For the second time in four years, Butler basketball finds themselves without a head coach in the midst of summer. Ohio State had a messy divorce from Thad Matta last Monday, leading to the hire of Butler’s Chris Holtmann on Thursday night. The next domino to fall is obvious- who gets the Bulldogs job now?
Well, the Butler way, and they certainly are a program that is about having a way as any other, is to stay in house. Vast national searches for an outside candidate are simply just not their style.
It doesn’t have to be; because they’ve consistently found success doing it The Butler Way. From current Athletic Director Barry Collier, who built the program into what it is today, Butler basketball promoted assistants Thad Matta (it’s the circle of life), Todd Lickliter, Brad Stevens, Brandon Miller and Chris Holtmann.
Miller obviously did not work out, and that was mostly due to health issues, and those issues were severe enough that he had to resign after a little more than just one year. So while that didn’t work out, four out of the other five did, and when you hit on something at an 80% success rate, you simply stick with it.
“We will work efficiently to identify our next head coach,” Collier said in his public statement yesterday. In speaking with two different sources close to the program over the weekend, The Sports Bank heard the same two names, Ryan Pedon and Terry Johnson, to be in the mix.
One source said Pedon is more likely than Johnson, because the former as more “young, up-and-comer” cachet and would be an easier sell to the base. If Collier sticks to the pattern, then Pedon is the guy. The other source leaned toward Johnson, who has been there the longest, and it could simply now just be his turn. With the exception of Collier himself, no one embodies The Butler Way more. Both have already interviewed for the job.
Right now, it appears to be a toss-up between these two, if they decide to go the internal route, but don’t rule out an outside candidate either. Two more names in the mix are Lavall Jordan and Micah Shrewsberry. The former, who currently coaches the University of Milwaukee, is an ex Butler basketball player and assistant. The latter, currently on Stevens’ staff at the Boston Celtics, is also a former Butler assistant. According to our source, Jordan was interviewed Saturday and it went quite well. Shrewsberry was interviewed on Sunday.
Any of the four could still get the gig.
Regardless of who is selected, we’re told that BU hopes to reach their decision early next week, with a decision maybe coming as early as Monday, and a formal introduction on perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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