NCAA Basketball: 10 college assistants poised to become head coaches
By Joey Loose
6. Michael Schwartz – Tennessee
With the recent rise of the Volunteers, it’ll be no surprise when their assistant coaches get picked off by other programs. Rob Lanier was recently hired to lead Georgia State and Schwartz could be the next coach on the rise. He played for Rick Barnes and has spent seven years coaching under him, but has also bounced around. He’s spent time coaching at Long Beach State, UTSA, Fresno State and under Frank Haith at both Miami FL and Tulsa. He’s got a wide range of experience and has helped Barnes rebuild this Tennessee program.
As a recruiter, Schwartz has begun to shine, reeling in 5-star Josiah James and other big name prospects like Olivier Robinson-Nkahmhuoi and Yves Pons. He’s spent the last two years coordinating the Volunteers defense and the results have been outstanding in Knoxville. They’ve won 57 games the last two seasons and made the Sweet Sixteen, partially because of Schwartz’s presence both on and off the court.
He hasn’t yet been linked to any head coaching jobs, but Schwartz has shown that he has the stuff to lead a program on his own. His ability to bring talent and to put them in the position to succeed on defense speaks volumes, and some program is going to give him a shot very soon.