Karl Hobbs Off To Rutgers, Who Steps In?

UConn assistant coach Karl Hobbs has accepted the position of Associate Head Coach at Rutgers University, where he’ll be working under his own former assistant, Steve Pikiell. The move makes sense for Hobbs: it’s a promotion to associate head coach from assistant coach, and if he’s looking to get another head coaching position some day, helping to put out the smoldering tire fire that is Rutgers Basketball would be a great avenue.

So where does this put UConn? With an empty coaching position, Kevin Ollie should consider what his needs are. The recent development of the front court has been somewhat lacking, so perhaps a coach who has been successful with big men would be a priority. Given the Huskies’ collective inconsistency on offense last year, a coach who can help run the offense would be a good idea. And it’s always good to add new recruiting connections. Let’s take a look at some of the completely speculative candidates:

Kevin Freeman – The current Director of Basketball Operations, this former National Champion would seem to have the inside track. Hobbs himself was promoted from the same position (though with much more coaching experience), and it’s clear that Ollie likes to surround himself with members of the UConn family. In addition, he was an excellent power forward in his day and may have real value working with front court players. On the other hand, this team would appear to have significant needs, and Ollie already appears to be grooming Ricky Moore. There may not be room on the staff for two coaches learning on the job just yet.

Donyell Marshall – Currently an assistant at Buffalo, Marshall was linked to Rutgers last week when it was erroneously reported that he’d been hired to Pikiell’s staff. More recently, Marshall has interviewed twice for the vacant CCSU job. It’s unclear if he’d pass up a head coaching position to be an assistant, but if he would, UConn would be the place he would do it. In an admittedly limited sample, Donyell appears to have been an effective recruiter for both Rider and Buffalo, and his extensive experience in the NBA would seem to make him a strong candidate for a big man coach.

Scott Burrell – Currently the head coach at Division II Southern Connecticut State, Burrell is both a former Husky and a local, hailing from Hamden, CT. After eight years as an assistant at Quinnipiac, Burrell went to SCSU last year, and went 22-8 in his first season. Burrell seems to want to stay local, so UConn would be a great fit for him.

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Boo Willingham – It would be a surprising choice, but Boo has a reasonable claim as a quality candidate. He’s very active on the AAU scene and was instrumental in connecting 2017 big man Zach Brown with Ollie. He’s also been a capable coach on the AAU circuit, and is very close with Ollie. In addition, Boo was a big man himself at UConn, so he could have value there as well.

Bill Courtney – The former head coach at Cornell, Courtney was fired last month after his sixth-straight losing season. Before that, however, he was a successful assistant for Jim Larranaga at George Mason (never heard of it), at Providence, and in the ACC with Virginia Tech and under Dave Leitao at Virginia. He helped develop Shonn Miller at Cornell, and as an assistant, his teams tended to see significant offensive improvement when he arrived. If Ollie was willing to go outside the family, Courtney would be a good place to look.

Saddi Washington – Speaking of good offense, Oakland Associate Head Coach Saddi Washington is one of the top offensive assistants among mid-majors. Since Washington’s arrival at Oakland, they’ve consistently been among the top-scoring teams in the country, including being #1 last year. He also works with Oakland’s bigs, so would have an impact on multiple fronts. Again, it would mean going outside the family, but all avenues should be explored.

Rebecca Lobo – Hear me out. It is becoming more commonplace for women to be included on men’s coaching staffs, including in the NBA. No, Lobo doesn’t have coaching experience, but she’s one of the top college basketball analysts at ESPN and clearly has a great mind for the game. She was an All-American center at UConn in the 90s with a highly-skilled, technical low post game. She’s a perfect human. This would definitely be the most unconventional choice, but it would certainly be interesting, and could also pay huge dividends.

This is just a preliminary list based on my own uninformed speculation, and there is an excellent chance that Ollie will hire someone I haven’t thought of (though I’d wager on promoting Freeman). Given how early in the offseason it is, I suspect the Huskies are going to be patient here. Let’s hope they get the best man (or woman!) for the job.