It’s no secret that Earl Watson is popular among current and former UCLA players. From what I know, he’s a great guy who truly cares about his players and their development on and off the court. However, I don’t think he will get any serious consideration for the coaching job because Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers will be on the hunt for the biggest fish they can get their hands on. Watson’s short stint as the head coach of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns does not scare me away like it does for other people, but I can see where some of the skepticism among that crowd comes from considering how little success he had there. You can never say never, but I would consider the potential hiring of Watson as highly unlikely.
The Bruins are going to have to go on a sizable winning streak to earn a bid to the tournament. Last season, a 21-11 season record prior to the NCAA tournament with an 11-7 Pac-12 record gave them just enough to sneak in past USC, who most people thought deserved UCLA’s spot. As of Friday morning, the Bruins sit at 10-9 with a 3-3 conference record, but a four or five-game winning streak could earn them some respect among the committee. If UCLA is going to get in, however, it will most likely have to come by having success in the Pac-12 tournament. So far, there has been no clear front-runner in the conference, which has opened the door for a number of schools. Only three games separate first and seventh place in the standings and while the Bruins are in seventh, if they can get hot come conference tournament time, then anything could happen.
There have not been any official indications as to who the front-runners for the job will be, but there are a few names that have already been thrown out there such as Fred Hoiberg, Tony Bennett and Billy Donovan. Of those three, only Hoiberg seems like a plausible option at this point. Donovan is enjoying plenty of success at the professional level while Bennett doesn’t really have any reason to leave the program he has built at Virginia. In terms of a time frame, I would expect the hiring to take place soon after the conclusion of the season. UCLA won’t be doing anything that could disrupt interim coach Murry Bartow or his players after everything they’ve already been through this year.
If UCLA hires a top-flight candidate, it would be reasonable to expect instant results. The Bruins have plenty of talent on the roster and a handful of recruits on the way in, so anything short of being competitive in the conference would be a big disappointment. However, I have faith that Guerrero and Myers will be able to hire the best fit available. The UCLA job is a desirable one, regardless of what people have to say about it, and realistically, this decision could be a make-or-break one for Guerrero. There is a lot riding on this hire, so I think it’s safe to assume that whoever gets the job will be capable of turning out instantaneous results.
Here it is.
We had to go all the way back to 1943 to find this photo of Bill O’Brien.