Nine potential candidates as UNLV searches for next basketball coach

With Saturday’s announcement that Kevin Kruger is out, the UNLV basketball program is now on the hunt for its fourth head coach in the last 10 years.

In a statement, athletic director Erick Harper said the school will conduct a “national search” for the right candidate. Harper didn’t offer any details on a timeline, but with the transfer portal set to open on March 24 there is reason for UNLV to conduct the process with a sense of purpose.

What could the candidate pool look like? Here are nine names who could make sense for the Scarlet and Gray:

Carlin Hartman, 52

Assistant coach, Florida

A longtime assistant with impeccable credentials, Hartman has become a hot name thanks to the Gators’ ascension into the Top 5 this season. He’s also familiar to UNLV fans, as he served as an assistant under Kevin Kruger in 2021-22 before moving on to Florida. He was also an assistant under Lon Kruger at Oklahoma for four years before that. Those ties to the Krugers could be a complicating factor, however; would Hartman really want to replace his friend at UNLV? (Bonus: Hartman’s son, Joseph Hartman, is a 4-star recruit in the Class of 2026.)

Craig Smith, 52

Head coach, Utah (fired)

If UNLV wants a proven winner, look no further than Smith, who spent three years at Utah State and took the Aggies to three NCAA Tournaments (2019-21) while running up a 74-24 record. He was less successful after moving up to Utah — 65-62 overall, no tourney berths, fired mid-season — but he clearly knows how to win in the Mountain West.

Eric Olen, 43

Head coach, UC San Diego

Olen is doing impressive things at UC San Diego. The Tritons officially completed their transition to Division I this season, and Olen has them at 29-4 overall, 18-2 in the Big West and on track to make the NCAA Tournament in their first year as an eligible team. UCSD is No. 59 in offensive efficiency and No. 31 in defensive efficiency, and their high NET ranking (No. 35) puts them comfortably in the big dance as an at-large team. UNLV can consider him, but Olen may have better offers.

Joe Pasternack, 47

Head coach, UC Santa Barbara

Another young coach who has been doing good work in the Big West, Pasternack has won 20-plus games in six of his eight years at UC Santa Barbara, including two conference titles and NCAA berths 2021 and 2023. He has been outshined by Olen this season, but even in a down year Pasternack has the Gauchos at 21-13 and in the running for a lesser postseason bid.

Todd Simon, 44

Head coach, Bowling Green

Currently in charge at Bowling Green, Simon has serious ties to Las Vegas, first as the former head coach at Findlay Prep (when the program was pumping out top recruits at a breakneck pace) and then as an assistant at UNLV under Dave Rice. When Rice was fired mid-season in 2016, Simon was tabbed as the interim head coach and went 9-8. He is known as a hard worker and strong recruiter with an analytics-driven style. Simon won 20-plus games each of his final three years at Southern Utah and is 34-32 across two seasons at Bowling Green.

Bobby Hurley, 53

Head coach, Arizona State

UNLV fans may not want to hear it, as Hurley was a star on the Duke team that ended the Scarlet and Gray’s undefeated run in 1991, but this could be a good fit. Hurley was great at Buffalo, going 42-20 in his first two years as a head coach (2013-15) before jumping up to Arizona State, where he his run could be coming to an end soon. He has gone 168-150 while taking the Sun Devils to three NCAA Tournaments in 10 years, but they’ve been under .500 in four of the last five years, prompting rumors about his job security. If he becomes available, Hurley makes sense as someone who has had success at mid-major level.

Lindy La Rocque, 35

Head coach, UNLV women’s basketball

Is UNLV ready to start thinking outside the box? In five years at the helm, La Rocque has taken the UNLV women’s program to new heights with three straight NCAA tournament appearances and four consecutive Mountain West regulars-season titles. And the ladies play an exciting brand of basketball, ranking 20^th, 22^nd, 17^th and 43^rd in scoring the past four years. Oh, and she’s a hometown girl. Harper’s search should include a stroll down the hall to gauge La Rocque’s interest.

Mike Brown, 55

Head coach, Sacramento Kings (fired)

Brown is an NBA guy, with stints as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Los Angeles Lakers and, until his firing last month, the Sacramento Kings. He was rumored to be intrigued by the UNLV job the last time it opened, and while he doesn’t have any college experience, NIL is taking on an increasingly important role in team-building at the college level, so it might make some sense to bring in a pro-hoops guy to run the ship.

Leon Rice, 61

Head coach, Boise State

Rice has turned the Broncos into a consistent winner, with four straight NCAA bids and 85 total wins over the last four years (including a season sweep of UNLV this season). He has done it by cleaning up in the transfer portal while also demonstrating an excellent eye for underappreciated high-school talent like Tyson Degenhart and Andrew Meadow. If UNLV wants to contend in the Mountain West every year and make the dance on a regular basis, Rice has proven he can do exactly that.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.