The timing isn't great.
Warde Manuel said as much.
And it'll only complicate matters even more for Michigan basketball.
The Wolverines must replace John Beilein, the winningest coach in program history, after he became the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. A task already Herculean enough, given Beilein's stature and his role in resurrecting this program. And one that is only more difficult given this coaching search is beginning in the middle of May.
“It’s not the perfect time," Manuel said Monday night at the Big Ten headquarters just outside Chicago. "A lot of movement has already occurred. Things have settled down, for the most part."
As Manuel pointed out, most transitions take place between the middle of March and the middle of April. Alabama parted ways with Avery Johnson on March 24. It hired Nate Oats from Buffalo three days later. Arkansas fired Mike Anderson on March 26. Eric Musselman came aboard on April 7. And the list goes on.
It isn't impossible to make a hire that turns out well despite the coaching carousel at a full stop — Ohio State fired Thad Matta on June 5, 2017, before hiring Chris Holtmann away from Butler four days later. He nearly won the Big Ten in his first year and led the Buckeyes to a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Pulling off a similar move will just be exceedingly difficult.
More: What's next for U-M basketball? That's a complicated question
Michigan's search – which will be assisted by Turnkey Search – will come outside the scope of the normal period and with many perceived top candidates already spoken for.
“People have settled into their role and where they want to be," Manuel said. "Some coaches who’ve had success have moved to other programs at this time, I’m sure that that will weigh on them and their families and the institutions that they’re at."
“The timeline is I want to get it right. While I’d like it to be done ASAP, I’m also going to take the time to make sure that we find the right person for Michigan. And the right person to step in and to continue and drive the success that we’ve had the last five to six years.”
The Wolverines have a strong nucleus returning in senior point guard Zavier Simpson, senior center Jon Teske and junior forward Isaiah Livers, but needed to add to the roster — especially at guard — to offset the early NBA departures. That was why Beilein and his staff spent the past month recruiting.
"It’s going to be difficult," Manuel said. "Would have been difficult for John anyway, to continue that level of high success."
Most prospects in the class of 2019 have either committed or signed elsewhere. The grad transfer market has dried up, as well. And while Jalen Wilson and Cole Bajema each signed letter of intents, they could choose to ask for a release from their Michigan scholarship.
This isn't to say that Manuel should expedite this process in hopes of salvaging the offseason and next season's team. The process of hiring a head coach is about finding a long-term fit, not a short-term fix. Beilein's first season, after all, saw him post a 10-22 record, and he finished below .500 in his third season, too.
This move will, for the most part, define Manuel's legacy as athletic director. He believes this is a top-10 job befitting a coach of similar stature. He hopes Beilein's successor can continue the program's recent success.
Both things can still be true. But the timing of this search is not on Manuel's, or Michigan's, side.
Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2019/05/14/michigan-basketball-coaching-search/1196118001/
2019-05-14 13:24:00Z
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