As the weekend ended, Georgia Tech’s search for a new basketball coach was ongoing.
As of Sunday evening, no final decision had been made by athletic director Mike Bobinski, according to a person familiar with the search. Known candidates to this point are Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew and Boston Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga. Sunday, Duke assistant coach Jeff Capel removed his name from consideration, according to a CBS Sports report.
Tech's decision may hinge on Drew, among the hottest mid-major coaching candidates in the market. Drew is reportedly also being pursued by Vanderbilt. An ESPN tweet indicated that Drew was the frontrunner for that position.
Drew could choose Tech or Vanderbilt, or decide to remain at Valparaiso. In particular if Drew doesn’t pick Tech, it’s possible the search could continue well into the coming week with more candidates into the pool.
In previous hiring cycles, Drew has reportedly passed up jobs that could be deemed better to stay at his alma mater. Last year, he drew interest from Mississippi State but pulled out of the process.
Drew, 41, has a strong team returning next season at Valparaiso and told the Times of Northwest Indiana last March that at that point "It would take something really special" for him to leave. While Tech and Vanderbilt's fan bases could come up with lists of reasons why their jobs are special – Tech's includes past stretches of sustained success, membership in arguably the premier basketball conference in the country and a location in the heart of a fertile recruiting area – they may not hold sway over Drew. He grew up in Indiana, played at Valparaiso and, after his professional playing career, was first an assistant at Valparaiso before becoming head coach in 2011.
After Drew turned down Mississippi State, the school hired former UCLA coach Ben Howland, giving him a four-year deal worth a reported $2.05 million annually. Drew reportedly earned $286,000 at Valparaiso in the 2014-15 season; his motive clearly isn’t chasing a big pay raise or any higher-profile job.
Larranaga’s interest in Tech, and Tech’s in Larranaga, is unclear. After his name surfaced last week, Larranaga told the Boston Herald by text message that he did not want to comment on his candidacy “out of respect for all parties involved,” adding that “I love working for the Celtics and am focused on helping us finish the regular season strong.”
Another name to consider is Winthrop’s Pat Kelsey, who has led the Eagles to 62 wins in the past three seasons, including a 23-9 mark this past season. Kelsey was associate head coach at Xavier for two seasons prior to his taking the job at Winthrop. His time at Xavier overlapped with Bobinski.
While some Tech fans have grown anxious over the wait, fueled by Twitter reports and speculation, the process-oriented Bobinski will likely be unswayed to rush. Further, the pace and direction may be determined by Drew.
At the outset of the search, Bobinski suggested a timeline of a week to 10 days before later amending it two weeks. Sunday was the ninth full day of the search.
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