With Friday’s news that Tommy Lloyd signed a contract extension that would keep him at Arizona for the next five seasons, Carolina’s reported top choice for its next head coach is now off the table.
So who should UNC target next?
For me, the answer is none other than the guy whose team just put an absolute beatdown on Lloyd’s Wildcats in the Final Four–and did so with their best player hobbled for most of the game. I preferred Dusty May to Lloyd from the onset of the coaching search, and Friday’s game only
strengthened my feeling that he’s the better choice. He built a Final Four team at Florida Atlantic, then showed it was no fluke by turning around a Michigan program that finished 8-24 the season before he arrived in Ann Arbor.
The obvious problem with May is that it would likely be hard to convince him to leave a Big Ten program that he just took to the national championship game and even harder if the Wolverines win it. I know it worked out with Roy Williams, but that’s apples and oranges since Roy was returning to his alma mater.
If May says no, I think the focus should turn to Ben McCollum. I don’t care that he’s only been a Division I head coach for two years. Just look at what he’s done in those two years: led Drake to its most wins in a season in program history and first NCAA Tournament win in 54 years, then led Iowa to its first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. From his first year at Division II Northwest Missouri State (where he won four national championships) to now, he’s won just over 80% of the games he’s coached. If there’s a Curt Cignetti variant in the basketball world, it could very well turn out to be Ben McCollum.
Give us your updated wishlist in the comments below.
