Arizona Basketball: 6 candidates to replace Sean Miller as head coach

Damon Stoudamire

If we’re considering a former Arizona star as the program’s savior, then perhaps we can turn our attention towards one who’s not only gotten head coaching experience but has had success at the college level as well. Stoudamire might not have been on that 1997 national championship team, but he remains one of Olson’s greatest players and has already made a mark as a coach as well.

Stoudamire starred at Arizona before being drafted in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft. The former Pac-10 Player of the Year spent 13 years in the NBA before beginning his coaching career, a career that took him on the staff of the Memphis Grizzlies as well as both Memphis (under Pastner) and Arizona (under Miller). Stoudamire has spent the last five seasons leading Pacific and has made major strides at a program buried in a tough WCC.

Part of the reason Pacific was buried was the sanctions that Stoudamire inherited. In a few years, this same thing could hold true at Arizona, making Stoudamire look like an even more intriguing candidate. He’s a former star for the program, has those NBA connections, and has already had success as a collegiate head coach. The only question is would Stoudamire translate that success from a WCC bottom-feeder to one of the Pac-12’s biggest programs.