John Jakus
In 2021, Arizona poached Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd and have really turned things around these last two seasons. The following year saw longtime Baylor assistant Jerome Tang head to Kansas State and experience equal levels of success right off the bat. Hiring someone without head coaching experience is a risky business, but Jakus could be next in line and has worked with both of those coaches.
Jakus got his own coaching start as a graduate assistant for Baylor nearly a decade ago before joining Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga as their director of basketball operations. He got his first full-time assistant job back at Baylor in 2017 and has been an essential part of Scott Drew’s staff ever since, including in their championship run in 2021.
Fellow Big 12 program Kansas State just brought on a Baylor assistant and turned around instantly, could West Virginia do the same? With Grant McCasland settling in at Texas Tech and Paul Mills doing the same at Wichita State it’s clear that the Scott Drew coaching tree has plenty of buzz right now. We’re not sure if West Virginia wants an outsider with no head coaching experience, but there’s plenty to like about Jakus’s background and his potential as their next leader.