Six intriguing names to replace Jerod Haase at Stanford

Jerod Haase was given chance after chance to turn things around in Palo Alto, but after eight years of mediocre basketball, the program came to a decision it was time to move on.

The Thursday evening decision after their second-round loss to Washington State in the Pac-12 Tournament was one that everyone, including Haase, likely saw coming after the Cardinal finished the regular season 13-17. Athletic director Bernard Muir acknowledged after last season they would need to see an improvement, but there was confidence that Haase could make some noise with two highly-touted recruits and a roster of experienced vets. 

Instead, as we have seen in the past, Haase was unable to get the most out of rosters that were actually quite talented. 

It could be a tough time to grab a new coach with an impending move ACC, and a roster that is expected to lose players like reserve big man James Keefe, sharpshooter Mike Jones, crafty guard Jared Bynum who Haase had in the dog house down the stretch, the program's all-time leader in threes in Spencer Jones, one of the nation's most efficient scorers in Brandon Angel. What stud freshmen Kanaan Carlyle who is an intriguing NBA Draft prospect, and Andrej Stojakovic who flashed potential as well decide to do, is also worth monitoring.

However, as shown by Haase who landed a handful of five stars throughout the years, Stanford is a program that can get some major names. There has also been more of an NIL presence around the program over the past couple of years, and the transfer portal can be used, albeit difficult.

Stanford needs a coach who can recruit and bring in talent, but more importantly, one who can maximize that talent and coach them to an NCAA Tournament. Something that hasn't happened since 2014, but under Mike Montgomery used to be a yearly occurrence.

Stanford can go a couple of different routes in their search, but reports have revealed it will be a national search. They can look for someone with Power experience who has proven themselves, or they can go for a flashy young candidate. Here are six names that stand out as possible replacements for Haase.

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Amir Abdur-Rahim, USF

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One struggling program is going to really luck out if they are the ones to lure away Amir Abdur-Rahim from USF. He took Kennesaw State from 1-28 his first year to 26-9 in year four with a tournament appearance last year. He parlayed that into the USF job where in his first season, he led a program that won just 31 games in the three years prior, to an American Athletic Conference regular-season title. They are also ranked for the first time in program history. They currently are 23-6, and will have a chance to win the American tournament. He doesn't have any previous West Coast stops along his journey, which could be a factor.

Will Wade, McNeese

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Does Will Wade have a checkered past? Yes. In short, he was overheard on an FBI wiretap discussing payment with a recruit, which eventually led to him being fired amid other violations. However, he was punished for this, as a result of IARP's decision (Independent Accountability Resolution Process) which was led by Condoleezza Rice to help reform the sport. This could be a major hiccup considering Rice may be involved in the hiring process, but when you look at what he has done on the court, all he does is win. In seven years at VCU and LSU combined, he missed the tournament just once. This season, he has led McNeese to a 30-3 record and a Southland title, which marks the first time the program has ever surpassed 22 wins. It is also their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001-02. Stanford may not want to take a chance on Wade considering the violations, but someone will. 

Mitch Henderson, Princeton

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Princeton was Mitch Henderson's first coaching opportunity, and has absolutely nailed it every step of the way. The Tigers made a run to the Sweet 16 last season as a 15-seed and finished the year 23-9. This season, they have a 24-3 record and will have a great chance at making the NCAA Tournament again.  He has experience recruiting at a tough academic program, but he played at Princeton. So, there's a chance he won't be looking for a reason to leave. ESPN deemed him as someone to look out when the Stanford job opened, so he will at least get a call.

Matt Langel, Colgate

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Matt Langel inherited a struggling Colgate program and led them to an improvement nearly every year throughout his first seven seasons. In years 8-12 at Colgate, he has led them to the NCAA Tournament every year except for 2020 when the postseason was canceled. They won the Patriot League again, and made it to the NCAA Tournament. He has an Ivy background as a player and assistant, which could help out at Stanford. He is due to make the jump to a Power program, but clearly waiting on the right job.

Mark Madsen, Cal

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The candidate that Cardinal fans were clamoring for after last season, the former Stanford star ended up getting hired across the Bay at Cal to the dismay of Stanford fans. In his lone year at Cal, he has led them to a 12-15 (8-8) record which may not seem like much, but when you consider that Cal was 3-29 the year prior and hadn't won eight conference games since 2016-17, it's a big deal. He seems to love his new gig, and it may be one year too late considering he just signed an extension, but Stanford should at least gauge his interest.

Kyle Smith, Washington State

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Kyle Smith is viewed as the top candidate for the opening, and had Washington state been able to join a Power conference there may have been no reason for him to leave. However, they are West Coast Conference bound next season, following the collapse of the Pac-12 which is where he left from (San Francisco) to take the Washington State gig. He and the program also didn't get to a contract extension as reports revealed they tabled it until the end of the season. It's fitting that it happens to his best season, as the Cougars are ranked No. 18 in the country and finished one game back of the top seed in the conference. He will be leading the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament since 2008, and with more resources and certainty regarding a conference situation, could help turn around the program whose season he ended.