University of Connecticut Men’s Basketball coach Kevin Ollie has expressed interest in joining the Los Angeles Lakers, a source told Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
Count Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie as one of the many presumed candidates who would be interested in coaching the Lakers.
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.
Kevin Ollie was officially hired by UConn as head coach in 2012, shortly after his brief two-year stint serving as an assistant coach. Ollie is most memorably known for guiding the UConn Huskies to a National Championship in 2014, a team that included senior guard Shabazz Napier.
After firing Byron Scott this past weekend, the Lakers are now searching for their sixth head coach since 2011. Phil Jackson, Mike Brown, Bernie Bickerstaff, Mike D’Antoni, and Byron Scott all have come and gone before our very eyes. Los Angeles is reportedly eyeing a list of candidates that includes Ollie, Blatt, Van Gundy, and others.
As Mark Medina noted, one plus for the Lakers in their seeking of Kevin Ollie is they don’t need permission from UConn to interview him. Unlike Luke Walton from the Warriors, the Lakers can interview Ollie whenever they or Ollie pleases:
Though it would be viewed as a common courtesy, the Lakers would not need to seek permission from the Huskies to interview Ollie. Unlike coaches on opposing NBA teams, no NCAA program can levy tampering charges. But some complications could emerge surrounding Ollie’s contract should the Lakers want to hire him to replace Byron Scott.
Ollie has three years left on his contract with UConn after signing a five-year extension in 2014. But with former Huskies athletic director Warde Manuel leaving for the University of Michigan earlier this season, Ollie has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for another team without needing to negotiate a buyout, according to sources familiar with the terms. A source added, however, those terms would not go into affect until March 2017.
Despite Kevin Ollie’s success at the college level, Ollie is indeed open to pursuing NBA coaching jobs should the right opportunity present itself, a source said. While not necessarily preferred due to certain personal complications, Ollie refuses to keep the door entirely shut on potential big league jobs.
Throughout his 14-year NBA career, Kevin Ollie has played for the Mavericks, Magic, Bulls, Cavaliers, and more. Most recently, Ollie was teammates with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the 2009-2010 Thunder squad that finished with a record of 50-32 and made the NBA Playoffs.
Ollie’s close relationship with Kevin Durant is something fans are speculating on, wondering whether the Lakers will ultimately hire him in hopes of prying Durant away from other teams in free agency this summer.
“Well, that’s what free agency is all about”, Ollie said in a recent interview with HoopsHype when asked on Durant’s impending free agency decision. “I think he’s going to test the waters but at the end of the day, Oklahoma City is something dear to his heart. So it’s going to take a team to really, really do a good job to get him to leave OKC. You try to put yourself in the best position possible, see all the opportunities out there. I know he’s going to make a decision with his heart. I know he’s gonna do that, choose the best situation for his family, the best position to win a championship. And OKC has a great team, I know he loves Russell Westbrook, I know he loves playing in front of the Thunder fans, so it’s going to take a team to do a great recruiting job to get him away from OKC.”
Growing up in Los Angeles may play a role in Ollie’s interest in the Lakers. Ollie attended Crenshaw High School where he played for the Varsity Basketball team. Los Angeles remains close to his heart, but his current UConn job could remain closer.
Ollie denies having any contact with the Lakers but remains willing to leave UConn for a NBA coaching position if the right opportunity presented itself, a source indicated. With news of Ollie and the Lakers holding mutual interest now emerging, this is something definitely worth keeping an eye on over the next few weeks.
