A Few Coaches Who Could Pop On WVU's Radar During the Tournament
Wren Baker has his list of candidates and probably already has a pecking order. But he strikes me as someone that is willing to keep all options open and continue to do his homework on names that may not be as high on his list by watching what they do in the NCAA Tournament.
There are four coaches that come to mind who could increase their stock by making a run and perhaps climb up Baker's list.
Andy Kennedy (UAB)
Kennedy's name surfaced in the accelerated coaching search last summer, but hasn't been mentioned nearly as much this time around. Not sure if this is just Wren Baker trying to break away from the Huggins coaching tree or if he just sees more potential in younger candidates at the mid-major level. Since taking over at UAB, Kennedy has strung together four consecutive 20+ win seasons with a pair of conference tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. Perhaps a nice run in the tournament could get Baker's interest once again.
First round matchup: vs. No. 5 San Diego State, Friday at 1:45 p.m. on TNT.
Kyle Smith (Washington State)
Wren Baker has already hired one coach away from Washington State in Jen Greeny for the volleyball team. With Washington State's future up in the air in regards to conference affiliation, Smith could be an easy one to pry away, be it by West Virginia or someone else. He's more than likely on Baker's list, but probably way, way down near the bottom. He has a career record of 257-192 with this year being his first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He went 101-82 at Columbia from 2010-16, 63-40 at San Francisco from 2016-19, and is currently 93-70 at Washington State.
First round matchup: vs. No. 10 Drake, Thursday at 10:05 p.m. on truTV.
Bryce Drew (Grand Canyon)
Drew is the most accomplished on this list and would even qualify as one of the most successful coaches among those who have been heavily tied to WVU. He won 71% of his games at Valparaiso, winning four conference championships in his five years on the job. He parlayed that into the Vanderbilt job where he lasted all of three years after going 40-59 but that high major experience is something others don't have. Drew has rebounded nicely at GCU with a 93-31 record, three conference championships, and three NCAA Tournament bids in four years. He is the younger brother of Baylor head coach, Scott Drew.
First round matchup: vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's, Friday at 10:05 p.m. on truTV.
John Groce (Akron)
Groce is probably the least likely among this group to be considered for the job, but if the Zips can win a few games and make some noise, there's a chance his name will be thrown around in conversations in Morgantown. Will he get a call from Wren Baker? Probably not, but you never know. In seven years at Akron, Groce has compiled a record of 140-80 with three conference championships to his name. From 2012-17 he was the head coach at Illinois where he had four winning seasons in five years, but only managed to take the Illini dancing once.
First round matchup: vs. No. 3 Creighton, Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on TNT.
