The Los Angeles Lakers have decided to move on from Byron Scott as their head coach and as usual, rumors have been flying about who the next potential head coach could be. One name that has been mentioned is current University of Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie.
Many see Ollie as the best option if the team is hoping their coaching hire could help lure Kevin Durant to Los Angeles, but he has established himself as a great coach at UConn, winning a National Championship in his second year on the job.
Ollie is comfortable at UConn, his alma mater, leading many to wonder if he would leave for the uncertainty of the Lakers, but according to Mark Medina of the LA Daily News, Ollie finds the Lakers job intriguing:
Although he has remained happy coaching the Huskies for the past four years, Ollie finds the Lakers’ head-coaching vacancy intriguing, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
Aside from his relationship with Durant, Ollie also has ties to the Los Angeles area, being a graduate of Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles.
The Lakers are expected to compile a long list of coaching candidates and Ollie would seem likely to be among the many potential candidates. His relationship with Durant notwithstanding, Ollie is a young coach who could relate and develop the Lakers young core.
Ollie is hardly the first name to be linked to the Lakers job as Derek Fisher reportedly has interest, and John Calipari’s name has been brought up as well. Other potential candidates include Luke Walton, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, and Ettore Messina.
