Georgia Basketball: Three candidates to replace Mark Fox

Jonas Hayes

In the major college basketball ranks, every team wants to make a splashy hire with a rising star or a coach in need of a second chance.

Less often do programs go the route of internal promotion, especially after a firing.

Still, Jonas Hayes remains an interesting name to consider. He doesn’t have any real day-to-day coaching experience, but he’s a strong recruiter; Hayes brought Maten to the Bulldogs four years ago.

There’s also a major sentimentality factor at play. Hayes played for the Bulldogs for three seasons at the turn of the century, averaging 11.9 points per game during his final season. Elevating the Atlanta native to the head position has a good ring to it.

Hayes has been an assistant under Fox since 2013, so he understands the challenges that come with this particular program. The basketball team will probably always remain in the football team’s shadows, which provides both advantages and disadvantages.

On the other hand, Hayes has been around since 2013. He was only an assistant, but the head coach he worked under just lost his job. While should an assistant groomed by that head coach be any more suited to run the program?

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Regardless, Hayes should at least get an interview.