UCLA couldn’t afford to botch this pick. But there was a snag, one that seemed alternately workable and insurmountable.
UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero introduces Mick Cronin, right, as the new UCLA men’s basketball coach on April 10. Jamie Dixon was going to be UCLA’s basketball coach.A search that was nearing 100 days, thinning the patience of casual fans and major donors alike, appeared headed for a welcome end on that early April afternoon.
That led to five-plus seasons of wildly uneven results under a coach who was, at best, an uneasy fit as the leader of the program synonymous with John Wooden. Dixon was well known to Bruins fans lusting for their next great coach. Long before he took over at TCU, he had succeeded Ben Howland at Pittsburgh when Howland came to UCLA in 2003, continuing the Panthers’ upward trajectory even while operating somewhat under the radar. Pittsburgh made 11 NCAA tournament appearances during Dixon’s 13 seasons, advancing to one regional final and two other regional semifinals., one that seemed alternately workable and insurmountable.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari directs his players during the first half of the Midwest Regional final game against Auburn in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament on March 31, 2019, in Kansas City, Mo. Rebholz told the donors in the message viewed by The Times that the search committee started with a list of more than 60 candidates that included some of the biggest names in coaching: Calipari, Stevens, Tom Izzo, Jay Wright, Billy Donovan, Mark Few and Tony Bennett.
Rebholz went on to name eight prominent coaches, “many of whom wanted our job, but we couldn’t hire knowing what we know due to properly vetting them out.”Other candidates, Rebholz wrote, mentioning three names specifically, “came back blemished but acceptable … so we weren’t overly conservative, but we ensured UCLA was getting a good human being that did it the right way.” Rebholz did not specify what the blemishes might have entailed.
“We would have loved for Jay Wright to walk out on the floor, but even when we offered to double his salary, he still wasn’t coming. Nothing we can do about that. But I am proud of our effort. We didn’t assume anything, took our shots and I believe will end up with a solid coach who will embrace UCLA and build a program we all can be proud of and root for.”Chief among them was Dixon, whose Horned Frogs were playing in the National Invitation Tournament in the days before the Final Four.
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