Plenty of names have been floated as potential replacements for Steve Alford at UCLA. The Bruins let Alford go Monday after a dismal start and an embarrassing 15-point home loss to Liberty.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball suggested former Phoenix Suns coach Earl Watson could take over the program. Former Chicago Bulls and Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg is looking for a job. Nevada coach Eric Musselman might be ready for a jump from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 Conference. Others have wondered if Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan would give college basketball another go.
But one UCLA legend has a completely different vision for the Bruins’ next coach. Bill Walton wants Barack Obama on the bench.
Walton, the three-time national college player of the year, two-time NCAA champion, 1978 NBA MVP and two-time NBA Finals champion, was on the call for UCLA and Stanford on Tuesday night for ESPN. Play-by-play man Dave Pasch asked what kind of characteristics UCLA should look for in its next coach, and, well, Walton had his mind made up.
“Barack Obama,” Walton said, flatly.
“Well, I don’t think he’s going to coach,” Pasch responded.
“Well, you keep saying that, but why? Why are you so negative? Why do you just turn down?” Walton said. “His brother in-law coached. I’m sticking with Barack Obama until he says no.”
Walton is right about one thing. Michelle Obama’s brother Craig Robinson coached at Oregon State from 2008 to 2014, compiling a 93-104 record and four appearances in the College Basketball Invitational, March’s third-tier postseason tournament. The Beavers won the CBI title in 2009.
And the former president does have some moves on the court. He played on his high school’s varsity team and made pickup basketball a primary hobby into adulthood. During his first presidential run, The New York Times described Obama as a “wily player.”
Obama also made shooting hoops part of his shtick on the campaign trail. At a campaign stop in Oregon, then-coach Ernie Kent presented him with a Ducks’ jersey with “Obama” on the back. During a swing through North Carolina, he scrimmaged with the Tar Heels and posterized star power forward Tyler Hansbrough (with a layup).
At the White House, Obama had the existing tennis court renovated so it could host a full-length basketball court, reveled in visits from pro and college championship teams and made March Madness bracket picks.
And Obama does have (a little) coaching experience. He helped coach his daughter Sasha and her youth team, the Vipers, in 2012.
“There was an end-of-the-season tournament they won - five games in a row,” Obama told CBS’s Clark Kellogg. “I can’t take too much credit for it. What you see is them progressively improving, coming together as a team, running plays, things kicking in that you practice. It’s a great, great joy to watch.”
But is that enough experience to help UCLA recapture its basketball glory days? Walton, at least, seems anxious to find out.
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