First it was the University of Texas-El Paso in 1999.
Then it was Fresno State after last season.
And in October it was UTEP again.
It seems that UCLA assistant coach Jim Saia’s name always
gets thrown around whenever there is a coaching vacancy in Division
I basketball, but the talented assistant has yet to land a top
position in any major or mid-major program.
“He’s ready,” said UCLA head coach Steve
Lavin. “He’s done an apprenticeship under some great
coaches. He’s definitely prepared to take over his own
program.”
But, as Saia has learned, preparation doesn’t always
guarantee success.
When coach Jerry Tarkanian left Fresno State, Saia was one of
the leading candidates to take over the Bulldog program.
Saia had been an assistant there from 1990-1994 under Gary
Colson, and had many contacts and friends in the program.
“I really thought I could get that job,” Saia said.
“I had coached there and I know a lot of people in the
(Central) Valley.”
Instead Fresno State hired Ray Lopes, the top assistant at
Oklahoma.
At UTEP in 1999, Saia was a finalist, along with Jason
Rabedeaux, an assistant at Oklahoma.
Rabedeaux was chosen instead, but after going 46-46 in three
seasons, he stepped down last month citing personal reasons.
This year, UTEP again considered Saia, but instead chose Billie
Gillispie, who was a top assistant at Illinois.
“They just decided to go a different direction,”
Saia said.
Despite the frustration, Saia is confident enough in his resume
to keep pursuing his dream of becoming a head coach.
Since Saia took over the UCLA offense, the Bruins have shot 48
percent from the field, and they have averaged almost 77 points per
game during that span while running a 1-4 offense that Saia has
worked hard at implementing.
“Three years ago, coach Lavin gave me the whole offensive
system, and it has been an unbelievable experience,” Saia
said. “To know your systems, if run properly from an
X’s and O’s standpoint, can compete against top coaches
in the country is amazing.”
Lavin has also made Saia his main recruiter, and Saia has
responded by travelling all over the country and throughout the
world to bring in players such as Dan Gadzuric, Jerome Moiso and
Jason Kapono.
“He has a great reputation as a recruiter internationally
as well as in this country,” Lavin said. “He has a lot
of recruiting contacts.”
But Saia’s biggest asset might be his general basketball
mindset. According to players, he has a vast knowledge of the game
and knows how to incorporate his vision and ideas into the game
plan.
“He is a great enthusiast of basketball,” senior
Jason Kapono said. “He loves the game, and he really cares
about the team and the individual players.”
“He really has a great basketball foundation,” Lavin
added.
There are 319 Division I basketball schools, but only a small
fraction are the major or mid-major programs that Saia is most
interested in.
He hasn’t hired an agent yet, but says that he has several
offers for representation and will likely hire someone soon to help
him land his dream job.
“The process of campaigning for a job and getting your
name out is important, and as a basketball coach I am inexperienced
in that area,” Saia said.
But until that big break comes, Saia is going about his business
at UCLA. He is set to tip off his seventh season as an assistant
coach for the Bruins. He is content where he is, but yearning for
an even bigger break.
He continues to plan the offensive plays, bring in recruits, and
work toward winning a national championship. Such an accomplishment
would not only cap years of hard work and dedication, but would
also raise his profile to a national level.
“I have a great job at UCLA,” Saia said.
“I’m happy here. But the grass is always greener on the
other side. I feel the next step for me is to be a head
coach.”