Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports Rumors are already swirling about who will take Coack Mike Krzyzewski’s spot on the Team USA bench, with Celtics coach Doc Rivers all but running away from the gig this weekend. He told the Boston Globe it was too hard of a job for an NBA coach, and even suggested that Larry Brown was aversely affected by his turn in 2004.
So who’s going to take over for Coach K? Here are the five best college options:
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) – Boeheim has been the lead assistant on Team USA since 2006 and is the natural choice to take over for Coach K. He has a national championship, three Final Fours, and if he’s still at Syracuse come 2016 he’ll be bordering on 1000 wins. He’ll be 71 in Rio, but he’s still our top choice.
Bill Self (Kansas) – Easily one of the best coaches in the country, regardless of roster. Self already has one NCAA Championship and two Final Fours with Kansas and will likely have a couple more by the next Olympics. At 49 he’s young enough to take over the team for 2016, 2020, and beyond, providing some welcomed continuity.
John Calipari (Kentucky) – For as shady as he often is, Coach Cal wins. Everywhere. He’s unofficially taken three different schools to the Final Four and finally won a championship with Kentucky in 2012. His failed NBA attempts don’t encourage us, but he never really got a fair shot in New Jersey. If basketball went to a 23-and-under format he might be the favorite.
Rick Pitino (Louisville) – Probably a few years late on Pitino, especially after he ruined his above-reproach reputation with some lewd off court headlines. Then again, Pitino made the 2012 Final Four – his sixth. He’s still one of the best basketball minds in the country and his coaching tree would make for a great list of assistants. Still a good option.
Roy Williams (North Carolina) – He’s a hall of fame coach with seven Final Four appearances, so you can’t leave him off the list. Trouble is, Williams is the kind of guy who creates great teams over time and he wouldn’t really have that luxury here. He’s probably not the guy you’re looking for to lead the team, but again: seven Final Fours. He’s a winner.
And just incase Jerry Colangelo disagrees about Rivers’ whole don’t-ruin-my-career-with-patriotism thought process, here are the top three NBA choices:
Tom Thibodeau (Chicago) – Pretty new to head coaching, so we’ll have to wait and see, but the Bulls boss was the fastest NBA coach ever to 100 wins and is one of the best defensive minds in basketball. He was a big reason the Celtics won in 2008 and proves he can do well with an ensemble cast. If he gets his reps and wins over the next four years he could be an ideal choice.
Doug Collins (Philadelphia) – Even though the Bulls were playing without Derrick Rose, we’re still impressed by how the Sixers’ coach dispatched of the east’s top seed in the playoffs. He’d also be a bit of a sentimental pick since a gold in Rio would make up for the one his last second free throws should have secured him in 1972, before the refs got creative and stole the win out from under Team USA.
Gregg Popovich (San Antonio) – Arguably the best basketball coach alive. Popovich has won four NBA titles and the last time he missed the playoffs Bill Clinton had just been reelected. Problem is we just don’t think he’d be into it, especially if he’s rebuilding the Spurs after Tim Duncan’s retirement. To be determined.
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IOC impressed by PyeongChang’s preparation for 2018 Olympics
Jun 19, 2013, 4:48 PM EDT
Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
The IOC Coordination Commission recently swung through the 2018 Winter Games host city PyeongChang for its second such evaluation visit since South Korea won the bid two years ago, and apparently everything is going swimmingly so far. “We’ve once again seen good progress from PyeongChang 2018,” IOC member Gunilla Lindberg said. “And an excellent team…
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Yohan Blake to miss Jamaican nationals; won’t run 200m at worlds
Jun 19, 2013, 12:52 PM EDT
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
Yohan Blake, the other Jamaican sprinter, the one who won the 2011 100m world title and happened to beat Usain Bolt at the 100m and 200m at nationals last year, will be forced to withdraw from the same event this season as he’s still dealing with a hamstring injury he suffered in April. “Yohan’s coach…
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AP
The Australian swimmers who admitted to “stupid” actions, including taking the sleeping pill Stilnox weeks after it was banned by the AOC, may face additional sanctions sometime next week when a report detailing their childish behavior is released. “We decided to continue in what we felt was a harmless activity and tradition,” the swimmers explained…
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AP
Apparently it only takes about six seconds to alienate a community you’ve spent seven months endearing yourself to. Or at least that’s what world champion bobsledder Lolo Jones learned when she hopped on Vine a couple days ago to make a video somewhat mocking the $741.84 she earned for her season. Jones, who has endorsements…
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Xinhua/Meng Yongmin
Three-time Olympic champ Veronica Campbell-Brown is hoping to avoid a maximum suspension for doping because the drug she tested positive for was reportedly contained in a cream she declared on her doping control form, according to Reuters. The Jamaican sprinter tested positive for the diuretic furosemide, which was found in urine samples taken at the…
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AFP PHOTO JOHN MACDOUGALL
Former Olympics ice dancing champs Gwendal Peizerat and Marina Anissina of France announced that they’ll reunite for a surprise comeback in hopes of qualifying for next year’s Sochi Games a full twelve years after retiring. “We got an offer from the French figure skating federation and the French sports ministry about taking part in the…
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David Rudisha injured in Central Park; will miss Kenyan championships
Jun 18, 2013, 12:15 PM EDT
World record 800m runner David Rudisha will be sidelined for about three weeks after suffering an injury while running New York’s Central Park. “[Rudisha] was jogging inside Central Park when he realized something was the matter with his knee,” his coach Colm O’Connell told Reuters Tuesday. “Two initial investigations were done, first in the USA and also in…
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Alexei Nikolsky/AFP/Getty Images
Following a side-meeting at the G8 Summit in Ireland on Monday, President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin decided that their two nations should join efforts in order to ensure the safety and security of athletes, officials, fans, and world leaders at next year’s Olympics. “The United States and Russia intend to continue to…
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YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/GettyImages
There’s still three months until the IOC determines which city – Tokyo, Madrid, or Istanbul – will host the 2020 Olympics. But two anonymous IOC officials told the Japan Times that Tokyo has the bid nearly locked up. All its officials need to do is avoid any major mistakes before the vote. Tokyo Governor and…
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Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
A new rule set in place by the International Boxing Association that would allow pros with fewer than fifteen bouts on their records to compete in the upcoming Olympics is in jeopardy after protests from boxing organizations and promoters. Now North American Boxing Federation President Joseph Dwyer is getting into the fight, and said his…
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Following the recent failed drug test and impeding suspension of Jamaican Olympic champ Veronica Campbell-Brown, Usain Bolt’s coach Glen Mills said it was time for the government to create an accredited anti-doping lab to “ensure the purity of substances” the athletes are using for training. “It just re-emphasizes the need for all involved to be…
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Courtesy of Lindsey Vonn via Facebook
Despite the budding relationship between Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods, the Olympic champ said she’s been able to go relatively unnoticed at this week’s U.S. Open just outside Philadelphia. “I can be normal by myself; no one notices me,” she told the New York Times Friday. “But wherever he’s around, we’re living in a fishbowl.…
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Decorated Jamaican Olympian tests positive for banned substance
Jun 15, 2013, 10:53 AM EDT
Olympic champion sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown is facing a two-year suspension from racing after samples taken at the Kingston Invitational last month tested positive for a banned substance. Testers reportedly found a diuretic in her system that was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency because of its use a masking agent for performance enhancing drugs. Campbell-Brown…
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Before Usain Bolt dominated the Bislett Games 200m race in Oslo Thursday – running a 2013 world’s best of 19.79 seconds to beat the field by 0.57 seconds – the world record sprinter, showman, and noted auto enthusiast excited the crowd when he arrived in a Formula 1 car. He may be a six-time Olympic…
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AP
Hurdler turned bobsledder (and now back to hurdler, we guess) Lolo Jones has apparently decided that the best way to land a date with Olympics legend Michael Phelps is to build a pool and invite him over for a swim. Or maybe she just wants him to bring one of his 22 career medals, after…
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Getty Images
In not so surprising news, Oscar Pistorius has been left off the South African Paralympic team for the World Championships next month in France. The once inspiring Olympic sprinter and Paralympian champion ruled out racing in 2013 back in May so he and his team could focus on his upcoming murder trial. Pistorus has admitted…
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Canadian Press
After his loss to Justin Gatlin in Rome last week, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt was looking for redemption and looking to make a statement with his 200m race in Oslo Thursday. He didn’t disappoint, breaking the tape in a meet record and 2013 world’s best 19.79 seconds, well clear of the pack. “I’m not in as…
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Madrid hopes new anti-doping law will strengthen Olympics bid
Jun 13, 2013, 11:43 AM EDT
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
On top of Madrid’s relatively minuscule budget of $1.9 billion for the 2020 Olympics – one-tenth of the $19 billion Istanbul has earmarked – Spain hopes the introduction of a new doping law three months before the vote will strengthen its bid. The new “Law for the Protection of Athletes’ Health and the Fight Against…
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OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images
Istanbul 2020 Officials said Wednesday that the recent violent protests in their nation will have “no bearing” on whether or not Istanbul is chosen to host the 2020 Olympics when IOC members meet for a final vote in Buenos Aires this September. “The feedback Istanbul 2020 has received from IOC members and the wider Olympic…
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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
During his annual quasi-State of the Union address Wednesday before the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that time is running out on locking up a deal between the NHL and the Olympics. The talks between the NHL, IOC, and IIHF have been ongoing since January, after the NHL…
