TFST Extra bonus newsletter: Louisville coaching search updates, version 1.0

Inside: What are the key factors at play in Louisville's search for a new men's basketball coach? Which candidates are interested? Some insight into the process.

Thanks for reading The Floyd Street Tribune, and a hearty welcome to our new subscribers. In the previous edition, we went into thoroughly reported detail of why Chris Mack failed and started the process of identifying potential candidates to replace him at Louisville.

We only needed hours last week for the bizarro rumor mill to start churning. Bruce Pearl “heard from Louisville” — didn’t happen, but he got a nice raise out of it. He was never going to be considered by any of the decision-makers for reasons we’ll get into. Billy Donovan waiting behind a curtain at the KFC Yum Center for a grand reveal before the UNC game Tuesday night? OK, that could be true. Or not.

Welcome to the coaching carousel, where keeping your wits about you is the main challenge and the most difficult thing to do. Today’s TFST Extra newsletter is all about that: Sifting through information to paint a picture of where things stand. And, as more insight comes available, I’ll send out more newsletter updates.

Let’s get started.

Setting the stage

Photo of the KFC Yum! Center via University of Louisville athletics.

When Louisville searched for a permanent head coach after David Padgett’s interim season at the helm, it was stressful and exhilarating for the fan base and stressful and exhilarating for anyone trying to break news about the search. The names thrown out were incredible. The easy (relatively speaking) part of that search was I knew athletics director Vince Tyra wanted to hire Chris Mack. I knew Chris Mack wanted the Louisville job. I knew any chatter about other coaches or candidates or preferences was just that — chatter. BS. Nothing substantive. That’s how I broke the news of their interview.

This search is … not the same. For one, there are multiple candidates — though there seems to be two who appear to be much more legitimate than any others. And two, there isn’t a crop of up-and-coming, obvious options like there was a few years ago. There was a time when every potential hire list had Mack, Shaka Smart, Archie Miller, Gregg Marshall and a few other coaches who were deemed next in line for the big jobs. (As a side note: Look at how that list turned out.)

What is interim AD Josh Heird looking for? A good basketball coach who understands contemporary basketball and operates with high integrity. There is no wiggle room on integrity: Louisville will not pursue a coach with NCAA infractions issues in their past, which is why Pearl was never considered by the U of L brass. There just isn’t the stomach among U of L leadership for even a single headline about a coach with past problems.

Use this anecdote to steer your thinking: Heird, a longtime administrator at both U of L and Villanova, recently spoke to Louisville’s coaches and athletics staff about name, image and likeness benefits for student-athletes. Athletes at U of L, a school with an intense fan base and solid base of donors, can attract serious opportunities for NIL benefits that expand their exposure and enhance their college experience. The recent creation of an NIL team within the athletics department should streamline the work to assist in those efforts. But, Heird also told the group, there is absolutely no room for error with regard to NCAA rules. There will be no tolerance for pushing the envelope and operating in gray areas. Not after the past seven years.

So, when you think of how Heird, tasked with spearheading the school’s search for its most well-known and influential position, might operate, start there.

The early tea leaves in the process

Louisville’s search for a head coach is still in the early stages. Think of it as the part of the dance when someone sends their friend across the ballroom to ask a friend of their favorite girl if she might want to dance. The conversations and trial balloons right now involve intermediaries and solely exist to collect information. Would so-and-so take the job? Any chance Louisville would be interested in Coach X or Y?

Heird alluded in his press conference last week to discussing the job with a coach — not a candidate, but a person he relies on for advice. The young administrator recently spent three years at Villanova, where he worked closely with Jay Wright. I think we know which coach Heird looked to for some early wisdom. There are worse people to trust. Wright has won two national titles at Villanova and works with USA Basketball. He is one of the most respected people in the business, knows a lot of people and understands the lay of the land in hoops.

At Louisville, influential, thoughtful voices abound. Junior Bridgeman and Darrell Griffith are around and important to include in the process. So are Milt Wagner and a number of other former players. I’m sure Denny Crum has some thoughts, too. I’d also throw in Scott Davenport as a solid soundboard — the former Crum and Pitino assistant knows the city and the school as well as anyone.

Now, for our paid subscribers, some candidate details.