NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2012 season

2. Kevin Ollie (Connecticut)

All things considered, the Connecticut Huskies were in pretty solid shape as Jim Calhoun retired in 2012. They had very recently won their third national championship just a year earlier and continued to be one of the best programs in the Big East. Replacing a living legend of the game is never easy, with the Huskies turning to a current member of their staff to run the torch.

Kevin Ollie played at UConn under Calhoun in the early 90’s before beginning a long playing career. He spent much of 15 years bouncing around the NBA as a point guard. As his playing career ended in 2010, he immediately joined Calhoun’s staff with the Huskies and was on the bench as they picked up that national title in 2011. He was set to inherit the program for his first foray into head coaching.

The success was immediate, as Ollie led Connecticut to an unexpected national championship in 2014 as a 7-seed. He led the Huskies back to the Big Dance two years later, but his tenure was mostly rocky after that. He was eventually fired for cause in 2018 and had much of the last two seasons of work wiped away due to recruiting violations. He inherited a pretty solid roster from Calhoun (one that he helped build, mind you), but winning a national title as a head coach is still an undeniable highlight.