popovich disciple, and originates from Richmond (St Chris grad).
Timing of the NBA seasons is always tough, you need a guy willing to jump ship on his club before the end of their regular season. But it worked for Nick Saban and Alabama.
Really hope Guy stays with the program through a new coach, should that be the route we go. I also hope the new coach is able to keep the prominent TB era players engaged with the program - like JA, Brogdon, Harris, etc.